It was almost noon—the middle of the night for Adrian, since Moroi ran on a nocturnal schedule. Rose had been avoiding him for weeks, and it was driving him to distraction. Instead of being out here in the sunlit cold day, he should be back in his suite with a hot toddy—aka a glass of whiskey. The only reason he was here at all was because Belikov was on patrol. If there was the slightest chance that the Russian was meeting up with Rose then Adrian was determined to be there. So he could interrupt them. He had a dozen little scenarios planned out, for each location he might catch them in. The only one he wasn't sure of was the one for the gym. It involved actually having to exercise, and that wasn't something he really wanted to attempt.
He'd concealed himself in a large clump of bushes across from her dorm. When the double doors burst open, he smiled. She shot outside, an answer to his prayers. He hadn't seen her this close in at least two days, so he drank in the sight of her. Her hair looked wonderfully messy, as if she'd just rolled out of bed. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were sparkling. All in all, she looked totally screwable.
She pulled her robe closed, walking to the side of the building. Adrian shifted within his hidey hole, determined to keep her in sight. He realized, biting back a laugh, that he had become as stalker-ish as Belikov. The tall Russian followed Rose constantly, keeping out of sight and watching her from a distance. The only time he wasn't tailing her was when he was either on duty or holed up in his room, reading one of his ridiculous western novels. Adrian had resorted to doing the same damned thing—following her, that is. He'd be damned if he ever voluntarily picked up a book that involved cowboys, horses or indians.
"Are you sleepwalking?" Well speak of the Devil.
She spun around, startled. Dimitri stood there watching her, looking amused.
"I was testing dorm security," she said. "It sucks."
A hint of a smile played over his lips, amusement lighting up his aura. "You must be freezing. Do you want my coat?"
She shook her head, stubborn as always. "I'm fine. What are you doing out here? Are you testing security too?"
"I am security. This is my watch." His amusement was reflected in his voice. They were slowly beginning to leans towards each other in that irritating way that made them seem like star crossed lovers. Adrian grimace. If they started to kiss he was going to cause the biggest ruckus imaginable. Bursting out of the bushes and shouting about a rattlesnake was extremely believable, in his opinion.
"Well, good work," Rose said. "I'm glad I was able to help test your awesome skills. I should be going now."
"Rose—" Dimitri's hand caught her arm for a moment before releasing it quickly. "What are you really doing out here?"
"I had a bad dream. I wanted some air."
"And so you just rushed out. Breaking the rules didn't even cross your mind—and neither did putting on a coat."
"Yeah," She shrugged. "That pretty much sums it up."
"Rose, Rose." He sounded exasperated. "You never change. Always jumping in without thinking."
"That's not true," Her voice was irritated. "I've changed a lot."
The amusement on his face suddenly faded, his expression growing troubled. He studied her, leaning even closer. Goddamn it. They were so about to kiss.
Instead Belikov kept talking. "You're right. You have changed."
God he liked to talk a lot. Adrian grinned. If he were in the Russian's shoes, Rose would be well on her way to second base by now.
"Well, don't worry. My birthday's coming up. As soon as I'm eighteen, I'll be an adult, right? I'm sure I'll wake up that morning and be all mature and stuff."
Oh ho. A birthday. That gave a valid excuse for gift giving. Surely her ban on presents didn't include birthdays? Rose would look fabulous in a bright red sports car. He could almost see her, reclining across its hood, her tanned body glistening with oil, barely covered by the red bikini that she had worn in past spirit dreams. Of course, if he attempted to give her a car, she'd probably just turn around and use it to run him down. She had quite the temper.
Belikov smiled "Yes, I'm sure. What is it, about a month?"
"Thirty-one days," She said.
"Not that you're counting." She shrugged, and he laughed.
"I suppose you've made a birthday list too. Ten pages? Single-spaced? Ranked by order of priority?" The smile was still on his face.
Idiot. Her face immediately fell, her aura filling with misery. How did he manage to do that to her so easily?
"No," her voice was soft. So soft Adrian had to strain to hear it. "No list."
Belikov tilted his head staring at her intently. "I can't believe you don't want anything. It's going to be a boring birthday."
"It doesn't matter," She said insisted.
Adrian closed his eyes for a moment, wondering what he could tempt her with. What could he give her to make her open her eyes and see what was right in front of her? Belikov had fallen back into his old habit of keeping her at arm's length. Rose was wasting herself, longing for a man who didn't have the balls to follow through on his desires. Actions spoke louder than words, especially in a case like this—maybe he could convince her of that.
"What do you—" Belikov stopped, a look of understanding shooting across his face. He stared at her, his face full of longing, but as usual, he forced himself to be 'professional'.
God, Adrian hated the man. What was so special about—
A hand clamped over his mouth as an arm jerked him backwards. A voice spoke in his ear, so softly it couldn't even be called a whisper. "Didn't anyone ever teach you that it's impolite to eavesdrop?"