They were at the gatehouse, Dimitri handing over the paperwork Alberta had signed. Rose played with her phone while Dimitri spoke with the guardian at the gate. It was two minutes to ten when he pulled onto the main road, and they were on their way. Rose watched the walls of the Academy fly past. They'd made it five minutes beyond the fenceline when Dimitri pulled into a deserted rest stop. The engine still idling, and nothing other than a snow-laden picnic table to witness their exchange, he turned to face Rose, putting his hands on either side of her face and pulling her lips to his.
"Roza," he groaned before his lips joined hers, covering her mouth in soft, needy kisses. "I've wanted to do this all day!"
"Me too," she gasped, one hand running up his chest, the other snaking behind his neck. Their kisses were heating up, and he pulled himself back, resting his forehead against hers.
"Let's keep going, milaya. The sooner we're there, the sooner we can settle in ," he said, in a clear effort to stop himself from taking things further.
"Ok," Rose said breathlessly, honestly a little overcome by his openness and the depth of the desire she could see in his soulful chocolate brown eyes. After wanting him for so long, it was a little intimidating to know in just an hour or so they might be giving themselves to one another. As if he could read her thoughts, Dimitri gave her a final reassuring peck on the lips and turned back to the wheel, pulling back out onto the carriageway.
"Lissa said Tasha is visiting this weekend," Rose said, immediately regretting introducing her as a topic of conversation.
Dimitri looked unperturbed. "Yes, I noticed on the day sheet at breakfast a guardian had been rostered to go get her from Missoula."
Rose was watching him from the corner of her eye. He seemed relaxed and comfortable with it as a topic of conversation.
"I wasn't sure if she'd told you she was coming," she probed.
He shook his head. "We haven't spoken since she left the Academy after we got back," he explained. "She hasn't contacted me, and I thought I'd give her space. She's a friend, and we'll go back to being that, but her feelings were still hurt."
Rose nodded, but the surreptitious look Dimitri gave her showed him she wasn't entirely convinced.
"I chose you, Roza," he soothed. "You're the one I couldn't live without. Don't waste time worrying about Tasha. She's no threat. I love you!"
She reached over and rested her hand on his thigh as he gave her a loving smile and switched on the sound system in the car. It was one of his 80s hits, but she kind of knew it. Dimitri hummed along, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze when they got to the refrain 'take my breath away.'
They were approaching a town when Dimitri asked if she was hungry.
She looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Comrade, when aren't I hungry?" she joked, and he laughed as her stomach chose that moment to make its appetite known via a loud rumble.
"Come on milaya, let's get you fed," he grinned, pulling up into the lot of a burger joint.
"I can't believe you're letting me eat junk food," Rose replied, climbing out of the car and skipping to the entry door. "Could this weekend get any better?! Away from school with the sexiest man alive and now junk food? I've died and gone to heaven, Comrade!" she laughed.
Dimitri shook his head indulgently. He'd never been able to understand Rose's fascination with junk food, but it made her happy, and he wanted this weekend to be perfect for her. Standing behind her in front of the counter, he wrapped his arms around Rose from behind.
"Is there nothing healthy on this menu?" he moaned, looking at the meat-heavy, cheese-laden selections.
"Nope!" Rose responded wi th glee. "Talk a walk on the wild side , Dimitri. Eat a burger without a side salad," she teased, ordering herself two cheeseburger meals with a large chocolate shake.
"When in Rome," he muttered, ordering the same as her and pulling out his wallet. "My treat," he insisted, dropping a kiss onto the side of her head before handing over a couple of notes. She turned in his arms and looked up at him.
"Are you trying to seduce me with fast food?" she crooned into his ear irreverently. "'Cos it's totally working!"
Dimitri's eyes crinkled at the edges as his lips pulled into a grin. "I'll remember that, milaya!"
"Milaya?"
"It means sweetheart or darling. It's what a man calls his girl."
"Am I your girl?" she asked, trying not to show him the hope in her eyes.
"Would you like to be?" he replied, answering her question with one of his own.
"Would you like me to be?" she countered.
"Yes," he replied, the word barely a whisper.
"Then yes," she responded, getting up on tiptoes to give him a very sweet kiss.
Their food was ready, so he grabbed the paper bags, and they walked to the car. "I hope I'm not going to regret this," he said as they climbed into the car. And just for a moment, she wondered whether he meant the food or if he was talking about loving her.
"I can't believe the Academy owns anything this beautiful," Rose said in awe forty-five minutes later when they'd pulled up at camp.
"It's gorgeous isn't it?" Dimitri replied, warming her hands with his as they stood beside the car and looked at the picturesque scene in front of them. Set at the top of a ridge, the campsite was on a large terrace. On one side was a gentle slope that progressed into quite a steep decline to the valley below. On the other side some woodland that lay at the foot of a small mountain. The view was breathtaking, and the silence was deafening – there being nothing and no one for miles in any direction.
"This looks a lot like Siberia," Dimitri gruffly told her.
"Really? I never imagined it so scenic?" Rose replied.
"It's a beautiful land. I'll show it to you one day," he promised. "Every season has its beauty, but I think I'll take you in spring. 'О, весна без конца и без краю – Без конца и без краю мечта! Узнаю тебя, жизнь! Принимаю! И приветствую звоном щита!'"
"What does that mean?" Rose asked, spellbound by hearing Dimitri so loquacious in his native tongue.
"It's a Russian poem about spring. Let's get unpacked and then you can help me set up the tent."
"I thought you were joking about sleeping in a tent," she groaned. It was barely above freezing out.
"We're not going to sleep in the tent. But if I bring it back still packed up and not wet it's going to raise a lot of questions," he said giving her a hopeful look. "We'll set it up, but I thought we'd stay in the cabin." He gestured to the wooden cabin they'd pulled up alongside. "When the Novices are here in autumn, we let them off in the valley below and make them hike to the top carrying their supplies. They're here for three weeks, so it's a lot to carry up," he chuckled. "You should see their faces when they get to the top and see the bus parked up here and the smoke billowing from the cabin chimney. And then we make them pitch their tents!"
Passing Rose her bag, Dimitri shouldered his own and a few bags of supplies leading the way to the sturdy cabin. Standing on the tiny porch side by side, Rose's breath hitched as Dimitri pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the sturdy bolt.
"Wait here," he instructed, going in and carefully checking the cabin before giving her the all clear.
Rose stepped inside the gloomy cabin, looking around her gingerly. There wasn't much to see; an open room there was a sturdy sofa and a coffee table, a large bed with a bare mattress, a few cupboards and a wood burning stove in one corner to serve as a kitchen, a table and two chairs in front of it and a large fireplace a little further along in the centre of the wall. A door opened into a rustic bathroom with a toilet and a shower.
Dimitri quickly opened the shutters that covered the windows to let more light in. Looking around his heart sunk a little. It wasn't how he'd pictured it in his mind. He'd wanted a warm, soft bower filled with candlelight and to make Rose his in front of a roaring fire. This wasn't the romantic scene he'd envisaged; it was a chilly and depressing cabin whose only redeeming feature was it was in the middle of nowhere, and it allowed them to be alone.
Determined to do what he could to make the space comfortable and romantic, he did another two trips to the car to get the rest of the supplies before coaxing a fire to life in the fireplace as well as the stove while Rose swept the dusty floor and opened the windows for a few minutes to allow the cabin to air.
"Come on – help me make the bed unless you want to sleep in the tent," Dimitri said looking at her shyly. Neither of them said it, but they both knew they were preparing the space where they'd probably be making love a little later. Carefully putting the sheets on, they spread the quilt and placed the pillows he'd taken from his bed.
"It smells like you," Rose observed, sniffing one of his pillows then looking at him from under her lashes.
"It's from my bed," he said, his voice husky.
"I remember," she said giving him a daring look, referencing the night of the lust charm; when he'd come close to doing what he planned to do with her tonight.
Forcing himself back to the tasks at hand, he went outside and checked the water tank for the shower, brought the rest of the food in including a couple of bottles of wine he'd procured for the occasion, placing them to chill in a bucket he filled with snow . He pulled out a white tablecloth and spread it on the table before going outside to cut some early primroses he'd spotted growing in the protected area beneath the water tank, placing them in a teacup of water in the middle of the table. Finally, he pulled out a cast iron pot from a cupboard and filled it with the venison and vegetable stew he'd prepared back at the academy. It would take hours to cook, but by the time the sun went down, it would be a warm, hearty meal.
They went outside and pitched the tent to one side of the cabin; where it wouldn't obscure their view from the porch. With the car likewise hidden to one side, it was easy to feel they were completely cut off from the world. It was just past 1 pm, and Dimitri was starting to wonder what to do until sunset. The sun would set early, and for their warmth and safety they needed to be inside by then, but that still left hours.
"Roza – there's a beautiful lookout about half an hour's walk from here. Would you like to see it with me?" he asked shyly.
She nodded, putting on her gloves and warmest jacket and they set out hand in hand. They spent the time talking, Dimitri telling her more about Siberia and St Basil's. Rose told him more about being shadow-kissed, including her suspicions about the darkness and what Adrian had said about her taking the shadows from Lissa.
"Good to know Lord Ivashkov is good for something," Dimitri said frostily.
"You don't like him do you?" Rose asked with a giggle.
"No. He wants more than friendship from you," he growled.
"It's not going to happen," she said coyly. "I'm interested in another man."
"Still, I don't like that he's coming to campus. He's a bad influence," Dimitri continued petulantly.
"When's he arriving," she asked curiously.
"Today or tomorrow I think. Alberta said he's going to be working on spirit with Lissa."
Rose sighed, pulling her knees up and wrapping her arms around them. They were sitting side by side on a small plastic tarpaulin Dimitri had brought to the admittedly stunning lookout. "Then I'm going to need to train a lot more, Comrade," she said gloomily. "If Lissa is going to be using her magic, I can only expect to get more of this darkness."
"I'll help you with it," he promised. "I'll always be there to help you through it."
The sun was sinking toward the horizon by the time they got back to the cabin, but Rose insisted the two of them make snow angels side by side.
"You'll get cold," he warned, eyeing her skinny jeans dubiously. While they showed her beautiful body to perfection, they weren't as practical as the waterproof pants he was wearing.
"Then I can have a shower. There is hot water isn't there?" she checked.
"Plenty," he assured her. "I set the tank to warm before we left."
She flopped into the snow, grabbing his hand and pulling him down beside her. They made their snow angels, then stood side by side to admire their handiwork.
"Comrade?" she started.
"Yes milaya," he replied, brushing her quivering lower lip with his thumb.
"I'm freezing!" she confessed, earning a rich chuckle from him.
"Oh, Roza," he said with a smile. "Let's get you inside!"
The cabin was toasty warm, and the cooking meal made the place smell delectable. Dimitri checked the hot water was ready before coming to kneel in front of Rose where she sat at the table trying to undo her boots.
"Let me," he said, removing her boots and wet socks before pulling out a couple of towels from his bag and handing them to her.
"Pass me your wet clothes through the door, and I'll dry them in front of the fire," he instructed, pulling out a wire rack intended for just that purpose.
In the bathroom Rose stripped down, quickly passing Dimitri her clothes before looping her hair up into a bun to stay dry and stepping under the warm shower. It was quite hot, although the water pressure wasn't brilliant, but it warmed her freezing bones. Conscious Dimitri might want to shower, too, she climbed out after just a few minutes, wrapping herself in a towel.
She hadn't brought any fresh clothing in with her, and the towel wasn't massive. Maybe it's a sign, Rose thought, nervously stepping out into the main cabin.
Hearing the bathroom door, Dimitri turned to face her. He'd been in the middle of changing and hanging his wet clothing on the rack, so was wearing nothing but a pair of dark gray thermal trunks. Illuminated only by the light from the fire, Rose honestly thought she'd never seen him look as sexy as he did right then. His eyes were busy taking her in, noting her flawless skin; the long smooth legs not covered by the towel.
Walking towards him fearlessly, Rose wasted no time leaning up to kiss him. Wrapping her arms around his neck she stroked the back of his neck, letting her fingers play with the ponytail at his nape. Slowly coaxing his hair tie from his dark brown strands, she sighed in happiness as his hair fell forward framing his face. At the same time, she moved back ever so slightly, putting just enough distance between them so her towel dropped, leaving her standing naked in his arms.
Dimitri growled in excitement against her lips, his long-fingered, calloused hands suddenly finding they had all of her to caress and explore. He deepened the kiss, feeling Rose melt against him, pushing every part of herself closer to him.
"Roza," he stammered in warning. He needed to tell her that unless she wanted to go further, she needed to give him a moment to collect himself.
"It's cold, Dimitri. Take me to bed."
His eyes said what his lips couldn't, and without a pause, he picked her up and carried her across the room. Putting her down at the mattress edge, he peeled back the thick quilt watching with undisguised desire as she climbed naked into the center of the sheets. She reclined on one side, her dark locks spilling across the pillows like poured molasses.
Dimitri started to climb into bed beside her when she shook her head. "Underwear off, Comrade," she said giving him a steady stare. She didn't want there to be anything between them.
Flushing with embarrassment in the firelight, Dimitri lowered his trunks. He hadn't wanted her to see that he was already aroused by seeing her naked; he knew she hadn't been with a man before, and he didn't want to frighten her with the size of his member. Her eyes fell to his manhood as his trunks fell to the floor.
"Is that what I do to you?" she gasped in amazement.
"Yes," he moaned, lowering himself to the bed and rolling towards her, careful not to push his thick, long shaft against her.
"Often?" she asked with a cheeky smile.
"At least a couple of times a day," he admitted.
"Really?" she giggled. "That must be awfully inconvenient!"
"You have no idea, milaya," he moaned, thinking about the many times after training he'd had to calm himself down with an arctic shower.
"Do you ever think about me when you're…"
Dimitri groaned, pulling himself towards her and cutting off her question with a searing kiss. He was too embarrassed to tell her of the times he'd been unable to control himself, turned on by the thought of her, his hand a very poor substitute for the woman he wanted.
The quilt pulled over them, they were warm and comfortable, taking their time to explore one another. Dimitri seemed fascinated with Rose's breasts, rubbing his cheek against each before stopping to nuzzle, lick and suck their peaks.
He loved the little noises she was making as he touched her. They knew one another's bodies so well from sparring, yet so much was still unchartered territory. She was running her hands over his backside, playing with the smattering of hair on his bottom.
"I'm a bit hairy," he said apologetically, noticing the way her fingers kept playing with the hair on his ass and the back of his thighs.
"I like it. It's manly and sexy," she groaned, snaking her hand between them to encircle his shaft. "But not as sexy as this…"
His hips bucked as soon as she touched him. "Roza!" he growled, breathing deeply to stay in control.
"Do you like that?" she asked, seeing a look of almost pain cross his face as she slowly stroked him.
"Very much," he said almost shaking with need, his accent thick with pleasure. They were still lying facing one another, and he pulled her topmost leg over his hip, opening her womanly folds to him. She slowly pumped his shaft up and down as his fingers crept toward their goal. "So excited milaya," he commented, his fingers dabbling in the proof of her arousal, skirting the entrance to her core.
"I want you," she said by way of explanation, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"I want you, too," he said, losing himself in her kisses once again.
He found her tight pearl, stroking her gently and grinning with approval at her loud moan of excitement. God, she was wet! H e caressed her rhythmically in time with her strokes of his shaft. She wasn't holding his cock as tightly as he'd like – but it was for the best. If she had been, he'd have blown across her stomach by now!
Kissing her and pushing his tongue into her mouth he sunk his index finger into her wet cleft, penetrating her for the first time. He pulled his lips from hers, panting with excitement when he felt her heat around his finger, thrilled by the way her eyes opened in wonder.
"Does that feel good?" Dimitri asked her. More than anything he wanted to give her pleasure. To make tonight unforgettable for all the right reasons.
"Yes, but I want more," she whimpered. He knew she meant his cock, but he also knew she wasn't ready for that, yet. She was still too tight, and he didn't want to hurt her. He introduced a second digit within her, loving her soft mewling as his fingers curled to stroke her inner wall. He pumped in and out a little, mostly focusing on her G-spot and slowly moving his fingers within her to prepare her for his manhood.
Dimitri brought his lips back to her chest, watching in wonder as her plump breasts quivered with each shaky breath she took. Mumbling in Russian the words he was too ashamed to say in English, he told her how he wanted her to scream his name, how he wanted to make her his, only his. That he loved her. That he wanted to be her man always.
She was rocking her hips in time with his fingers, her hand grasping him more tightly as they used their hands to simulate what they wanted to share with each other.
"Please Comrade?" Rose moaned. "Please?!"
He rolled her onto her back, kissing her deeply as he rested on one forearm, bringing himself to where he needed to be. Sliding the head of his cock up and down her folds to coat it liberally in her wetness, he looked at her and told her in English, "I love you, Rose Hathaway. I'm always going to love you." Then gritting his teeth to force himself to hold back he pushed himself oh so slowly into her. Her eyes widened in surprise. It didn't hurt as much as give a full feeling of pressure.
"Ok?" he quizzed nervously.
"It's good," she assured him with a nervous smile, looking up at Dimitri as he loomed above her. So he kept going, pushing a little further before pulling out just a little, pushing in again. It was slow going, but it was working; with each little thrust he was inside a little more, and the soft pistoning motion was giving her a friction that felt so good.
Her arms around his neck and back she pulled him to her. "I want your weight on me," Rose groaned. Worried he'd hurt her, Dimitri lowered a little more of himself onto her, still holding the bulk of it back.
"Fuck, Dimitri! You're not going to break me! You lie on top of me in training all the time, and I love it. It turns me on! So lie on top of me, please! Stop holding back!"
She was right. He was holding back, and she could feel it. So he put most of his weight upon her, resting just enough on his forearms that he could bring his lips to hers. She growled in excitement, tangling her tongue with his as his rocking continued, pushing forward until there was no more for her to take.
"That's it, milaya. How do you feel?"
"I feel like I want you to make me yours, Comrade," she gasped, pulling his head towards her until his lips were on hers. "Take me," she begged against them.
It was his undoing; he had to start moving, slowly at first but her whimpers and moans spurred him on. He loved the way her arms were clinging to his back, her lips swollen from their kisses, her eyes catching his and showing her passion, love, and trust. Being so close to her was almost overwhelming; her scent, her little cries, the way she pushed back against him – bringing their hips together as they joined as closely as possible.
She couldn't believe after so much wanting they were finally together. Being with him was exhilarating and new, yet somehow seemed so natural and right. Like this is what they should have been doing all along. They really were made for each other. Rose could feel her excitement building, but she knew she wouldn't be able to cum without a little help. So she slipped her hand between them, finding her bundle of nerves and rubbing it lightly. Divining what she was up to, Dimitri raised himself up on his arms a little. His hair hanging around his face, biting his lips, his dark eyes filled with passion Rose gazed at him as she stroked herself, loving his hardness sliding in and out of her slick channel.
She was tightening. She must be close, he thought. He was desperate to empty his hot seed within her, but he wanted her to cum first. But she was so tight. So beautiful. He just couldn't stop himself; his hips acting of their own accord he was pushing into her haphazardly the feeling building within him before he let go, roaring his approval as his release flooded her, spurt after delicious spurt.
She was close. Seeing Dimitri lose himself in passion, his fiery roar and then him slumping incoherently on her was enough. Teetering right on the edge, one more flick of her clit and she was gone. His in every way now, she keened his name, holding him to her tightly as heavenly waves wracked her body.
They lay together, still connected in the most intimate of ways.
Rose drew a deep shuddering breath.
"Wow, Comrade!" she laughed, nuzzling his neck and kissing it softly.
"Wow indeed, milaya," he chuckled. "That was worth waiting for!"