ROSE

The last flurry of colors lit up the night sky like a sparking rainbow of white, red, and gold. Dimitri and I hadn't made it to the main square to find a spot to watch the firework show, but that was fine by me. I could see it just fine from where I was, perched on Dimitri's lap on a quiet bench with his duster tucked around us both. He rested his chin on my shoulder, but I had felt more than one stolen kiss on my neck.

He was being very touchy-feely with me. He had been holding my hand or wrapping his arms around me all day. I didn't even get a chance to sit down on the bench beside him before he was pulling me onto his lap. Thankfully, there weren't many people nearby, and those that were close enough to see our PDA were so focused on the fireworks that they hardly noticed us. I wasn't sure why he was being so openly physical. I mean, I had my suspicions that it was at least partially rooted in the fact that he hadn't had the chance to hold me in months and was making up for lost time. It made me wonder what was in store for later. Just the thought almost had me squirming and ready to race back to the hotel.

On the other hand, tonight had been so perfect that I didn't want it to end. The firework show was the official cap off to the festival for the day, and as we made our way back to the car, I could see several of the vendors packing up their wares. Most of the food stalls were already closed, but it looked like some of the small booths lingered in hopes of snagging last-minute shoppers. Dimitri and I hadn't really taken a look around the shops, and a part of me was regretting it. Now, the shelves of hand-painted matryoshka dolls and strings of amber beads were calling to my curiosity. Perhaps next time, though.

As soon as we reached the car, exhaustion seemed to overwhelm Dimitri. He hadn't even offered to drive this time, only taking a moment to open the driverside door for me before stepping around to the passenger seat. Even though his yawns were now coming every couple of minutes, and his eyes continued to flutter close here and there, he valiantly tried to stay awake. I had initially tried to help him with some casual conversation for a couple of minutes, but I think we both realized that it was pointless pretty quickly. Eventually, I just let him rest.

He stirred awake again as soon as I pulled into the hotel parking lot and cut the engine. Ever the vigilant guardian, he went from eyes closed one moment to fully alert the next. Once he realized that there was no threat, he relaxed again. "We're here?" he asked.

"Yep. It's right over there." I nodded across the lot before getting out of the car and moving toward the trunk to grab our bags. He moved slower but was still quick enough to grab one of his suitcases from me as I tried to lift it.

"Let me," he said, taking the first bag before reaching for the other. I was about to protest when he cut me off. "It's no problem, Rose. Really. Plus, they're heavy."

He wasn't wrong there. The two suitcases held more than just his clothing; they also held at least a dozen gifts from friends. Still, I wanted to help.

"You're practically a zombie, Dimitri. At least let me take one." I insisted. "I'll even let you pick."

I thought he was about to protest again, his pride getting the better of him even though we both knew he was barely hanging on to consciousness. Eventually, he relented with a sigh. I wasn't surprised when he offered me the lighter of the two bags, but that was better than nothing. He slammed the trunk close and started leading me towards the hotel lobby, eyes flicking to any hidden shadows as we moved. It was dark out, which meant that there was a risk of Stigoi, and he was hyper-vigilant. Was the risk small? Sure, but it was still there. And that was enough for Dimitri to be wary.

I had noticed Dimitri's holstered stake earlier in the evening. It didn't surprise me that he had brought it with him. He always had at least one close at hand. I did the same, though mine wasn't secured at my hip but tucked away in my bag.

Thankfully it wasn't a long walk to the hotel, and we reached the lobby without incident. Once we were finally in our room, I watched Dimitri's shoulders drop as he fully relaxed. Without a word, he tossed his jacket over the chair in the corner and began to strip out of his clothes. Instead of heading to the bed, though, he started for the bathroom.

"I'm going to take a quick shower."

"You okay?" I asked. By this time, I was tired and ready to go to sleep, too.

"I'm fine." His yawn partially obscured his words. "I just smell like the plane. I want to wash it off really quickly."

I understood that feeling. Sitting in recycled air for hours on end left a particular ick on you that lingered. If I had thought about it before, I would have offered to let us stop at the hotel first. Dimitri hadn't complained, though.

He closed the door between us, and I heard the water start a few seconds later. I knew I should probably let him be, but the idea of slipping under the covers alone when Dimitri was so close just felt, well, wrong. Before I knew what I was doing, I found myself in the bathroom, my clothes piled at my feet. Dimitri didn't seem to notice anything until I pulled the curtain back and stepped in with him.

"Roza?" he whispered quietly, like he was surprised to find me behind him. His eyes traced over my naked body, and even through his exhaustion, I could see the want. His body was blocking most of the water, and the chilly air made my nipples peak in a way he couldn't miss. He reached out to touch me, but I grabbed his wrist before he could.

When he gave me a questioning look, I answered him with a smile. "Let me take care of you."

The small bar of soap that the hotel had provided was still sitting in the corner, and while I unwrapped it from its printed paper, Dimitri reached for the washcloth. The water pressure wasn't great here, but it almost gave the effect of a warm, gentle rain. Taking the washcloth from him, I wet it and lathered it with soap.

A strange sort of trance fell over us both as I used the cloth to slowly map the hard muscles of his body. Creamy soap bubbles trailed after my touch, and I could almost see them wash away the last of his tension away. Over his shoulders, across his abs, my touch reached every part of him. Or, almost every part. Though I could see him hardening against me, I purposefully ignored his cock for the time being. I knew once I touched him there, everything else would be forgotten, and I wanted to make sure he felt clean and comfortable before I took care of other needs.

Dimitri took deep, heavy breaths as my hands wandered. I took special care as I washed over the compass and rose tattoo emblazoned proudly on his chest. Every once and a while, his hands would flex as if it was taking everything in him not to grab me and kiss me senseless. Maybe it was. I knew that need was starting to pull at me. There was some relief when I urged him to turn so that I could wash his back, but it was short-lived when I couldn't hold back and kissed the spot between his shoulder blades. Earlier, I had wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed with him and sleep. Now, it was only sheer will that kept me from dropping to my knees. I was hungry for him. I was starving for him.

Once I had cleaned nearly every inch of his skin and allowed him to rinse the soap away, I grabbed the shampoo and squeezed a small about of into my palm. He was so tall that I had to rise up on my toes to reach his hair, and I finally felt his touch as his hands held my hips to keep me steady. He sighed long and low as I worked my fingers through the strands. He had cut his hair since I had seen him last, but it was still long enough for me to grasp. I struggled to reach the top of his head, but instead of leaning down, he pulled me sharply against him until we were fused so tightly together that even the water couldn't drip between us. His cock was pressed hard and insistent against my stomach, and he began to work my body against him in a slow, sensual dance that left me feeling wet. Not from the shower but from his attention.

I had come in here with the intention of helping Dimitri wash. I had only wanted to take care of him and help him relax after a long day. Honest to God, I hadn't planned on seducing him. Now, I had to wonder who was seducing who.

Soon, cleanliness was forgotten. Shampoo stung my eyes when he finally bent down to kiss me, but I needed him too much to care. He whispered my name against my lips, kissing me wherever he could reach. His hands moved from my hips to my ass as he somehow pulled me tighter against him. We were so close I swore I could feel his heartbeat.

Somewhere between his kisses and his touch, he had walked me back until I felt the cheap tile wall behind me. I could hear the shower still running, but I doubted it was touching either of us anymore.

"Dimitri…" I whispered against his fevered skin. I meant to tell him to turn the water off, but that was all I got out before he stole the rest of my words with his bruising kiss. His knee pressed between my legs, giving me just enough pressure to rock against as he drove me wild. He grasped me so tightly I knew he was probably heaving fingertip-shaped bruises on my skin, but neither of us cared.

Him, the hazy thought drifted through my mind. This was for him. Not me.

Before I could get caught up in his sweet devotion again, I slipped my hand between us and grasped his cock. Immediately, Dimitri threw his head back with a loud, almost porn-worthy groan that was sure to get us a few complaints from other hotel guests.

"Fuck, Roza." Each word was drawn out in a moan as I began to move my hand up and down, tightening a little at the head and brushing my thumb across the tip in a way I knew drove him crazy. I hadn't had many chances to give him hand jobs over the course of our relationship, but you better believe that I studied him each time he fist fucked himself over Facetime. Watching him jack off as he watched me finger myself had become one of my favorite pastimes, and I committed the image to memory. I knew how he liked it. He wanted it hard, almost punishing. That's exactly what I intended to give him. "Just like that, Милая. Just like that."

Before long, he was thrusting into my grip, completely lost in his pleasure in a way that filled me with satisfaction. He was going to come soon. I knew it. I just need to push him a little further. He was practically pulsing in my hand.

He must have been so close when he finally pulled away with me, still hard and needy. He panted, eyeing me like he was about to devour me.

"What?" I asked, surprised just how breathless I was just from trying to get him off. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head, hands still gripping my body. "Nothing is wrong. Absolutely nothing. I need to be inside you."

He looked about ready to fuck me against the shower wall. On any other day, I would have welcomed that, but no matter how turned on we both were right now, we were both still worn from the day, and slippery shower sex was a very bad idea. The bed, though? Yeah, that would work just fine.

"Sounds perfect." I reached up and gave him a quick kiss, pulling away before it could slip into something more heated again. "Let me wash really quickly, and I'll meet you in a moment."

Dimitri seemed hesitant to let me go, but I nudged him out of the shower so that I could finish up. It must have only been another five minutes, but the moment I stepped out of the bathroom, I couldn't help but giggle.

I had expected to see Dimitri waiting for me, naked and ready like he had been just moments before. Instead, I found the poor guy passed out on the bed. For all intents and purposes, he was dead to the world. Perhaps I should have been disappointed that things were being cut short, but I couldn't say that I was surprised.

Thankfully, he had pulled the sheets back before falling asleep, so all I had to do was double-check that the door was locked, turn off the lights, and crawl in beside him.

"Доброй ночи, Дмитрий" I whispered, bidding him goodnight before pulling the blanket up over us. I smiled, laughing quietly to myself when he didn't respond, not even when I snuggled close to him, lifting his arm to wrap it around me since he was too tired to do it himself.

Dimitri apologized for falling asleep on me by waking me up in the morning with his head between my thighs. After spending another hour or so finishing what we had started last night, we were on our way back to Baia. White flurries fell for as far as the eye could see. It almost felt like we were in one of those snow globes, but it was perfect for Christmas day.

There wouldn't be any big celebrations today since Orthodox Christmas was celebrated in January rather than December. While it was still somewhat weird after nearly two decades of Santa Clause, candy canes, and Christmas movie marathons, it didn't bother me nearly as much as I thought it would. Perhaps it was because I didn't have any hard and fast holiday traditions besides exchanging gifts with friends and gorging myself on Christmas cookies from the cafeteria. I'd call Lissa and the others later this evening, and my father promised to drop by at some point, but I was surprisingly okay with a low-key holiday.

When we pulled up to the house, I noticed Karo's car was still in the driveway. I knew today was also Sonya's day off of work, so apparently, we'd be having a full house. Even Vika and Paul should have arrived from school sometime yesterday. The train from St. Basils didn't go to Baia directly, but the closest stop was only about an hour away. It was going to be crazy with all of us together for the next few weeks, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

"You ready for things to get loud?" I asked Dimitri over my shoulder as I stole one of his bags and lugged it up the stairs.

He gave me an annoyed look that immediately melted at the mention of his chaotic but loving family. "More than you know."

The moment I opened the door, a chorus of "Surprise!" sounded from the living room. I laughed, stepping aside so that Dimitri could see whatever crazy thing they had waiting for him, but a moment later, I realized that they had been talking to me.

"Aunt Rose!" Paul reached out, totally ignoring his uncle as he pulled me into the house. "Look! Look! Do you like it?"

Everywhere I looked, there were holiday decorations. When I left early yesterday morning, the house looked very much like it always did. Now, it looked like it was out of some Hallmark Christmas special. Red and green twisted streamers were strung from every corner of the living room, crisscrossing across the ceiling without any particular design. Dozens of hand-cut paper snowflakes hung down, gently twirling and showing off each unique pattern. Fake garland was twisted around the stair railings with bright red bows. Across the front of the fireplace were nine simple knitted stockings, each with an initial stitched into the pattern. At the very end of the row, there was room for a tenth.

I had seen Yeva knitting like mad over the past week and a half, but she never answered when I asked what she was up to. Now, I had to wonder if she knew this was how things would work out. Did she know that I'd be staying here rather than going back to the States? If so, I probably should be bitter, but right now, all I could feel was grateful that she and the other Belikova women had done something so incredibly sweet. She gave me a sly smile as she finished up the last stocking, this one with a 'Д' on the front, and handed it to Sonya to hang up with the others.

In the middle of everything was a large tree, filling the room with an unmistakable scent of pine. There were no decorations on it, not even a star on the top, but it was beautiful just the same.

"You guys," I choked on my own words, unable to hold the emotions back. "Did you all do this for me?"

"Yeah! And look…" Paul started running to different corners of the room, pointing out all the little details he was worried I might have missed. As he prattled off about how he had helped cut out the snowflakes, Karo stepped forward and gave me a quick hug.

"You really didn't have to do any of this," I told her, glancing over at Olena, who was also nearby. "I mean, I love it, but you didn't have to go out of your way just for me."

"We wanted to. We all feel horrible that you weren't able to spend Christmas with your friends back in America and wanted to do something special for you here," Karo explained. She gestured to a few of the figurines scattered about the room before settling on a nearby one in particular. It looked like Santa Clause but dressed in blue rather than the more familiar red. A smaller figure of a young woman was placed next to him. "And don't you worry; we already had some of the decorations. We've had that Grandfather Frost one longer than I've been alive."

"Even longer than that. I'm pretty sure he's older than me," Olena added with a laugh before looking behind me. I had been so caught up in everyone's surprise I had nearly forgotten that Dimitri was there. "Welcome home, Mitya."

"Mama." Dimitri greeted affectionately as he gathered his mother in his arms, giving her a big hug before moving on to his older sister. Sonya was nearby waiting for her turn, but Vika seemed more interested in me than her brother. I had barely said hi before Paul was next to me with the same enthusiasm that he had shown from the moment I stepped into the house.

"...and we're going to decorate the tree together! Isn't that going to be fun?!"

"It's going to be so much fun," I said, doing everything I could to match the excitement of a ten-year-old high on the magic of Christmas. "Let's let your uncle get his suitcases upstairs, and then we can plan out all the fun. Is that okay?"

With some reluctance that he would have to wait a little bit, Paul finally agreed. He asked if he could take my overnight bag upstairs to my room, and when I handed it to him, he took off like a rocket. I think he was willing to do anything and everything he could to make things go faster. I grabbed the smaller of Dimitri's two suitcases and started up after Paul, knowing that Dimitri would soon follow.

As Paul brushed past us to get back downstairs, I noticed that he had placed my overnight bag on top of the still-packed suitcase I had planned on bringing to Court with me. Everything had happened so quickly that I still hadn't found the time or willpower to unpack again. Dimitri's gaze seemed drawn to it like a glowing beacon.

"We tried, Roza," Dimitri said with a sigh, needlessly apologizing even though he had done nothing wrong. He parked his suitcase next to my unused one before sitting beside me on the bed. The mattress shifted a little as he slipped his arm around me. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I reassured him with a tight, only partially fake smile. It wasn't like it was his fault that this crap was happening, and things could be worse. "I'm just glad you're here."

"Me too. I was determined to see you one way or another." His arm squeezed me, and I gave a choked laugh. Dimitri always was a well-thought-out, logical, 'pros-and-cons' list sort of guy, but apparently, he hadn't thought twice about dropping everything so he could spend the holidays here.

"Hey, you get to see your family too! At Christmas, no less. That has to be something." Originally, I was going to be in the US from the 23rd until the 10th, spending Christmas and New Year with Lissa and the others. Now, Dimitri would get to be here over the 7th, the Russian Christmas holiday.

"I haven't spent Christmas with my family in almost ten years." He looked dreamily at the door, and I was sure he was thinking of all the holiday memories from his childhood. Sometimes, it was hard to remember just how much older Dimitri really was compared to me. His birthday had been a couple of weeks ago, officially making him 26 now.

"Grandpa," I said with a teasing huff. My grin snuck up on me as he stared me down.

Quick as a whip, he pinched my side, making me squirm as he began to tickle me relentlessly. "What did you call me?"

"You're old!" I cried, laughing as he pinned me down on the bed. Seriously, if Strigoi tried to tickle me rather than fight me outright, I'd be a goner. I had no control when someone teased me like this, and Dimitri knew it. As soon as he got me where he wanted me, his fingers slowed and became a caress as he lowered his lips to mine.

He pulled away after a moment, leaving me completely helpless but now in a whole new way. "And you're trouble," he said fondly. "Beautiful, beautiful trouble."

"I'm glad you're here," I admitted. I didn't just mean here with me; I meant here with his family too. Even if it meant losing the Christmas I had expected, I was glad that Dimitri got to come home.

"Me too, Roza."

Author's Note

Thank you so much for waiting patiently between updates. I've been very busy with a few projects and fun bouts of writer's block have been plaguing me more than usual. I'm still working on the next chapter, but parts of it continue to elude me. The good news is that chapter 39 has been flowing quite nicely. Also, I cannot believe that we are at 39 chapters and I still have so much more planned for this story. I'm starting to question my sanity a little.

Because I promised to keep you updated: The story that I had submitted to a literary agent was unfortunately not picked up for publication. I had been hush-hush with you guys before, but the story I had submitted was actually the DPOV series. Because of the circumstances surrounding the series, I do not feel comfortable reaching out to anyone other than the agent who represents Mead and the original series (unless one of you knows someone at Penguin Publishing lol). The good news is that it will remain free for all of you to enjoy on this website!

Thank you again for all of your support. It means the world to me.

Translations:

Милая - Darling/Sweetheart

Доброй ночи, Дмитрий - Goodnight, Dimitri