1,262a/n: This will probably come as no great shock, but there's more to cover, so there will be one more chapter.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to review last chapter!
Rose had never showered so fast in all of her life. By the time Dimitri stepped into the steaming mist, she was already rinsing the shampoo from her hair and the soap from her body. Conditioning was going to have to wait.
When she reached for the shower curtain, Dimitri grabbed her from behind. "Where are you going?" he whispered huskily.
"I can't be naked with you when your mother is here," she whispered.
He chuckled as he spun her around and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Why are you whispering?" he asked in amusement.
"I don't want you mother to hear us," Rose answered as she tried to pry his hands away. "Let me go."
"Roza Hathaway, are you embarrassed?" Dimitri pressed.
"Of course I'm embarrassed!" she hissed. "For God's sake, Dimitri, you were just…we were…I was…"
"Just riding me?" he supplied.
"Yes! Less than twenty minutes ago!" she reminded him. "If your mother had arrived just a few minutes earlier, she might have heard me moaning her son's name. It's a bit…distressing to even think about." Of course, Rose thought, if she'd been a few minutes later, she'd have already told Dimitri she loved him.
"You're blushing," Dimitri said softly.
"No, I'm not," Rose muttered.
"You are," he said as he tightened his grip on her. "And it's incredibly sexy."
"Dimitri," Rose breathed when he leaned down and ran his tongue along her collarbone.
"What?" he asked distractedly.
"Stop," she said weakly, her body betraying her with a shiver.
"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice thick with desire. "We could be quick."
Rose groaned as her knees nearly buckled beneath her. She tangled her hand in Dimitri's hair and jerked his head away so their eyes met. "If you don't stop, I'm going to let you fuck me right here in the shower with your mother standing in your living room—"
"Actually, she's sitting," Dimitri said, his eyes dancing.
"Whatever!" Rose huffed. "Either way, I won't be able to go out and face her if we…"
"Have sex?"
She reached forward and clamed a hand over his mouth. "Would you please lower your voice?"
Sighing, Dimitri let her go. "This little timid thing you have going on makes me hot," he informed her.
Rose escaped while she could, grabbing a towel off the shelf and quickly wiping herself off. After hastily dressing, she made her way to the bathroom sink and brushed her teeth, then began to blow dry her hair.
Rose's hand tightened around Dimitri's as she followed him into the living room. She'd never 'met the parents' before—at least not in this capacity. Before she'd moved in with Lissa, all of her boyfriends had wanted to be at Rose's house because of the lack of parental supervision. And she'd been fine with that. Having had absentee parents her entire life, she hadn't had a lot of experience with adults.
His mother stood as they walked into the room; a warm smile was already gracing her face. "Hello."
Her eyes were kind—that was the first thing Rose thought as she and Dimitri came to a stop a few feet away from her.
"Roza," Dimitri said when she didn't respond. "This is my mother, Olena."
Rose smiled anxiously. "Hi," she said with a small wave.
"This is Roza," Dimitri informed his mother with a smile.
"It's so nice to meet you," she said sincerely as she made her way around the coffee table and took Rose in a hug.
"It's…nice to meet you, too," Rose said, stiffening in the other woman's embrace.
Dimitri's mother noticed her discomfort and dropped her arms as she took a step back. "Are you going to join Dimitri and me for an early supper?" she asked hopefully. Rose couldn't help but notice that her accent was much thicker than Dimitri's.
"Of course she is," he cut in.
Rose turned to him. "I…I know how long it's been since you've seen your mother. So…I'm going to let you two catch up. Maybe tomorrow?" she said.
"Of course," his mother replied.
"OK."
The doorbell rang. "That'll be the pizza," Rose said in relief. "I'll pay for it on the way out and take it with me." She turned to Dimitri's mother. "Enjoy your dinner."
Dimitri leaned down to kiss Rose, but she reached up and put her hand on his cheek, pushing him away. "Bu-bye now."
Lissa giggled as Rose relayed the story to her. "You know me. I'm more interested in the sex part than anything else, but we'll get back to that. So…his mom shows up, and you bolt?" she asked as she took a bit of pizza.
"What else was I supposed to do?" Rose asked. "I had no warning, and I'm not exactly the kind of girl guys take home to meet their mom."
"That's only true because you've never dated a man before, Rose. You've always dated high school boys who wanted to get into your pants." Lissa arched a brow at her friend. "Your reputation, though unwarranted, preceded you."
Rose grinned. "It is funny that I was a virgin through the first year of my slutty reputation."
Lissa rolled her eyes. "So, you rescheduled for tomorrow, then?"
"Umm…only if I can't find a way to get out of it."
"Rose—"
"What is she doing here?" Rose wondered aloud. "Unannounced, I mean. It's not like she lives a few hours away. She's from Russia! You would think she'd call before she came to make sure her son is going to be here."
Lissa shrugged. "So…what was she like?"
"Kind," Rose responded immediately. "She kind of reminded me of your mom."
"Really?" Lissa replied with a hint of sorrow.
Rose sighed. "I'm sorry, Liss. I shouldn't have—"
But Lissa shook her head. "Don't apologize, Rose. I like thinking of my mom."
"I do, too," Rose agreed with a smile.
"It was always easy for you to be around my mom," Lissa reminded Rose. "It should be easy for you to be around Dimitri's."
Rose sighed as she reached for another piece of pizza. "Have I ever told you how much I hate it when you're so reasonable?"
Lissa grinned. "Dozens of times. But it's never stopped me before."