They lay silently on the bed, trying to catch their breath once more. Sasha rolled back onto her side, facing him. Dmitri was laying spread out on his back, his chest rising and falling with each deep intake of breath. Tentatively, she reached out and placed a small hand on his defined pecs. Her fingers softly caressed the spring of hair that rested there.
Dmitri turned to her and said abruptly, “We should get up.” Unceremoniously he displaced her hand from his person and sat up upon the edge of the bed with his back facing her. Sasha got a peek of his muscled bottom as he climbed out of his soiled boxer briefs and made his way to what she assumed was the restroom.
Not knowing what to make of his rush from the bed, Sasha continued to lie there as a shower started in the background.
Sasha walked to the kitchen with a different shirt she had found in his drawer once she had completed her own shower. The only problem was her lack of underwear. Feeling slightly vulnerable she looked upon Dmitri who was cooking breakfast, what smelled like eggs. He wore long pajama pants and for the first time she got a glimpse of his feet peeking from beneath them; his toes were long and thin, his feet delicately arched.
“I’m making omelets,” he provided.
Sasha sat down at the small glass table placed in the middle of the kitchen, watching him flip the eggs. The silence between them was awkward. The events of this morning had been a first for her in many regards. Having never slept over with a man before, she had been completely unprepared for the level of intimacy she had with Dmitri. Sleeping in his arms had felt safe and, dare she admit it, right. But despite their intimacies, he seemed to be cold this morning. He had barely glanced her way once since leaving the bed.
Quietly, Sasha stood up and approached him, reaching out and placing her hands upon his back. He stiffened beneath her touch but she decided to ignore it. Her arms wrapped themselves around his waist and she gently placed her head upon the smooth skin of his back.
Whispering softly, she said, “Thank you for letting me stay with you.”
To her shock, he replied, “Do you want to talk about what happened?”
She didn’t realize she had been holding her breath until he spoke. There was a tight knot in her chest-fear of what he would do and say. Though her virginity was something she valued and did not want to give away easily, there was also a fear within her that if she did finally sleep with him he would completely lose interest. Despite the conversation they had when he first asked her out, a part of her still doubted his sincerity. How could she trust him when he had all but revealed to her more than once that he was strictly interested in her sexually? She had disappointed herself this morning by giving in to the strong desires she had forcefully repressed. She wanted more nights like the one they had and she knew deep within her heart that the only way to keep him would be to make him wait.
Sasha knew he wouldn’t wait too long but a month was better than nothing at all. Her arms unconsciously tightened around him until she felt his fingers pry them off. Slightly hurt by his rejection once more, Sasha decided to step away. She knew not to come off as needy but it was hard when each moment she spent with Dmitri made her want him to stay with her forever. Faye’s comments from last night kept ringing in the back of her head.
‘He’s going to tire of me,’ she thought sorrowfully.
“No,” she finally replied. “I’d rather not. I just had to come to realize that holding onto people who see you as less than nothing isn’t…friendship.”
Dmitri paused. He placed the omelets on separate plates and turned to her for the first time since she had walked from the bedroom. Her hair framed her face, partially covering her chest and her legs were completely bare but his t-shirt reached her mid-thighs, giving her some level of decorum. He walked past her to set their individual plates on the small kitchen table. Taking a seat, he motioned for her to do the same as he seasoned his breakfast.
“Well,” he began, “I’m happy you finally realized this sooner rather than later.”
Sasha began to walk over to the table but stopped. All throughout her life she had avoided conflict in order to assuage her desperate need for friendship. But she found that she couldn’t do that today. That morning she had given Dmitri a part of her that was special- or at least it was in her inexperienced eyes. There was no longer warmth in the way he spoke or touched her. And Dmitri was beginning to mean too much for her to just avoid conflict for the sake of a falsely idyllic relationship.
Sucking in a deep breath, she dove in. “What’s wrong with you?”
He looked up at her with a raised brow. Dropping his fork, he leaned back and crossed his arms across his bare chest. “Nothing. What are you talking about?”
She approached him, determined not to be intimidated by the glare that now encompassed his handsome features. “You’ve been cold to me ever since…this morning. I don’t understand. What happened? I thought-”
“And that is exactly why I kick women out the morning after. You think too much. What do you expect from me?”
Sasha flinched as his mood dramatically changed. He had spoken calmly but he looked furious and she felt herself begin to shake. She wasn’t fearful that he would harm her physically. No- she was scared that he would be Faye; pull the rug from under her feet, take away the happiness she had discovered in being with him. Seeing him stand up, she experienced immediate tunnel vision once again. Get out before he could do just that.
“I-I have to go!” Without waiting for a response, Sasha raced to the bedroom and grabbed her dress, ignoring Dmitri calling her name from the kitchen. Throwing off his shirt, she wriggled her body back into the outfit and grabbed her heels and purse. Her mind raced with Faye’s words continually ringing in her ears, “Count your blessings because there is no way in hell a hot guy like Dmitri could ever stay interested in someone like you.”
Taking several deep breaths, with a bowed head she made her way to the front door. Opening it, she jumped in shock as a large hand immediately closed it again. The warmth from his large body emanated onto her back; she had to force herself not to lean back into him. But she didn’t need to because Dmitri lowered himself against her, his face above her ear as he whispered, “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. Please don’t go.”
“I don’t understand you, Dmitri. Why are you acting like this?”
Dmitri grabbed her shoulders and force her to turn around. Gently placing a few of her locs behind her delicate ears, he emphatically shook his head. “No, no. It’s not…I-I…”
Sasha watched in shock as he seemed visibly shaken.
“I’m not used to this, Sasha! It is as new for me as it is for you!”
She looked him straight in the eye. “What is?”
He ran a frustrated hand through his dark locks and sighed. “Everything between us. I’m sorry I reacted that way but the experience of being with you- not just what we did today in bed- but sleeping next to you…and then waking up to your face in the morning… it’s all so new to me and I didn’t know how to react.”
He spread his arms in front of her. “I’m not used to sharing this space with someone I’m intimate with, Sasha. I’m sorry. I was acting childish and- just please don’t go.” He grabbed both of her hands, forcing her to drop her shoes and purse onto the floor. “I want to spend today with you.”
“If you feel as if I’m invading your space I think it is best that I go. I never meant to be intrusive.” She tried to bend down to retrieve her things again but Dmitri pulled her into his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“You’re not being intrusive. I felt defensive only because you fit so perfectly. I liked sleeping next to you and that was what alarmed me. But I won’t take my own fears out on you again.” He lifted her from under her arms in order to place gentle kisses across her face. He knew she had finally given in when her arms lifted to his shoulders and her hands began to caress the nape of his neck.
They stood there for some time, just taking in the moment. Af
ter several minutes, he set her back down and led her into the kitchen once more.
“Now, please eat the breakfast I made you.” He grinned at her.
Sasha returned his smiled. Stuffing her mouth with the delicious eggs and vegetables, she glanced across the table at him and felt warmth in her chest just watching him. Dmitri’s head was bowed as he ate, his messy hair falling across his forehead. The undiminishing desire she felt for him since first spotting him across the restaurant grew with each day she spent with him. She reveled in their intimacy that morning and hoped it would happen again even though she still held fears about giving him everything. It was more uncertainty than fear that he would hurt her, though.
Shrugging off the thought, she returned back to the satisfying breakfast he had prepared for her.
Sasha and Dmitri spent their time that afternoon lounging around in his apartment. Following breakfast, he had volunteered to clean her clothes from the night before, noting through perceptive glances that she was not wearing underwear. After giving her his shirt once more, he placed her things in the washer. It also didn’t help that the dress she wore was ridiculously tight. Feeling possessive, he chastised her about wearing it in public when he wasn’t there.
Sasha was taken aback by his sudden jealousy. Hiding a grin, instead of arguing, she nodded her head in acquiescence even though she knew she wouldn’t really bother heeding his warning in the future.
“Of course, Dmitri.” She leaned into him as he stood next to the washer and dryer he had hidden in a spacious closet.
Dmitri saw the mischievous glint in her eye. One thing he immediately noticed about Sasha from their time spent together was that she was a bad liar. Her eyes would widen and her mouth would twitch slightly . It was adorable though because she seemed to be completely clueless of this fact.
“Sasha, I mean it. You are too tiny to be wearing this without me there.” He had images of her dancing at a club with multiple guys. He tried to control the rage that immediately coursed through him. Taking a deep breath, he continued, “I’m only saying this because I worry about you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Dmitri, I’ve been this size long enough to learn how to protect myself.”
“Oh, really?” he said, his left brow rose doubtfully.
“Yes. I took a defense class in college.”
“Hmm…interesting. Well, considering that I’m more than a foot taller than you, please demonstrate how you would defend yourself against my…advances.”
Noticing his suggestive tone, Sasha leaned closer to him with a grin, her arms circling his waist. “I wouldn’t want to hurt you so I forfeit.”
In the blink of an eye, she found herself sprung over his shoulder. Sasha squealed in delight as he tickled her sides. “Dmitri! Stop! I’m gonna fall,” she screamed through spouts of laughter. She slapped him on his lower back and bottom as he carried her out of the laundry closet into the living room, trying to simultaneously keep the large shirt she wore from exposing her bottom half completely. She kicked her legs up and down fruitlessly, her torso moving this way and that in order to escape his searching fingers. “Stop, you’re gonna drop me!” Sasha squealed.
Dmitri rolled his eyes at that. She weighed next to nothing. From the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of her enticing ass but told himself to ignore going down that road. After the taste he had received of her that morning, it was increasingly difficult not to imagine being with her in a more complete sense. But he forced himself to remember her innocence to rid himself of some of the impatient desire.
Dmitri threw her down onto his couch and pounced on top of her in order to continue his playful torture. Sasha almost choked with laughter as she grabbed onto his thick wrists and tried to pull.
“I-I can’t breathe,” she gasped, still laughing.
Seeing her struggle for breath himself, Dmitri halted his finger movements on her torso but did not get up from his position. Though he did not put his weight on her, his knees rested against both sides of her hips.
She mockingly frowned, slapping him against his chest muscles. “You’re so mean!”
He gave her a boyish grin and leaned down to place a wet kiss against her cheek. “It’s not my fault you weren’t able to show me your repertoire of defensive skills. I rest my case; without me, you are not allowed to wear that dress or anything like it.”
Sasha refused to answer him, looking away with a slight pout. So, he grabbed her chin and turned her back to him. Dmitri placed a soft kiss on her lips and whispered, feeling a little guilty, “I just want you to only look sexy like that for me.”
Not giving her a chance to respond this time, he rolled off of her. Lying down with his head against the arm of the couch, he pulled her by the arm until she was between his spread legs and rested her head against the surface of his chest. Her hair tickled his shoulder as he reached down a hand and possessively cupped her bottom to bring her closer.
Sasha rubbed her cheek against his chest, her fingers playing with the slight dusking of hair that rested there.
“You know, you never really told me what happened last night.”
A frown slightly marred her face at the memory but she gave in. Dmitri had a right to know considering the fact he let her in at close to three in the morning. “I-I went out with a couple of friends.”
He looked down at the top of her head. He couldn’t see her features but he noticed the sudden tension in her body as she rested against him. “Which ones?”
“The ones from the restaurant and Dina from the diner. Dina invited me earlier in the week and I wanted to resolve some issues I had with Faye.”
“What issues?”
Sasha bit her bottom lip. This part would be hard to reveal because she could already predict Dmitri’s disappointment with her over forgiving Faye’s mistreatment the night she had left her at the bus stop. Deciding it was best to just come out with it as quickly as possible, she informed him, “Faye was the one who left me that night in front of the diner. But, she said she had a date and Teagan was the one who usually-” Sasha stopped. She had lifted her head to look up at him as she spoke but noted the sudden glare in his eyes as he returned her stare.
“Do not try to justify her actions, Sasha. She had a duty to you as her friend but instead she left you alone in a potentially dangerous area for the sake of what probably only amounted to a one-night stand. Is this the friendship you were talking about earlier- the one you realized you were better off without?” There was a tick in his jaw which she normally would have found sexy but, in that moment, it only made her nervous.
As she nodded in the affirmative, the large hand that rested on her bottom pulled her even higher until her face was directly above his. Sasha gulped, staring into his hard dark eyes. They were like bottomless pits.
“Tell me what happened,” he demanded softly.
“Well, she was drunk and said…some things.”
He raised a brow, silently asking for her to continue.
Sasha reverted her gaze from his. She unconsciously rung her hands which were stuffed between both their chests. “Umm…well…she said tha-that…basically she didn’t understand why you didn’t choose her. And, to be quite honest, it made me feel really insecure in our relationship which is why I rushed over here.”
Dmitri stroked her back soothingly. “I won’t ask you what she said exactly since it seems to be bothering you so much. But, you should know that she is completely wrong and obviously has an over-bloated sense of her own attractiveness. Yes, she is beautiful but in our conversations she was also obviously narcissistic to the extreme and one-dimensional. So, to answer your silent question, no I would never have dated her.”
Thinking about what else she said, he laughed. “It seems like we’re both pretty insecure about our relationship.” He cupped her cheeks between his large palms. “I guess that’s something we’ll have to work on together, huh?”
Sasha smiled down at him and, for the first time, initiated a kiss.
After a slight make-out session, Sasha decided to pull back when she felt her body respond. Given that she was still without undergarments, she wanted to avoid embarrassing herself by wetting his lower abdomen. She reached out a hand to wipe the moisture from his lips.
“Thank you for waiting for me, Dmitri.”
He knew immediately what she referred to. “You’re special enough to me Sasha that I don’t mind waiting.” He added, jokingly, “Even though I’m in a constant state of hardness whenever I’m around you.”
Suddenly, Sasha sat up on his chest with a gasp. “We should order pizza for dinner to celebrate!” Her eyes were bright with excitement as she looked down at him.
Stunned at the sudden change in conversation, Dmitri burst into laughter. He pulled her back down and kissed the corner of her jaw. “You’re so fucking adorable!”
Chapter Nine
Sasha walked into the diner to see Dina immediately running over. She smiled at her co-worker as she made her way to the employees’ room, Dina following.
“So…” Dina asked anxiously as she watched Sasha put away her belongings. “What happened?”
Sasha grinned secretly to herself. “Why, what do you mean?” she teased. The serious look that crossed Dina’s face was enough reason for her to stop. She shrugged her shoulders and added nonchalantly, “Well, I spent Sunday with Dmitri. Nothing really happened though.”
“What do you mean nothing happened?” Dina placed her hands on her more than ample hips and cocked her left hip to the side with a disapproving frown. “I couldn’t get into contact with you and neither could Teagan. We were out of our minds with worry, Sasha!”
Sasha’s interested peaked at the word ‘we.’ She smiled inwardly, happy to see that Dina was becoming more of a friend than just a co-worker. “Well, thank you for being worried. But there was no reason. I was with Dmitri so I was perfectly okay.”
Sasha: The Wallflower (The Wallflower Series Book 1) Page 7