Chapter 24: Chapter 24

Dimitri

Blair tried to leave quietly, just saying goodbye to our hosts, and soon we were both in the car, heading back to the hotel.

" What did you think of them? " she asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Well, they seem like kind people. They were very nice," I assured her.

" Kindness is the Goldberg quality. I guess that's why everyone is surprised to find out that our families are so close," she smiled.

" Your parents are kind.”

" Did you meet the right parents? Because if I hadn't stopped my father, he would have showered you with questions about the Russian-Turkish war, and any possible conflict between the two countries," she laughed, "and that's because he liked you.”

" Really? He liked me? " I couldn't help but scoff at this.

Not that the man had treated me badly or anything like that, but to keep asking me about that war didn't seem very promising.

" Believe me, if he hadn't liked it, you would have known," she returned the provocation, and in the distance I could see the hotel entrance.

" You make it sound like your father is terrifying," I stared.

" He knows how to be when he wants to be. And he can be charming too, it all depends on his mood, but he liked you, he just likes to get on my nerves because I'm supposedly dating someone from behind enemy lines," she stated naturally.

" Supposedly? " I gave her a skewed look.

I was tired of this situation, I had known Blair for two months and we had been bonding ever since. What I didn't know was whether or not it was too soon to feel the way I did when I was in her company.

" Well, our situation isn't so simple for my parents," she seemed blunt.

" So they think we're dating? " I decided to tease her to see how far she would go in her explanations.

Blair stopped the car in one of the hotel parking spaces, looking disconcerted as she pondered her next response.

" Look, I talk about you a lot. It's easy for them to imagine things," she shrugged before getting out of the car, leaving me behind.

I couldn't help a small smile at her obvious embarrassment. I followed her, catching up with her in a few steps as she headed toward the cottage where we were staying.

" I've told my mom about you too, but I don't know if she thinks we're dating," I decided to dig deeper into the subject.

Blair gave me an amused look, with a half smile, never slowing her steps.

" Really? And what does your mother think of me?”

" You know, the usual. She's afraid you'll kidnap me and force me to marry you," I shrugged, stopping by the cottage door, receiving a shocked look in return.

" You didn't tell her about the whole marriage thing, right?”

I couldn't help but laugh at her expression. She seemed really worried about that possibility.

" Don't worry. Actually, my mother doesn't know much," I assured her, watching as she unlocked the door.

She frowned, finally managing to open the door and turn on the light in the room. Apparently this was not the answer she had expected.

" So what does she know?”

" She knows that I met someone two months ago. Someone who made me lose interest in dating anyone else," I shrugged.

A smile returned to her face at my words. It didn't take long before I found myself locked in a hungry kiss. Her hands came to the back of my neck, holding me close to her, while her fingers tangled in my strands of hair.

I traversed every curve of her body with my hands, the exposed skin of her waist was warm under my touch, and my fingers latched onto the bottom hem of her blouse, lifting the fabric slowly, exploring more and more of her body with each second.

Blair broke the kiss to get rid of the garment, tossing it into a corner of the room. I moved my hands down her hips, to her thighs, causing her to jump up and wrap her legs around my hips before kissing her again.

I walked towards the bedroom, letting all the desire I had felt for her since the first time we met, well up in me.

I laid her down on the bed and Blair reversed our positions, giving me a privileged view of her partially exposed body as she worked nimbly to get rid of my clothing.

I remembered the words I used to describe her earlier on that beach. Blair was hot, determined, passionate and dangerous.

Every second with her was capable of transporting me to paradise. I felt like a bird that had been caught in a trap and couldn't look forward to freedom.

I no longer had any doubt, this was more, much more than casual sex or a friendship. I was in love with this woman and at that moment, all I needed was her.

Later, Blair rested her head on my chest as I embraced her, and she drew circles on my abdomen with the tip of her pink fingernail, giving me goosebumps.

I am crazy about her, that was a fact, and I no longer cared about any logical reasoning that could keep me away.

" You know, when I was kid, Abby and I used to take advantage of when my parents were gone and we would lie here and watch the stars in the sky," Blair remarked, lifting her face to look up at the sky through the skylight.

" Did you come here a lot?”

I stroked the soft skin of her back, still enjoying the feeling of her body pressed against mine.

" A lot. And we always stayed in this cottage," she rested her chin on my chest, looking into my eyes.

" So... we basically had sex in the same bed as your parents? " I scoffed, receiving a shocked look in return.

She pulled away immediately, sitting up with an expression that was a mixture of disbelief and amusement.

" Geez, couldn't you find a less traumatic way to break the mood?”

I couldn't help but laugh at the look on her face; I pulled her up, made her lie down again, and placed myself on top of her. Blair lifted one of her legs, wrapping it around my hip, while a smile adorned her face. Once again I found myself thinking about the extent of her beauty.

Lifting her face, she captured my lips with her own. I made the most of that kiss, and with an impulse she managed to turn us once more on the bed, back to a position similar to the one we were in before.

" Were you serious before?”

I knew what she was referring to, but I couldn't miss the opportunity.

" Of course I am," I said seriously, receiving a broad smile in return, "look at this place, your parents sure didn't waste any time, and…”

" My God, Dimitri. Can you forget about my parents' sex life? " she laughed, throwing herself on her back next to me on the mattress.

I joined her in her laughter, reaching for his hand, intertwining our fingers.

" Yes, I meant it.”

We stood silently, just holding hands, watching the starry sky above.

" I'm not interested in anyone else either," she broke the silence.

I didn't answer, but remained silent, merely turning my face toward hers, watching every detail of her profile.

" We're not just friends, are we? " she asked without looking away from the stars.

" No, I think we're past the point of stating that. And I don't think anyone else buys that version either.”

" I wanted to hit Julie over the head with the turkey today," she admitted, finally looking in my direction, "does that make me crazy?”

I couldn't hold back my laughter at that comment. How did I get so lucky to have met her?

" Blair, don't worry, I've thought you were crazy ever since you asked me to marry you," I winked at her.

Again her laughter filled the room, making me smile. I felt lighthearted about everything we had defined that day.

"With all the talk of marriage you've had since you got here, I'm the one who's beginning to fear being kidnapped, Commander," she turned toward me, kissing my mouth.

I just smiled, leaving the subject aside as I wrapped my arms around her.