Rose was in a terrible mood. She couldn't put her finger on exactly why—nothing had happened to irritate her—she just felt… incredibly grouchy. It had been awhile since she felt like this, but she remembered the last time and how volatile she'd been. Knowing from experience that the mood would only worsen if she actually had to deal with people, she called Lissa to explain the situation before heading back to bed. Rummaging around in the dresser, she shed her clothing and pulled on her comfiest pair of boy shorts and one of Dimitri's sleeveless undershirts then flopped down on the bed, heaving a sigh of relief. Sleep was the best thing for her when she got like this, and within minutes she was already drifting, in that wonderfully groggy state that hits just before it pulls you under.

Until the sound of the front door opening jerked her awake.

She scowled up at the ceiling, her mood instantly worsening because of her interrupted nap. It was bad enough that she felt pissed off at the entire world, now, to make matters worse, she wouldn't even be able to sulk in peace. The last possible thing in the world she needed at that moment was company—even Dimitri wasn't safe from her temper when she got like this. She didn't want to fight with him, which would unavoidably happen; he would question why she wasn't at work or comment on the fact she'd just left her clothes in a heap on the floor and it would push her over the edge, making her snap at him. It was something she hated doing but sometimes—like now—she simply couldn't control herself. She'd specifically refused to leave the damned apartment to avoid a confrontation with anyone, but apparently it had all been in vain.

As the sound of his footsteps approached the bedroom, she squeezed her eyes closed, trying her hardest to look peaceful and relaxed. She didn't want to explode at him, because in all honesty his temper could be just as fiery as hers when he lost it, so it was better for both of them if he thought she was asleep and just left her to wallow in her anger alone. When a few minutes passed without him speaking, she actually began to believe that he might have fallen for her act. She was just on the verge of opening her eyes when the mattress dipped as he sat down, shifting a second later as he stretched out beside her. Mentally she heaved a sigh of relief and she slowly began to relax, listening to the smooth, steady rhythm of his breathing.

She was almost asleep when the bed shifted again, his arm snaking around her and pulling her over close to the warm, familiar comfort of his body. She would have been fine if he had left it at that—even pissed off she loved cuddling against him—but Dimitri seemed to have more on his mind then just snuggling up for a rare midmorning nap. A moment later his hand slid up, and he gently cupped her breast through the thin material of the shirt, his thumb gazing across her nipple, making a thrill surge through her body. Determined not to let him know that what he was doing felt incredible, she swatted at the hand in question and grumble sleepily in his direction in an attempt to let him know she just wasn't in the mood.

Unfortunately for her, Dimitri could be just as persistent as she was about some things—and this was one of them. It was so rare for her to spurn his advances—and rare, in this instance, meant it never happened—that he seemed to take it as a personal challenge of some sort. Only a few minutes passed before his hand was back, more insistent than it had been the first time. It slid up underneath her shirt and trailed up the side of her body before sliding over to once again massage her breast, that damned thumb teasing her with slow, circling strokes, making her nipple peak. Despite instructing herself to remain silent, she was unable to contain a small moan of pleasure. As soon as the sound escaped her, he chuckled softly, withdrawing his hand and pressing a kiss against her forehead.

When he made no further advances, her curiosity stirred within her. Surely he wasn't giving up so easily? She lay there, her brow furrowed, wondering exactly what game he was playing. She found out a moment later when his long, gentle fingers brushed her leg, lightly tracing up and down her inner thigh. Just the same pattern, over and over, his hand not straying from the path it was making.

At first her body tensed, waiting for him to launch a surprise attack of some sort, but when none came she slowly relaxed, lulled by his soothing caresses. She felt guilty for thinking he had something else in mind—she should have known better. Dimitri had always been in tune with her emotions; obviously he'd realized how upset she'd been feeling and had simply been trying to comfort her. She made a mental note to apologize later for—

And that was when it happened. Right when she let down her guard and was least expecting it, that mischievous thumb was back, sliding inside the leg of her shorts and brushing against her most intimate spot. Her body reacted instantaneously. Her back arched up off the bed and her breath came out in a rush as he worked his magic, the calloused pad of his thumb flicking against her at a slow, languorous pace, then moving to rub and dip inside of her for a moment before withdrawing to start the process all over again.

"You see Roza," he said, his breath warm against her ear, "you can't resist me. Why do you even try?"

Sighing, Rose gave in, rolling over to kiss him, ready to admit defeat… only Dimitri wasn't there. Sitting up she looked around in confusion, her body aching, demanding the release that only he could give. Letting out a very long, loud curse as she realized it had all been a dream, she scooped up the book she had been reading before falling asleep and hurled it at the wall, frustrated beyond belief.

Reaching over she grabbed her phone off the nightstand, her fingers flying over the keypad as she punched in a text.

'Come home immediately. Emergency.'

Almost as an afterthought she followed it up with another, not wanting him to panic and think there was something wrong.

'Baby is fine. Mama is not. Hurry. PLEASE.'

Rose sighed, hoping he wouldn't be pissed that she'd pulled him off duty because she had a craving. Since it was partially his fault that she was in the condition she was in, he better not be. Refusing her wouldn't be a smart thing to do—especially not when the pregnancy book could back up her claims.

Smiling, she couldn't help but let out a tiny laugh as she imagined what the next few months would be like. Considering how high her sex drive normally was, if the way she was feeling right now was any indication of what they could expect throughout the duration of the pregnancy, Dimitri was going to be a very tired man by the time their baby arrived.

Not that she thought he'd mind in the least—after all, it was the father's job to satisfy the mother of his unborn child's cravings, no matter what they might be for.