Never Tear Us Apart - Complete

Chapter Fifty-one

The first book only narrowly missed Dimitri's face as I hurled it at him, hitting the wall with a rather satisfying thunk. The second would have been a direct dead-center hit if it hadn't been for his lightning-fast reflexes.

"Roza! Don't! Ivan gave me those books – they're precious!"

I wanted to throw them at him. All of them. I was so angry and hurt right now I wanted to upend the whole freaking bookshelf over his head.

"You told me I was the first woman you'd shown around Baia. I thought I was the first one to share this bed with you!" I snarled, a good way beyond absolutely furious.

"You are! Rose, why are you doubting me? What's brought this on?"

Dimitri was standing warily beside the bed, eyeing me carefully as I let the third book flop from my hand to lie impotently on the quilt. Deciding he was safe from further assault, at least for the moment, Dimitri approached carefully, sitting on the edge of the mattress and looking at me.

"Tasha Ozera," I snarled.

"Tasha?" Dimitri asked in confusion, and even the sound of her name on his lips pissed me off.

"I was lying here Skyping with Lissa and Tasha came into her room. Tasha was helping Lissa do her hair for her graduation dance, and we were all talking. Then Tasha looked at the screen and recognized where I was lying. She asked me why I was lying on the bed in your bedroom. How does she know what your bedroom looks like if I'm the first woman you've fucked here?!" I was shouting by the time I got to the last bit, and I was sure the entire house had heard me.

Dimitri tensed before snapping in reply. "Keep your voice down! I haven't fucked anyone here. I've made love to the woman I care for deeply, and you are, and will remain, the only woman to be intimate with me here."

I tossed my head dismissively.

"Then how come scarface knows what your room looks like?" I challenged, daring him to come up with an excuse.

"Don't call her that," he said wearily. "She knows what it looks like because she's been here. To the house I mean," he said, as though it were obvious.

"Tasha's been here? You brought her to your house? So what – you didn't fuck here? Was it in Meredith's room?!"

"Roza! I've never slept with Tasha, and she didn't even stay here. Can I explain?"

"Oh, I'd talk real fast, cowboy," I threatened.

Kicking his shoes and socks off, and peeling off his sweaty workout shirt Dimitri sat higher up the bed, leaning against the bed head. I glowered at him. He better not be trying to distract me with his sexy, shirtless chest.

"I think I've told you that I've known Tasha for years? A year or so before Ivan died, we were at a house party, and I ran into her again. It wasn't planned or anything. Ivan had intended to stay the weekend, but the party was lame, so he wanted to travel back to Omsk and then fly to St. Petersburg. Tasha wanted to leave the party, too, and since she didn't have a Guardian or transport, she asked if she could catch a ride to Omsk with us."

My Russian God paused to check I was following, and that I wasn't at imminent risk of exploding. Apparently reassured by my beady-eyed attentive look, he continued.

"We were driving, and could probably have pushed through to Omsk, but it was late in the afternoon as we were approaching the turnoff to Baia. I hadn't seen my family in months, and we weren't in any hurry to get to Omsk. Ivan suggested we spend a night or two in Baia so I could see Mama and the girls. Tasha said she didn't mind, and so I brought Ivan home for the weekend. Tasha didn't want to put Mama out by staying here, so she slept at the hotel for the two nights, but she came over here for dinner both nights."