Morning light filtered through Dominika’s eyelids, causing her face to crease in a frown as she rolled over, tired and groggy. She’d unintentionally spent the majority of the previous night chattering away with Gerard as he lay next to her, his arms tangled around her waist and his breath against her neck. The topic of conversation had continued to drift all through the night and eventually their open discussion had included an honest summation of Gerard’s time in the Russian war. Although the details were horrifying, Dominika felt privilege in knowing the truth. It seemed that everyone around her was intent on sugar-coating reality, skewing details in order to always cast the conflict in a positive light that meant the Americans were winning. Gerard was up front, straight with her there in the darkness, and though fear trickled down her spine as she listened intently, she hung from every word he said.

She smiled to herself as she felt Gerard stir beside her, his sleep-hazed eyes struggling to focus on her in the bright light of the morning.

Morning, baby” he yawned, stretching his arms over his head. He reached for her hand and kissed it once, his lips lingering against her skin.

Without warning, his kisses trailed up her arm and to her neck, his lips finding the exact spot that made heat flush to her face and a strange longing burn in her stomach.

“Do you need me to remind you how old you are again?” he said, and Dominika could tell he was smirking against her neck.

“Maybe” she sighed, succumbing to his perfect version of seduction as if it were tailored to her “how old am I again?”

“Seventeen, kid, still a baby” he replied, grinning at her. His lips were at her ear again then without warning, and Dominika shivered involuntarily as he whispered to her quietly.
“For now, anyway. Till I make you a woman. Which can be anytime you want now, I’m ready when you are”

Dominika’s heart beat against her chest violently, her pulse pounding in her ears as his words sunk in. On one hand she was so scared and timid that even contemplating the thought made her want to run far, far away, but another part, and a very large part at that, wanted nothing more than to succumb then and there.

She opened her mouth to speak but Gerard quickly silenced her with his lips, pulling away to rest his forehead against hers.

“You don’t have to say anything now” he said softly, his eyes focusing on hers for a brief moment before he closed them again, the sunrise softening his features even more than usual as it glowed against his face through the windows.

Dominika ran her delicate, pale fingers through his dark hair, now long enough to frame his face in messy flicks that somehow made him even more adorable, and in some way all the pain of the last few months was suddenly eased a little, and she felt the happiest she had in a long time.

---

As always, the Ways outdid themselves with their enthusiasm and generosity and Dominika found herself surrounded by smiling faces and a small mountain of gifts as she made her appearance downstairs, Gerard not long after her. She blushed furiously as she opened each and every carefully wrapped parcel in front of her little audience of Gerard, his parents and John, opening each and every wrapped package carefully.

“Thank you” she repeated over and over again, genuinely surprised by how well her adopted family seemed to know her. Dominika was truly grateful for Gerard and his family, Donna in particular who had made every effort possible to make her feel loved and supported in her daily life in the absence of her beloved parents.

Not long afterwards, Gerard stole Dominika away to the grounds of the Way manor, a sparkle in his eye that made her both suspicious and curious. With one hand in hers and one wrapped firmly around his walking cane, he led Dominika away from the house and into the surrounding woods that fringed the back of the property.

The ground was flat and even, making their way easy as they moved into a denser part of the thicket. The rays of sun that peaked through the tree tops, lighting their faces in warm light in the frosty air reminded Dominika of their time in the Russian woods, fleeing from militants, and she was struck with an odd combination of nostalgia and slight anxiety. Before long they reached a large open area of the woods, the space dominated by a large, clear water spring, accented with large boulder formations in the background from which a thin yet steady stream of water trickled. He guided her purposefully to an overhang in the rock where a natural semi-cave had been formed over time, shielded mostly by the rocky overhang and the water stream that flowed steadily down it into the natural pool below.

Gerard seemed to produce a picnic blanket from nowhere and he spread it across the hard ground as Dominika stood watching him curiously.

“Come lay with me, baby” he asked softly, his eyes blazing again. She sunk to the blanket, folding herself into his arms and he held her, kissing her hair.

“I love you, Domi” he said “don’t ever forget it”

Dominika studied his face for a long moment, and Gerard knew her mind was racing again and she was thinking in overdrive, but for once he had no idea what she was thinking.

“I’m ready” she blurted out suddenly, her eyes widening immediately as though she couldn’t believe the words had come from her own mouth.

Gerard was shocked then, scrutinizing her for a moment seriously before his perfect lips broke into a smile, his eyes smoldering behind his thick, dark lashes again,

“Tonight, baby?” he asked, his voice lower than usual with a throaty edge.

“Yes” she breathed, kissing him eagerly, attempting to mask the anxiety that had begun to creep deep into her bones along with excitement, love and lust.

“Make love to me, tonight”

Notes

I'm a bad person.
Stringing you guys along smut-less for months now. But have no fear! Because the next chapter shall be smut-tastic! Get ready guys!
Thanks for sticking with me! Comment, vote, subscribe for a quicker update, its already written! :D