From Russia With Love

As John's shiny vintage car rolled quietly up the long winding driveway behind Gerard's parent's car, Dominika could feel her heart racing madly in her chest. The pair had spent almost the entire ride home locked in a heated embrace, tipsy hands fumbling against restrictive pockets and buttons as their hands roamed each others clothed bodies. She was nearly breathless as the car stopped at the base of the porch stairs, her fingers still entangled in Gerard's.

They bid their farewells to John quickly and spilled out of the car into the cold wind that whipped around the grounds of the mansion, tossing the trees in the distance as light snowfall began to pepper the landscape around them from the dark skies above. Gerard shielded Dominika with his jacket as they made the dash from the car to the front door underneath the safety of the porch awning.

One of the housemaids Dominika had seen only a handful of times opened the door for them, greeting them happily as the family bundled into the foyer of the grand home, bringing in a gust of icy wind and sleet with them.

Goodnights were exchanged briefly at the top of the stairs and the pair separated momentarily to retire to their individual rooms. As Dominika closed the door behind her, she turned to press her back into the solid wood, her heart racing. The alcohol that pulsed through her veins dulled her underlying anxiety and now her outgoing, confident and rarely seen self had come out, overriding her inhibitions.

Each second dragged by lazily as Dominika stood there in the doorway, and it felt like forever before the sliding door to their mutual bathroom opened quietly, Gerard's form outlined in the bright light cast from his room. Heat flushed to her cheeks as she took in the desire that burned from his eyes, half-smiling as he looked at her. He had discarded his formal jacket, and now his tie hung loosely from his neck and his shirt was half-un-tucked around his waist. This ruffled, slightly disheveled look was somehow even more alluring than put-together and formal Gerard.

Without a word he closed the distance between them, pulling her close enough that their chests touched but he was still in control, his arms wrapped around her. He touched his hand to the side of her neck and the warmth of his skin was so pleasant she couldn't help but close her eyes.

"What you said the other day got me thinking" he said, his voice low and silky.

"Mm?" Dominika murmured back, eyes still firmly shut.

"About us....relations...sex? Remember?"

Dominika eyes flew open then, surprised by his abruptness, and color flooded her cheeks, making her face hot. She thought to herself how ridiculous it was to be so shy when they had done 'it' already, and composed herself for a moment, trying to resist the urge to giggle like a schoolgirl.

"Yes" she said, unable to hide the shy, awkward smile that had overtaken her features.

"Are you laughing?" he asked incredulously. For a moment a matching smile touched his eyes and he shook his head, looking away briefly before he caught her eye again. Dominika shook her head, forcing herself back into poker-face mode as she held his gaze, willing him to break down into laughter before she did.

"Really, Domi? Are you seven or seventeen?"

"You'd better hope its seventeen otherwise what happened last week is highly illegal"

He rolled his eyes "There you go, distracting me again"

"I'm pretty sure I'm actually exactly on topic" Dominika retorted "isn't that where you were going with this?"

"Yeah, kid" he chuckled, and she was glad he was clearly entertained by her antics now instead of frustrated "you kinda killed the romantic mood, though. I'll make sure I don't mention the 's' word next time"

The room was quiet for a moment, no sound except for the soft whoosh of the wind around the house outside. A sudden surge of confidence filled Dominika as she remembered it was to be less than a few weeks before Gerard would be shipped off back to Russia. His physical assessment date loomed ahead of them, only a fortnight away, and she was struck with the familiar hollow sadness that always accompanied thoughts of Gerard's impending absence. These last couple of months had by far the happiest since the invasion, and in a dark and twisted way, perhaps even the best of her life. Grief and sadness had become her constant companions since the horrible events in her homeland that had set this life in motion, always threatening to be dragged to the forefront of her mind by a word, a memory, a smell, anything, but somehow now it was numbed a little, just enough that she could cope. It was only in the most hopeless of moments that the darkness would fill her again and she felt weighed down by the black, her pain as fresh as the day it had happened. Gerard's presence in her life was not a fix-all, but he was incredibly soothing to her, like a morphine shot after a long migraine. He couldn't remove the pain altogether, but he numbed it, and gave her back the ability to see the beauty in her life without dismissing her grieving process.

They didn't often speak of the events that had brought them together in Russia, but now and again the mood between them seemed at just the right tenor that it right to bring it up, and they would reminisce quietly for a few minutes in the privacy of one of their bedrooms, curled closely together. The memories were painful with a bittersweet edge, but to recall them somehow did them justice in Dominika's eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was disregard the happenings that had brought them to this place, to now, together. Gerard touched her chin softly, and her attention was immediately drawn back to here and now, his eyes boring into hers as they stood close together, only inches apart.

"Stop over thinking things, kid" he murmured, his voice gentle and smooth "its just us here, now. Lets enjoy it while it lasts"

Heat rose to Dominika's normally pale face again as she took in the deep expression in Gerard's eyes, liquid hazel in the dim light of her bedroom.

"Okay" she whispered softly, eyes cast downwards as she was unable to look at him again, painfully shy once more.

"Lie down on the bed " he whispered.

Dominika complied silently, every limb trembling as she watched him kneel at the edge of the mattress, the corner of his mouth pulled up into the familiar smile she had come to know so well.

Without a sound Gerard leaned over her, his lips finding their place at the delicate skin of her neck. She took a sharp breath as pleasant tingles raced up and down her spine, goose bumps raising along every exposed surface of her skin. His talented fingers worked downwards laboriously, savoring every inch of her body as they found their way to her pants, curling into the waistband. Dominika's heart thumped against her chest as she realized he was once again in control, every inch of her being shivering with anticipation.

Before she even had time to register what was happening, Gerard had removed all the garments from her bottom half in seconds, now discarded in a crumpled pile on the floor beneath them. Dominika's cheeks flushed bright red as she took in the fact she was almost naked in front of him once more, his eyes fixed on her body.

"Are we going to make love again?" she asked, breathless. Her chest heaved heavily, straining against the white lacy bra she wore. Gerard struggled to focus himself, tracing his fingers gently up her bare thigh as she lay in front of him, exposed and vulnerable. He tore his eyes from her milky skin and met her bright blue orbs that simmered between lust and naivety. He chuckled softly to himself as he gripped her thigh gently, her skin petal soft beneath his own calloused hands.

"No, baby" he said with conviction "tonight is all about you. I'm going to show what its all about. Consider it a practical demonstration of the answer to your question"

She was speechless then, unable to fathom a reply, and he took her lack of response as a positive sign, spreading his hands across both of her thighs, her skin blazing beneath his fingers. Her body was tense but beyond that he knew her apprehension would swiftly melt away as he worked his magic.

Without another word, Gerard ducked his head between her spread legs, and Dominika's eyes squeezed shut, overcome with the foreign and yet irresistible sensation that overcame every one of her senses as he worked his touch.

Gerard pulled away for a brief second, smugness written all over his features as he took in the pleasure that clouded her features.

"That's it, baby. Relax"

Notes