Patches of Ice

Lena stared at her friend, eyes beseeching. "I want to talk to him. What's wrong with that?"

"It after twelve," Hilary said, pointing at the clock on the wall. "That is nothing but a booty call."

Lena snorted and shook her head as she pressed 'play' on the machine as soon as his accented voice stopped speaking. His message filled the apartment again and Lena couldn't help but smile. Out of nowhere, Hilary's hand came down on the machine, deleting the message.

"Hilary!" Lena exclaimed and pressed 'play.' "Why did you do that?"

"Because I'm tired of listening to it," Hilary grumbled as she walked away.

"Well, I wasn't. It wasn't your message," Lena replied and sighed as the machine told her in an electronic tone that there were no more messages.

They'd returned home from a late movie and just missed the phone call from Anatoli. The message had just been beeping off when they'd walked in the apartment. From the first moment they heard his voice on the machine, they'd started arguing.

"Are you going to call him?" Hilary asked as Lena followed her into their tiny kitchen.

"I don't know," Lena replied and glanced at the clock on the stove. "I bet he's still awake."

Hilary rolled her eyes. "Yeah, waiting for his D.C. woman to call so he can get some action tonight."

Lena flushed at Hilary's blunt words, hating herself for agreeing even the tiniest bit. "He's not like that."

"Then why is he calling you so late?"

"He just got back to town. He had a game in Raleigh earlier and he said he'd call as soon as he got in."

Again, Hilary just gave her a knowing look. Lena glared right back at her before spinning on her heel and stomping down the hallway to her room. She picked up the cordless phone in her room and pressed the buttons to his number.

Her mind conjured a picture of Anatoli calling another woman when he couldn't get a hold of her. She hit the 'end' button and stared at the phone in her hands. She tried dialing again but just couldn't complete the call. Every time she tried, she thought that she might be interrupting something.

Sighing heavily, she flopped back on her bed and dropped the phone on the floor. Fully clothed, she yanked the bed covers over her head and tried to sleep.

***

Early the next morning the phone ringing woke her up. Groggily she sat up in bed and stared at the clock on her nightstand. The red numbers glared at her, letting her know that it was just past eight a.m. Groaning, she looked around for the phone. Finding it on the floor, she answered.

"Hello?"

"Lena?" Anatoli's warm voice came over the line and Lena felt herself wake up entirely in an instant.

"Anatoli," she breathed, feeling her heart thump hard against her rib cage. "Hi."

"Hi," he replied with a chuckle. "I woke you up again, didn't I?"

She laughed and nodded. She glanced down at herself and realized she hadn't changed out of her clothes. Sighing, she lay back against her pillows. "Yes, but that's all right. I don't need to sleep in."

"Were you out late last night?" he asked and Lena thought she heard some hesitancy in his voice.

She felt a stab of guilt and wished she'd just called him last night, no matter how late it had been. Just hearing his voice now was making her regret passing up the chance to spend the night with him. "Yeah, Hilary and I went to a late movie."

"Oh. I tried calling a few times and left a message but I thought it might have been too late. I was hoping to see you."

"I'd like that."

"How about tonight? What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Lena replied honestly. She was still on holidays from work since her trip to Moscow was originally supposed to have lasted three weeks. So far she had planned on relaxing and reading some of her pile of books, maybe visiting her family in Annapolis, as well.

"OK, you should come over tonight then," he told her. "I want to see you before I have to go away again."

"All right," Lena replied with a smile. "What do you want to do?"

He chuckled in a low tone and Lena felt the laugh practically reach through the phone and tickle her insides. She clenched her thighs together to stave off the sensation and felt her entire body heating up.

"I don't think I should start to tell you now," he said a moment later, his tone still deep and promising. "I don't want to be late for practice."

Lena laughed and agreed. "What time tonight then?"

They agreed that she'd come to his house for eight o'clock. As they hung up, Lena felt a warmth settle over her and she clutched the phone to her chest for a long while. A minute later she heard a knock at her bedroom door and called for Hilary to come in.

Her roommate shuffled into the room and crossed to join her in bed. "Who the hell calls at eight in the morning?" she demanded, her tone grumpy and her voice rough with sleep.

Laughing, Lena tossed the phone at her, satisfied to hear Hilary yelp in protest. "It was Anatoli. He wants to get together tonight."

"Oh Lena," Hilary said and shook her head. "I thought you weren't going to see him."

"I never said that. I just didn't call him last night. He wants to see me, so I'm going over to his place tonight."

Hilary sighed and looked over at her roommate. "I don't think it's a good idea, Lena."

"Well, you're not the one seeing him, so let it go, all right?" Lena replied, sharper than she'd intended, but she was beginning to get frustrated with her friend's lack of support.

She hauled herself out of bed and began to pull some fresh clothes out of the closet. She'd shower and go out for coffee and breakfast. She didn't feel like staying home if Hilary was just going to criticize her, or try to talk her out of seeing Anatoli.

"I just don't want you to get hurt," Hilary spoke up, sitting up on her bed.

Lena looked over and saw the genuine concern in her friend's face. She sighed and nodded. "I know, Hil, but we've only known each other for a couple weeks. It's not serious."

"As long as you know that," Hilary said and got up to leave. She paused in the doorway and turned to look back at Lena. "You should wear that fancy green top. It brings out the color of your eyes."

Lena smiled after her friend as she left the room. Even with her doubts, Hilary was still trying to be supportive and Lena loved her for it. She gathered her clothes for the day and laid out her outfit before heading to the bathroom to shower.

***

Anatoli was nervous as he waited for Lena to arrive. He'd spent most of the day tidying the house. Not that he and Vlad were messy guys, but he'd wanted it to look nice for Lena. He lit some candles, setting them around the main room and kept the lights dim. There was no fire in the fireplace but he didn't think Lena would mind. Then he checked on the wine he had chilling and tried to stop counting the minutes until she would arrive.

At last there was a timid knock at the front door and Anatoli practically ran down the hallway to answer it. On the other side, wrapped in a warm jacket against the chill in the evening was Lena. Her cheeks turned pink as their eyes met and Anatoli reached out for her, pulling her inside.

As he shut the door, he pressed her back against it, lowering his head until he could brush her lips with his. She sighed and lifted her hands to his arms, holding on as he parted her lips and slipped his tongue inside her mouth. He wasn't sure how long they stood there, but she weakly broke the kiss after some time and told him she was beginning to feel too hot. Laughing, he helped her out of her coat and hung it up for her before leading her into the kitchen.

"Would you like some wine?" he asked as he walked to the fridge.

"Sure, that sounds nice," Lena replied, her voice husky.

Anatoli grinned at her, delighted to see the blush high in her cheeks. "It's a bottle my parents sent home with me. They told me to have it for Christmas."

Lena frowned. "They sent you a bottle of wine for next Christmas?"

"No, for this year," he told her as he worked the cork out of the bottle. "Russian Orthodox Christmas is tomorrow."

"Oh, right," Lena said with a nod and moved closer so that she was leaning against the counter next to him. She was reminded of the church service and dinner with the Oborotenskis in Moscow during her visit. They'd explained then that, even though Russian Orthodox Christmas was in early January, there were people who celebrated the western holiday in December. Their family traditions included both holidays and she'd been a part of the celebration on December 24th and 25th.

"That's nice that they sent the wine," Lena said, smiling up at him as he poured the liquid into two glasses for them.

"It is," he agreed.

"Do you miss them at this time of year?"

"A little, but I was lucky to visit in December." He held up his glass of wine and she did the same.

"Well, I'm glad you want to celebrate with me tonight," she told him and they clinked their glasses together. "Merry Christmas."

"And Happy New Year!" he added.

They both had a sip of the wine.

"This is good," she said and tasted it again. "I've never been a big wine drinker but I like this one."

Anatoli smiled at her as she licked her lips to get more of the wine's flavor. She flushed as his gaze darkened and blinked when he lifted the glass from her hands. A second later he had her pressed back against the counter. His lips were on hers and he buried his hands in her hair. She made a small sound against his lips but held onto his shoulders as he hungrily tasted her mouth. She tasted of the chilled wine and faintly of toothpaste and underneath it all, she tasted of Lena. Pure, sweet Lena.

Anatoli's fingers twined in her hair and he twisted his lips over hers, pushing his tongue deeper, wanting more of her. She was so warm against him, so welcoming with her mouth and he grew hard against her soft body as he kissed her. She lifted herself onto her toes and met his kiss with as much force, her tongue dancing against his and arousing him further. He dropped one hand to her hip and hauled her against his body, pressing his hard desire against her.

She gasped and broke the kiss, blushing as their eyes met. He grinned at her and cupped her cheek in one hand as he laid another kiss against her lips. He eased across her cheek, planting kisses all the way to her ear lobe. There, he sucked on her skin just below her ear and delighted in the soft noises she made.

"We're wasting the wine," she whispered breathlessly as he licked along the edge of her ear.

"I don't care," he replied and drew back to look into her eyes. "I'd rather waste wine than the time I have with you."

Lena smiled. Her eyes were shining at him and her lips were swollen from his kisses. Without speaking, he bent his head and kissed her bottom lip, running his tongue just along the inside of it. Her mouth fell open on a sigh and he grinned, watching her body bend back. He slipped an arm around her waist and lifted her so she was sitting on the edge of the counter.

"What... are you doing?" she asked, her fingers tense on his shoulders.

He didn't answer her; not with words. Instead he placed himself between her legs and was pleased when he felt her legs lift to hook around his waist. He lifted his hands to the hem of her shirt, a lovely green shirt with a silver pattern along the neckline. Giving it no more thought, he gripped the shirt and pulled it off over her head. She lifted her arms to oblige, smiling shyly at him as he ran one hand across her bared collarbone.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured and bent closer to plant light kisses at the base of her throat.

She shuddered in his arms as he let his tongue create a path to one shoulder. There, he bit the edge of her bra strap and pulled it down her arm. She giggled as he slid the other strap down the same way. Then he lifted his mouth to hers as he reached behind her to undo the clasp. She parted her lips and nibbled on his lower lip, making him jerk his hips against hers in reaction. With a low growl, he yanked the bra clasp free. Instead of pulling away to take it off of her, he moved closer, sliding both his arms around her and slanting his mouth over hers.

God, she tasted so good to him. She was so warm and inviting, her tongue so delightful inside his mouth. He kissed her back, swallowing her moan and pressing closer, wanting to inhale her. He wanted her more than he'd ever wanted another woman and he didn't know how she'd done it to him. He didn't care either. He just wanted inside her, badly.

With that thought breaking through his passionate haze, he drew back so he could pull her bra off. He tried to keep from breaking their kiss and he felt her mouth curl up at the ends in a smile. With her naked from the waist up, he cupped her breast in his hand and ran his thumb across the puckered tip. She made a sound low in her throat and he did it again, putting a little more pressure on it. When she pressed into his hand, he squeezed, caressing her and drawing more pleasing sounds from her.

He continued to toy with her, delaying his own pleasure just so he could make her crazy. He moved his mouth to her neck, sucking hard on one spot and then licking it to soften the kiss. Then he moved on and did the same thing to different sensitive spots on her skin; the soft skin under her ear, the spot where her shoulder met her neck, and the little indentation at the front of her collarbone.

Then he moved lower, closing his mouth over one taut nipple and holding her up as she arched away from him. Her legs around his waist were trembling and he could feel the heat coming from between her thighs. He was pressed so closely against her there. As he tasted her, he reached between them and undid the button at waist of her jeans. She leaned further back, her breathing ragged as he slid the zipper down.

"Lena," he moaned against her breast as he stroked her over the cover of her panties. "You're so ready for me."

She laughed breathlessly and when he looked up, she was nodding at him. Her eyes were glassy and dark, and her mouth was open as she panted. He stroked her again over the thin cotton before slipping a finger underneath the fabric. They both groaned as his finger slid between her soft folds and found that spot that was aching for him to touch. She jerked in his arms, pinning his hand between their bodies.

"Please, Anatoli," she murmured, still staring down at him and breathing hard. "Please."

He didn't need to be told twice. He withdrew his hand and began yanking her jeans and underwear down her legs, stepping back to let them fall to the floor. As he stepped close again, Lena reached for the waist of his pants and her fingers fumbled with the button. Chuckling, he helped her, pushing his pants down over his hips. He watched her face as he stripped before her and she bit her lip, reaching down to stroke him once.

That was all he allowed her. Any more of that and he'd be done before they'd even started.

He pulled her hand away and sucked one of her fingers into his mouth as he placed himself at her opening. Their eyes met and he pushed into her, delighting in the guttural noise she made when he slid all the way in.

She put her hands at the back of his neck as he pulled back and thrust again. He slipped one arm behind her waist to hold her against him and cupped her head with the other. They moved together, pushing and pulling as their lips met. Her mouth was open as she gasped for breath and Anatoli took advantage, thrusting his tongue inside while he brought their bodies back together with force.

He kissed her, tangling his hand in the hair at the back of her head and worked himself into her. Her legs tightened around him and she dug her heels into the back of his thighs. He pressed against her back with his arm and drew them close again, going deeper with each thrust.

"Anatoli," she breathed against his mouth and made a surprised noise. "Oh... oh..."

He sucked her lower lip into his mouth as she climaxed around him. They rocked together, riding the high and Anatoli moved faster. He buried himself inside of her, kissing her hard and most likely leaving bruises on her waist with his fingers. Then it hit him like a tidal wave and he threw his head back as he came.

For a short while he kept pushing into her and then stopped, resting his forehead on her shoulder. She ran a hand down his spine and then back up again, drawing a shiver from him. She giggled faintly and he lifted his head to plant a hot kiss on her mouth.

"I don't think I can ever look at this kitchen the same way again," she said.

"Me either," he agreed with a glance around. "Definitely won't tell Vlad about what we did on his counter."

Lena laughed and it turned into a soft groan as he withdrew from her. He didn't let her get down from the counter. He lifted her easily into his arms and carried her from the kitchen, leaving the wine forgotten on the counter and their clothes on the floor. He leaned his head down and kissed her as he carried her upstairs to his bedroom. She kissed him back, opening her mouth sweetly under his and letting him lazily explore her with his tongue. At last they reclined together on his bed and Anatoli drew the covers up around them both.

"You're not tired, are you?" she asked him, lifting herself up on one elbow to smile down at him.

"A little," he confessed. "I've been traveling so much and I was up very late last night."

Something passed across her face at his words and her smile disappeared. She looked away from him, raising a hand to nibble on a thumbnail. Smiling, he playfully swatted the hand away from her mouth, earning a dirty look from her. He laughed and pulled her down over him for another kiss. That kiss turned into another one, and then another until she was sliding across his body, her thighs pinning him down.

"Not so tired after all," she murmured against his lips, sliding her hands down over his stomach until she was holding his revived cock.

He nodded his agreement at her words and pulled her down for another kiss, unable to get enough of her.

***

Much later, Lena lay awake in Anatoli's bed and wondered why she couldn't get to sleep. They had spent only a few nights together since they'd first made love. So far, she'd had no trouble getting to sleep with him beside her but for some reason tonight, she couldn't relax. She told herself it was because she just wasn't as tired, but a glance at the clock told her she should be exhausted; it was well past midnight.

Sighing, Lena threw the covers back and rose from the bed. Searching in the dim room, she found a shirt that belonged to Anatoli and pulled it over her head. Then she quietly walked out, not wanting to disturb him. She carefully made her way through the house, following the light they'd left on in the kitchen.

Once inside the kitchen, she smiled at their casually discarded clothes and abandoned wine. She poured the remaining wine out of the glasses and set them in the sink before wedging the cork back in the wine bottle and pushing it back, out of the way on the counter. She didn't know if the wine would keep but she also didn't know what else to do with it. She picked up their clothes and carried them back upstairs to his room.

Anatoli was still snoring and she left him sleeping, depositing their clothes just inside the door before backing out and going back downstairs. She found the front room and managed to turn the television on. She flipped through all the channels, finding a late night movie and settling on the couch to watch it.

She didn't care what was on; she wasn't really watching it. Her mind was still going over all her conversations with Hilary and she couldn't get past them. She knew that Anatoli wasn't the kind of guy to just sleep around. Then she'd tell herself that she didn't know anything about him. They'd met and spent mere days together before he'd left Moscow. Here, in D.C., they'd had another few days.