Chapter Sixteen - Dimitri

Our usual morning banter is lacking, and I’ve been worried about Ava. “Do you need to see the doctor again?” I ask gently as Ava pokes around her eggs, not eating much.

“No. I’m fine. Taking my time to eat, that’s all.” But she’s a bad liar, I’ve discovered. Something’s wrong, but she’s not telling me. The last few nights she’s tossed and turned in the bed next to me and gotten up in the night more than usual. When I ask her a question, sometimes her answers have been edgy. I let it be for a second, taking a quick call, wanting her to feel comfortable enough to tell me herself.

Coming back to the table, I watch as her fingers miss wrapping around her orange juice, the tumbler falling off the table to the floor. I step back in reaction avoiding the shards of glass.

“Shit! Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean it.” Her brown eyes reach mine, and there’s a barrier of fear in them. Silently, I smile at her, calling the housekeeper to sweep it up.

“Can you bring Ava a new glass of juice as well? Thank you.” I wait until she leaves to speak to her, seeking out her hands and clasping mine into hers.

“Hey. It’s not a big deal. I can get more glasses, but I can tell you one thing, Ms. Knight.”

“What’s that?” Anxiety rides the crest of her voice as my brow ripples into a frown.

“That you’re lying to me about nothing being wrong,” I say with as much tenderness as I can. “You can tell me anything, Ava. I hope you know that. No matter what it is. I guarantee you; it can’t be as bad as anything I’ve ever done.”

Ava smiles weakly as the housekeeper arrives back with a jug of fresh juice, Ava’s half-eaten eggs on her plate. Ordinarily, she would devour them and ask for seconds, but not this morning, and I can’t help but think her being at her girlfriend’s place has something to do with it because ever since I picked her up, I’ve felt a distance from her that I didn’t before.

Ava’s hands slide back as she pours more juice, taking a sip, before staring hard at me, her unmade-up face the best thing for me to look at with my morning coffee.

“Can I ask you a serious question, Dimitri?”

I scoot my chair closer to hers, happy she’s about to speak her mind. “Yes. What is it?”

Her eyes well with tears, confusing me. “What am I to you?”

Fuck. I didn’t see this coming. Raking a hand through my hair, I don’t want to back down from the question and tell her the truth. Even if it’s not what she wants to hear. I take my time before I speak, because for once in my life, I don’t want to hurt a woman’s feelings, especially not Ava’s. They’re very important to me.

“We don’t have a label, so that’s a fair question….” I trail off but smile back at her. I’ve never wanted a woman more than I have Ava. From the time I chased her down in the woods on her own property to keeping her trapped here. I wanted to win her heart over, I guess, but now from the tears in her eyes, I might be unconsciously breaking it.

Taking her hands in mine, I kiss the back of her palm. “I’ll tell you something. All I know is you’re mine. In every way that counts.”

Ava sniffs as I wipe the lone tear sliding down her cheek. “Are you mine, Dimitri, in every way?”

For the first time in my life, there’s a warmth spreading in my chest, and it’s the best feeling, and one I don’t want to ever leave. It’s not the feeling of belonging to a certain place, like being displaced from Chicago and having to start over in New York but belonging to a person. Someone who wants to be with me as much as I want to be with them.

“Ava. I’m yours.” I stare at her fingers, pressing the pads of them, finding myself in foreign territory.

“You really mean that?” she asks with a choked-up sob, sniffling as I break into a grin.

“You can’t tell I’m smitten with you?”

Ava shrugs, but the anxiety coded on her face appears to be dissolving. “I wanted to hear you say it, that’s all. You are showing it, but I’m new to this world of yours. It’s so different, all of it, and you have so many beautiful women vying for your attention.”

Shaking my head, I throw her notions out the window, leaning in to kiss her lips.

“No. I don’t care if they want my attention or not. I want to be with you because you’re real, Ava. You’re not like them. You’re not jaded about life, and you’re smart, sexy, fun, all these things,” I compliment, wanting to make her happy. If I could give her the world I would. And if there’s ever a man who could, I’m probably as close to it as possible.

“Thank you for not laughing in my face about it. I was scared to ask,” she admits, folding her lip inside her mouth, sending sparks of desire lighting up inside me, but this isn’t the moment for those. I wish I could show her what I feel, so I do the next best thing, taking her hand and holding it to my chest so she can feel the beat of it.

“Feel that?” I whisper as she smiles for a second, then lays her head near my beating heart.

“Yes.” Taking the opportunity, I kiss into her hair, closing my eyes as I inhale her shampoo.

“My heart’s pounding that hard for you, Ms. Knight.” I take a beat as she raises her head, calm returning to the table. “In the beginning I didn’t give a damn. I wanted Raven’s Peak so I could redeem myself. I thought of you as a nice bonus, but not anymore,” I confess.

“What about how you feel now?” she asks softly.

“You’re as important, if not more than Raven’s Peak. I want you in my life for the long haul. I don’t care what any of my associates say, and if you ever have anything you want to tell me, then don’t be afraid. I won’t listen to many, but I will to you.” I’m probably revealing too much, but that’s the magic of Ms. Knight. The young beauty has woven a spell on me, and I don’t want it to be broken. Ever.

“I think I’m convinced.” Her face transforms, back to its tranquil state.

“I’m glad you asked me. I’m not the best with the feeling stuff. I’m Bratva. We don’t do feelings. We do business.”

Ava caresses the back of my neck as I lean back into it. “I don’t think so. You did well just then.”

“Ava….” I trail off, letting my mouth reach hers and telling her what I want to say without words, slipping my tongue in to greet hers, our mouths melding in harmony. God. I could sink into her and never want to come out. My hands tousle through her hair, our kiss deepening until we both have to part to take air.

She looks at me in earnest. “I have to tell you something.”

The rude awakening of a phone call captures my attention. “Hold that thought, Ava. I have to take this.”

I answer the call, Viktor, on the other end of the line. “Boss, you need to come down to the office ASAP. I’ve got information you’re going to want to deal with right away.”

Not questioning Viktor, my jaw tightens. There’s always something to deal with. This is my life, always.”

“Okay, give me twenty minutes to get there. Do I need to be there quicker than that?” I ask, wanting a gauge on how urgent the situation is.

“No, you get here when you get here, but it is urgent, and you’re going to want to nip it in the bud as soon as possible.” Sighing, but puzzled by Viktor’s cryptic message, I steady my resolve.

“Okay. I’ll meet you at the office shortly.”

“Good.” I hang up from him, but the one person I don’t want to leave hanging is Ava.

“Hey, something important has come up at the office, but when I get back, we can continue this conversation.” I read the disappointment on her face, but she smiles anyway.

“I know you have to go. I’ll wait for you to get back then. Be safe.”

Kissing the top of her head, I make tracks to the door, but what I’d rather do is spend the day making love to Ava and convincing her how much I care about her. Maybe it’s too early to call it love, but maybe I’m in so deep already that it’s beyond words for me.