Chapter Twenty-Seven: Ava

After the long ride home and after Ethan being put to bed, I’m face-to-face with Dimitri, the real and whole truth on the table. His arrogance is gone, left with a shell. Shame and guilt hang in the air as if they’re old friends to one another as I sit and wait to hear what Dimitri has to say. I don’t know how long he was standing there with Cindy, but it’s obvious it was long enough to pick up the gist of the conversation.

I can’t stand the awkward silence, wanting to get the conversation out of the way as quickly as possible so I can sleep. The interaction left me weary down to my bones. Dimitri must have felt bad enough to send Cara away, because I haven’t seen her today.

Good. There’s not much I can take. Numb on the inside, I start. “Dimitri, I’m not sure how long you were standing there, but I want to tell you that years ago, I told you the truth. All of it. When you got back that day, I planned to tell you about Ethan.”

There’s no emotion in my voice. No. I don’t have anything left in the tank to fight. All I want to do is be with my son, that’s all. Because he’s the only light in my life left. Everything else is bleak and full of complications and darkness.

A confused frown covers Dimitri’s face as he leans forward perched near the end of the couch. His head’s lowered, but it’s shaking now. “How?” Dimitri blurts out bluntly without warning, the word confusing me.

“How? I don’t understand what you mean.” Sadly, I cross my arms in front of myself, not wanting to get too close to him again. I can’t. Loving Dimitri hurts.

Dimitri’s face turns upwards to look at me. “How are you okay with this after everything I’ve put you through? I took Raven’s Peak from you, and you fought for that….” He trails off as the tears I thought I was done with blow up in my face like a volcano.

“I don’t know,” I whisper.

“Fuck. Cara. Ethan. Shit. My mother. I should have known. All this time. She didn’t say a word.” Sheer relief floods through my body, but so does the pain of the years gone past and what I had to endure. I cry, full blown cry, letting it all go in front of him.

Dimitri pats the seat beside him, but I shake my head. I don’t want to be near the man who crushed my heart and trampled on it ten times over, but I’m lying to myself. I want to bury myself in his arms again and be like we were.

“Ava. I fucked up. I have to find out what drug she used. How much my mother paid her off.”

“What’s the point of that, Dimitri? It’s old news and she won’t care. She told me at the party,” I confess, the missing pieces of the story gluing together.

“Tell me, Ava. I want to know everything. Why didn’t you tell me about what she said to you?”

Baring my soul to him again is a risk, but I’ve got nothing to lose at this point. “She warned me that she would make me go away if I didn’t distance myself from you.” I don’t care about what I look like and I’m sure I look like a train wreck.

Dimitri does his best to wipe the tears from my waterlogged cheeks using the back of his thumb and it’s amazing how I can still feel the tremors under his touch. I’ve craved his hands on me for too long, but it’s dangerous to love a man who never trusts.

“Ekaterina is a special breed, and she’s pushed me to the top of my game. Driving me, but over the years, I’ve seen that it’s been for her gain,” Dimitri explains reflectively. “I didn’t believe it was about her until Cara.”

Sniffling, I leave my compassion out of it, I’ve felt sorry enough over Dimitri’s upbringing for too long, and it’s what led me down this dark tunnel and into the bowels of his world in the first place. “What about Cara?”

Dimitri’s forlorn eyes don’t hold the same ice in them anymore. They’ve melted into sorrow as I stare back at a man who’s built his empire on bending others to his will and games of strategy. But he’s more than that to me. I broke through the ice, discovering the real Dimitri beneath the surface.

“Cara.” Dimitri cups my face in his hands, rubbing it. “She’s not you, and never will be. My mother coerced me into being with her. Her father’s a Russian billionaire, and—”

I interrupt filling in the blanks as Dimitri keeps talking. “It would be a good business move.” Alarm filters through his eyes as he begins to see how predictable his world is. Money, business, greed, wash, rinse, repeat.

“Yes. A good business move.”

“How’s that working out?” I sigh, my heart heavy, and the emotions I’ve driven down to the ground, forcing their way up and out.

Dimitri closes his eyes, his dirty blond hair lighter these days from the change of season. “It’s bad. But I guess you picked that up already. I don’t love her and never will,” he replies flatly. “She’s got nothing on you, Ava. I swear.” He shakes his head, the break in his voice sending me into a breakdown as I sob.

“You don’t know what I’ve been through these years, Dimitri. You really don’t,” I explain as Dimitri leaves the couch for a moment coming back with tissues, but I don’t give a damn what I look like anymore. It doesn’t matter.

“That’s why I asked how,” he replies, his voice all tangled up like mine. Dimitri reaches for my hand, the warmth of his perfect on my skin. “Ava… is forgiveness even possible?”

“I don’t know what you want me to say to that, Dimitri. I can’t make that type of decision right now.” Taking the tissue, I dab my sore eyes, but the tears offer no respite, turbulent emotions running through me as my shoulders sag.

Dimitri looks on expectantly, but I don’t have anything to give but the truth. “I was so alone, Dimitri. I went back to my apartment and managed to sell enough of my things to buy a plane ticket to L.A.”

“I’m listening,” Dimitri adds tenderly, not letting go of my fingers.

“I sold what I could, and I barely had enough money to cover the first month’s rent, but I’m a fighter, so I found a way. They transferred me from Chicago Law School to UCLA Law School based on my grades. That’s what pulled me through.”

Dimitri’s mouth curves into a watery smile. “You’ve always been a smart one. It’s why I was so attracted to you in the first place.”

“I fought and moved twice and had all these complications with Ethan.” I cry harder as the trauma returns. “I thought I was going to lose him in the third trimester. I was bleeding heavy, from all the stress and everything. I was fainting all the time, but what’s worse is I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I hated that I loved you,” I confess, clearing the air and my soul.

At breaking point, I see a man in front of me—a vulnerable one. Not some Bratva boss taking over the world, but a man who wanted love like I do, his eyes welling with tears.

“Shit, Ava.” He rubs my leg, and I can tell he’s digging to find the words. “I couldn’t do it either,” he finally admits, looking at the ceiling.

“Do what?”

“Be connected to anybody else. I tried, but every time they got close, I would break from them. I thought about you every day and night for years, keeping up with the lie I was fed, even under the anger. Don’t you understand I would never be angry about anything I don’t care about?”

Worn out, I shrug. “Who knows…?” I trail off, shaking my head, willing myself to stop the slow burn of desire rising to the surface. It won’t go away.

“I know.” He smiles affectionately, and I feel some of the pain of the past slip. “I’ve loved you ever since I chased you in the woods that day. I can’t change it, and God knows I’ve wanted to. I love you, Ms. Knight.”

Dragging me into his arms, his kiss acts like a balm to take the pain away. I breathe, letting him do it as we fall back to the groove of our early days and I remember the grooves of his mouth, the taste of his tongue. It’s still the same, and it’s scary to feel with him like we never left each other.

I’m the one to pull back first, my head getting in the way, telling me all the reasons why I shouldn’t let him in again. “Dimitri, I don’t see how this changes things. There’s so much for us to work out,” I remind him, pushing on his chest slightly, wanting to process.

“Ava, would you give me a second chance? Do you think it’s possible?”

Stalling, I open my eyes wide, not having the words to say. “Dimitri, you hurt me so badly. I don’t think I can. You have Cara. And a life you’ve gone on and built without me.”

He takes both my hands, holding them tight. “My life is nothing without you and Ethan. Cara’s out of here. I don’t want her . I only want you Ava, I’ve only ever wanted you. I need you both in my life. I won’t leave you out in the cold ever again,” he vows vehemently as I stop myself from being swept up by the power of his emotions.

“Dimitri, you can’t guarantee it. What if somebody else tries to step between us?” I ask him in a wrung-out tone.

“No. I won’t believe them.” His mouth forms a grim line. “I will protect you, and honor you. I will trust you the right way. I’ve never had reason to doubt you in the first place. You’re one of the most, loyal pure-hearted women I’ve ever met, and I don’t deserve you.”

Dimitri hangs his head, coming closer and pulling me into a soft embrace. It feels so good to be this close to his intoxicating touch. “Hmm,” I sigh, wanting to let myself go with. Maybe I can….

“But if you don’t want to be with me, I understand why, and it’s a cross I will have to bear.”

As I rest my head against him for a minute, I realize it’s an unbearable feat having to be apart from him. I give in with a muffled reply. “Yes. I’ll give you a second chance, but it’s the last one.”

Dimitri groans. “Ava, I’m going to make sure you’re a happy woman. Let me make love to you. Let me show you,” he whispers, as I give in completely to him. I’m powerless not to, but this time it’s on my terms.

I smile at him. “Then what are you waiting for?” He lifts me to my feet from the couch, holding my hand as we quietly enter the bedroom. I stand at it for a moment hesitant about the mirror, and about Cara occupying his bed.

“What is it?”

“My room. Not here. With her here.”

“Fair enough. You take the lead.” And I do, leading Dimitri to the spare room I’m in, emotions riding high as I kiss him lightly, the mere taste of his possessive mouth enough to bring me alive. I cave in to his tight drum of a chest, one heartbeat to another, and God, it’s the only place I want to be. It feels so damn right and good to be back in his arms.

We stand in our truths, coming full circle as our lips meet in an urgent clash of desire. We clutch at one another like two people drowning as the undying flame of our love grows brighter and brighter.

He buries his face into my hair as I luxuriate in the feel of his dominant hands sliding in and out of the deep folds of my curves. Weeping in joy, I let my barriers down as he peels layer upon layer of clothing off my body until we’re both naked, our hot flesh pressed together.

“You feel so damn good, Ava. And you’re more beautiful than ever. You made it hard for me in the boardroom,” he groans. “I wanted you so badly in L.A., but we’re back. Together like we belong.” His feverish barrage of hot kisses make me feel like the adored woman he first made love to again, because love never dies. It only changes form and evolves if you let it, and I’m more in love with Dimitri than I’ve ever been.

“You too in your suit,” I confess with a giggle, letting the tension go as Dimitri cups my full breasts. “I hated that you looked so good.” I smile, my voice hoarse as Dimitri drags me backwards to lay on top of him in one smooth motion.

He studies my features, his hands pulling back the curtain of my brown hair so he can see my face clearly. I groan lightly, biting my lip as the hard girth of him rubs on my stomach and reminds me of what Dimitri’s capable of in the bedroom. I’m wet already from his touch, the restraint of him controlling himself with me very sexy.

“There’s so much we have to learn about each other, and so much I want to do with you and Ethan. You bring my life color—joy, and I promise to be true always.”

My heart soars as I slide backwards, finding the right place to slot himself into me. He watches, and I can see myself through his eyes. There’s such admiration in them as we connect.

His hands roam over the many curves of my body as I ride him, connecting, falling deeper and deeper into him. We’re not fucking anymore. We’re making love, and it’s powerful.

Groaning, I let the momentum of riding him take me away. Dimitri pants as he watches, circling my clit and raising himself up. “Wrap your legs around me, Ava. I want to be close to you.”

Chuckling, I wrap my plentiful thighs around his chiseled back as we rock back and forth together, the moment intimate. Chest to chest, our mouths colliding in unbridled passion for all the time together we’ve missed.

Linking my fingers into his, Dimitri lays his head into my bosom thrusting hard, and the deeper he moves inside me, the more unleashed I become. Sighing, I feel the peak rising inside my core as I run my fingers through Dimitri’s hair. He kisses my collarbone, his breath ragged.

“Ava, you’re all the woman I’ve ever wanted.”

“All these words we didn’t say,” I respond in a croaky whisper. “Come with me, Dimitri,” I urge, placing the sultry request in his ear, the tenderness of his touch bringing me close to tears as we rock away the ghostly pain of the past.

“That’s a request, I can fulfill.” Our love has been a slow-burning one, scarred, but its flame is burning brighter than ever. Succumbing to my insistence, Dimitri gives me more of himself as the pads of my fingers dig into his back, holding on. He takes me higher, grunting and straining as the sweat pours between us. I moan, the first wave of orgasm budding as Dimitri thrusts, crying out. “Ava, you’re the love of my life.”

His words make me fly. “Dimitri, yes! ” I shout as we release in sync, euphoria hitting as he loses all control, spasming in climax right along with me. We’ve left each other breathless, both of us heaving as we fall apart, laying together side by side, a sense of inner contentment filling me.

Together is where we belong. We do nothing for a while, laying sated and happy together.

“I could be here all day with you, and that’s dangerous,” I admit, rolling to kiss his cheek.

“No. It’s perfect, but you’ve made me hungry. Pick a movie and we can watch it and eat. Unless there’s something else you want to do?” He looks at me in earnest, but I beam.

“How did you know that’s exactly what I want to do?” I ask the mind reader.

Dimitri shrugs with a smug grin. “I don’t to be honest. I’m going with a hunch. We used to do it so much, and I’ve missed it. You—so much.” Admiring him, I lay on my side comfortably as he gazes at me.

“Are we going to get through the movie, Dimitri?”

“I’m not sure I can answer that, but I’m going to give it my best shot.” But we do, spending the night wrapped up in each other’s arms, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. It feels like a dream come true, but I haven’t forgotten the long road it took to get us back here, but they say time heals all wounds, and maybe I’m the woman who can tame the Bratva beast after all.

Raven’s Peak brought us together, taking us to the valleys of the lowest lows. The only thing I care about is we’ve made it back to the peak of the mountain.

Together.