CHAPTER SIX: LOSING CONTROL
999 Words
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The silence between them wasn’t normal.
It wasn’t comfortable.
It wasn’t even awkward.
It was dangerous.
Ava sat across from Dmitri, her fingers resting lightly on the table, her posture calm… but inside—
Nothing was calm.
Because the way he was looking at her
It wasn’t the same as before.
It was deeper now.
Sharper.
Like he wasn’t just observing anymore
He was trying to understand her.
And maybe…
Control her.
“You’re quiet,” Dmitri said finally.
His voice low.
Controlled.
But there was something else beneath it.
Something tighter.
Ava tilted her head slightly.
“I thought you preferred silence.”
“I prefer answers.”
“Then ask better questions.”
A pause.
A long one.
……………………
Dmitri leaned back slightly, his eyes never leaving hers.
“You don’t act like someone new to this world.”
Ava didn’t react immediately.
“Maybe I learn fast.”
“Or maybe…” he said slowly,
“…you’re pretending.”
Her fingers tightened slightly under the table.
But her face?
Unmoved.
“Is that what you think?” she asked calmly.
“I don’t think,” Dmitri replied.
“I know.”
That confidence.
That certainty.
It should’ve been annoying.
And it was.
But it also
Pulled her in.
A waiter approached, placing dishes in front of them.
Neither of them looked away from each other.
Not even for a second.
“Eat,” Dmitri said.
“I know how to eat.”
“Then do it.”
Ava picked up her fork slowly.
Still watching him.
Still holding her ground.
But the moment she looked down
She felt it.
His gaze.
Still on her.
Heavy.
Unrelenting.
“You’re staring again,” she said without looking up.
“And you’re noticing.”
“That’s because you’re not subtle.”
“I’m not trying to be.”
Ava finally looked up again.
Their eyes met instantly.
Too fast.
Too natural.
Too intense.
“What do you want from me?” she asked suddenly.
The question slipped out
But it was real.
Dmitri didn’t answer right away.
Instead, he leaned forward slightly.
Closing the distance between them.
“I already told you,” he said quietly.
“You interest me.”
Ava’s breath slowed.
Not because she was nervous
But because of how close he was now.
“That’s not a good thing,” she said.
“For who?” he asked again.
She held his gaze.
Didn’t blink.
Didn’t move.
………………
“For me.”
………………
Silence.
……………
Dmitri studied her face.
Carefully.
Like he was trying to read something she wasn’t saying.
“You keep saying that,” he murmured.
“Because it’s true.”
“You think I’m dangerous.”
“I know you are.”
Something flickered in his eyes.
Not anger.
Not exactly.
Recognition.
“And yet,” he said softly,
“…you’re still here.”
Ava leaned forward too now.
Matching his energy.
Matching his presence.
“Maybe I’m not as easy to scare as you think.”
Their faces were closer now.
Too close.
The kind of close that made the air feel thinner.
Heavier.
For a second
Neither of them moved.
Dmitri’s gaze dropped briefly.
To her lips.
Then back to her eyes.
Ava noticed.
Of course she did.
And instead of pulling back
She stayed.
That was the moment.
The exact moment
Everything shifted.
Dmitri leaned in slightly.
Not fully.
Not enough to cross the line.
But enough to make it clear
He was thinking about it.
Ava’s heart skipped.
Just once.
But she didn’t move.
Didn’t step back.
Didn’t break eye contact.
“Careful,” she whispered.
His eyes darkened.
“Or what?”
Ava’s voice dropped too.
Soft.
Steady.
“You might lose control.”
That did it.
Dmitri pulled back slowly.
But not because he wanted to.
Because he had to.
Because she was right.
And Dmitri Volkov—
Did not lose control.
Ever.
He leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair once.
A rare sign.
A small crack.
“You’re playing a dangerous game,” he said.
“So are you.”
Another pause.
Then
A quiet chuckle escaped him.
Low.
Unexpected.
“You’re not afraid of me,” he said.
“No.”
“Not even now?”
Ava held his gaze.
Steady.
Unshaken.
………………
“Especially not now.”
………………
Silence.
………………
But this time
It wasn’t just tension.
It was something else.
Something stronger.
Something neither of them wanted to name yet.
The waiter returned.
Breaking the moment.
And just like that
They both leaned back.
Distance restored.
Control… regained.
But not completely.
Because the energy between them
Didn’t disappear.
It stayed.
Lingering.
Burning quietly beneath the surface.
After dinner
They stepped outside.
Cool air hitting their skin.
Ava exhaled softly.
Trying to clear her head.
“That was your test?” she asked.
Dmitri looked at her.
Long.
Careful.
“No,” he said.
Ava frowned slightly.
“Then what was it?”
A pause.
Then
“That,” he said quietly,
“…was a mistake.”
Her brows pulled together.
“A mistake?”
Dmitri stepped closer.
Not as close as before.
But close enough.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
His gaze locked onto hers again.
Deep.
Unreadable.
“Because now…” he said slowly,
“…I’m starting to want things I shouldn’t.”
Ava’s breath caught slightly.
But she didn’t step back.
“Then don’t,” she said.
Dmitri’s lips curved slightly.
Not amused.
Not soft.
Dangerous.
“That’s not how this works.”
A pause.
A long one.
Then
He turned away.
Opening the car door.
“Get in.”
Ava stood there for a second longer.
Her heart not as steady as before.
Her thoughts not as clear.
Then
She got in.
Because deep down
She knew.
This wasn’t just a job anymore.
And whatever this was becoming
It wasn’t something she could easily walk away from.
Neither of them could.
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- Writer
