Chapter 45

Mikhail.

There was a mesmerizing feeling that flushed through me as I watched Ava pat and play with Zeus, who wagged his tail lovingly.

A friendly smile adorned her face, her hazel eyes fixed on Zeus as she scratched the back of his ears before turning to me. A small gasp escaped my lips from the intensity of her gaze, her hazel eyes shining under the bright chandelier.

"Why did you name him Zeus? Do you have a passion for Greek mythology?" Ava asked, staring at me curiously.

I coughed awkwardly, suddenly feeling stupid for Ava catching me staring at her. Why did I have to make it so obvious? I absentmindedly touched Zeus's tail as it waved excitedly in front of me.

"Yes, I love Greek mythology and I've recently been to Greece. If I didn't have to be a CEO, I would have studied Greek in school," I replied.

"Wow, you've been to Greece?" Ava asked in surprise.

I smirked. "I've been to twenty countries."

"For vacation?" she inquired.

"Business," I answered, rising to my feet and heading to the dining table.

"You must do business with a lot of foreign companies," Ava remarked, standing up and following behind me, with Zeus trailing beside her.

"Yes," I replied.

"How does it feel to be on a plane? I heard it's scary," Ava laughed.

"Not really. The first time is always weird, but I'm used to it," I replied, sitting at the head of the dining table while Ava sat beside me.

It was awkward as we started to eat quietly. For the first time, I wasn't eating alone. The few times Karina had been over, it was either to drag me out for dinner or to have sex. Even Zach hadn't eaten at my place.

Ava was the first.

I glanced carefully at her, trying to avoid getting caught. She sneaked a piece of meat to Zeus, who sat at her feet, and I smiled briefly before snapping out of her gaze.

What the hell was I doing?

Why was I suddenly looking at her like she was the last steak on my plate? Was it because she was wearing my shirt? Or being nice to Zeus? Or was it because she was so fucking beautiful?

I snatched my cup of coffee and gulped it down quickly to stop my train of thoughts when Ava spoke up again.

"So you probably fly first class, I'm sure of it," she said.

"I have a private jet," I said confidently.

Ava choked, and I quickly handed her a glass of water, which she took and gulped down quickly.

"For real?" she asked, tapping her chest softly when she placed the cup back on the table, her eyes widened in shock.

"Yes, it's on my roof," I answered cockily, enjoying her reaction.

"Like this roof?" she pointed above her, and I nodded.

"Wanna go for a ride?" I asked, reaching for my phone in my pocket. Ava squealed and nodded quickly.

"Okay, I'll call my pilot."

I dialed my private pilot and requested his presence before placing my phone on the table face down.

"He'll be here soon. Eat up. You might lose your lunch in the air."

"Did you hear that, Zeus? We are going to be on a jet! A real jet!" Ava squealed excitedly, pinching Zeus's cheeks playfully.

Zeus barked, and I smiled at his excitement and Ava's. A feeling of pride ran through me, knowing that I was the reason for the smile on her face. We ate and spoke about a few things I owned, like a private yacht and a hot air balloon, and each time Ava expressed surprise at how wealthy I was.

I promised to give her a tour of the house when we got back from the jet ride. I cleared the table, and Ava begged to do the dishes while I sat and watched her. Her pale legs felt longer under my shirt, and a sick part of me wondered if she wore anything under it.

I listened to her hum an unfamiliar song as she dried the dishes before putting them away. Meanwhile, my phone rang from the dining room. I stood up and picked it up. Felix, my pilot, had already arrived.

I went to the door to let him in. Felix was an older man whom I had employed a few months ago. His face wore a bright smile, and his pale green eyes found mine before he bowed slightly.

"Are you leaving the city, sir?" he asked as I stepped back to let him in.

"No, we just want to fly through the sky for a few minutes. I have a guest, and she's never been on a jet before," I replied, my eyes briefly turning to the kitchen before facing Felix again.

"She?" he raised his eyebrows at me.

"Yes, now get it ready. We'll be up in a few minutes." Felix nodded and walked towards the elevator but turned back to me.

"Is it Karina?" he asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"No," I said, pointing to the elevator doors that had opened. He bowed again before disappearing from my sight. I sighed, and Ava came out of the kitchen, with Zeus trailing behind her.

"Who's that?"

"The pilot," I answered, walking up to her. I noticed her cheeks looked flushed and her eyes appeared dizzy. Without thinking, I placed my palm on her forehead. She was warm.

"Are you okay?" I asked, pinning my gaze to hers with concern.

"I... I'm just a little dizzy," Ava stammered, stepping backward and letting my hand fall.

"Are you sure? You might still be experiencing the hangover and may not be able to go on the jet ride."

"No! I'm okay. I want to go, please," Ava pleaded, and my blood ran cold when she pouted her lips at me.

"I told you not to do the dishes," I scolded and headed for the stairs.

"I didn't want to be useless. Take it as payment for staying here," she answered softly, and a piece of me sparked with interest.

Focus, dimwit!

"Whatever. Come on, let me get you a pair of slides to wear. You can't possibly walk in those heels."

"Just give me a moment," Ava said from behind me, and I turned to see her sitting on the couch, seemingly catching her breath.

"I just feel a little tired. I promise to never drink again," she mumbled, resting her head on the armrest and closing her eyes.

I walked carefully towards her. Her brown hair was spread over the couch, and against her fair skin, it made her appear angelic. I sighed, bending down and scooping her into my arms.

She gasped in shock as I stood up, her eyes widening at my actions.

"What are you doing?" she asked from underneath me, her cheeks turning a bright shade of red.

"You can't walk, obviously. And Felix is waiting. I'll use the elevator," I said, adjusting her in my arms as she relaxed and looked away, fidgeting with her fingers.

"Come, Zeus," I called as we headed into the elevator and pressed the button for my floor.

I couldn't stop myself from looking down at Ava. It brought back old memories of that time at the club, even when I had taken her down from the table and Adrik's humiliation. I noticed her eyelashes were dark and really long, falling against her cheeks when she blinked. Her lips were small, and the image of kissing her flashed across my mind.

I didn't hear the elevator ding and stop as the door opened until Ava looked up at me curiously.

"Mikhail?"

I blinked rapidly. "Yeah, come on," I answered too quickly, walking out of the elevator hastily, causing Ava's feet to hit the door as she let out a soft cry.

"Ouch," she yelled, hitting my shoulders.

"Uhm, sorry," I blinked in confusion before walking to my room.

I had never been this confused and different before. Every part of my standard was falling apart, and I was behaving weirder than usual. I shook my head and sighed as I pulled the door open and placed Ava in the bed before heading to my closet and taking out a black and white slide.

"Here," I placed them before Ava's feet as she pulled her feet into them. A part of me jerked at the sight of her small, dainty feet. The slides were bigger than her feet, but it would do.

"Come on," I said, heading to the door even as Ava whined from behind me.

"I can't walk," she grumbled, and I saw the amusement in her eyes. But I didn't trust myself to lose focus this time and simply smirked.

"Then stay. Come on, Zeus," I said, turning away when Ava groaned and followed behind me.

We took the elevator to the roof, and sitting there was my white jet.

"Wow! It is gorgeous!" Ava yelled as she stood in shock, watching the jet, her eyes filled with wonder.

"Nothing special," I said, and Ava scoffed, hitting my shoulder playfully.

"Yeah, to you. This is going to be my first time! Gosh, I'm so nervous! What if I fall or what if I-" Ava blabbed as we walked to the jet, and she took a seat close to the window in front of me.

We buckled our seatbelts, and Zeus, who sat quietly, watched a bird that flew outside the window.

In a few minutes, Ava was shaking and trembling in her seat, a bead of sweat on her forehead despite the cold AC, and I smiled at her nervousness.

"Are you sure this is safe?" she asked worriedly as I smiled when the jet started to move along the roof and was soon going to take off.

Ava shut her eyes, and I scoffed before leaning towards her and taking her hand in mine. She opened her eyes, pinning them on our intertwined hands before looking up at me.

"Trust me," I whispered softly, and she nodded her head, her eyes not leaving me as the jet suspended in the air without either of us realizing it.

"Look outside," I said when she had stopped trembling, and she carefully tore her gaze from me, her hands still joined with mine as she looked out the window.

The sun had started to set, leaving bright orange clouds in its trail, with a clear bright blue sky. It was beautiful, and Ava gasped in shock, her other hand reaching for the glass as if to feel the cloud in her palm.

The bright orange lights reflected on her face, giving her pale skin a soft glow. Her hazel eyes glittered with sparks of orange, and when they turned to me, a part of me crumbled as her gaze tore me away.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, and I nodded, squeezing her fingers in mine.

But not as beautiful as you. I wanted to say, but bit down on my tongue, unable to tear my eyes away from her. She smiled before admiring the view once more.

Unconsciously, my fingers stroked against hers, and my knees bumped into hers as I tried to get closer to her. A sudden feeling of wanting Ava in my arms overcame me, and it took every ounce of self-control to stay put.

As I watched Ava admire the sunset and the city beneath us, I felt the bricks I had used to build a wall around me fall apart bit by bit. I could feel the small steps of Ava walking into my heart. Her smile, her eyes, everything about her filled my heart, and I didn't fight it back.

Her hair blew behind her as she pressed her face against the glass in awe, and a piece of me was glad she hadn't let go of my hand. I had seen the sunset a lot of times in my jet, but its beauty right now could not be compared with the other times I had seen it.

Ava had brought the beauty within it, and it reflected against her. I couldn't help falling. I was falling fast.

I suddenly wanted to watch every other sunset with her. I didn't want to ever watch it alone. I wanted to see its beauty in her and her in it.

"You're beautiful." I didn't know when the words escaped my lips as Ava turned to me.

I watched as she leaned in, and I searched her eyes to find something in them, anything that would give me a reason to think she was feeling the exact way I was.

But I didn't need to find it in her eyes as her lips showed it to me when she pressed them against mine.

It was like my soul had opened, tasting, feeling, and seeing every color of the rainbow in a sensual way, almost like catching her smile in a bottle, her softness, her sweetness.

In the sunset, her face was so close to mine that I could smell the sweet, rosy fragrance of the sherry she had been drinking. And then her lips on mine, and then her tongue was in my mouth and mine in hers.

There were no fireworks around, but I felt them explode inside of me. Passion, lust, ecstasy took over me, and I was taking off my seatbelt and hers, pulling her against me, wrapping my arms around her.

Claiming her. She was mine. She was mine, and no one else's. As I deepened the kiss, I felt her melt against me, her arms going around mine too. An aphrodisiac mixed with a Pandora's box effect, fireworks glowing inside me from the touch of her lips against mine.

And when she pulled away, I wanted to grab onto her once more, claiming her lips again, but I didn't want to scare her or come off as aggressive. It took a lot of self-control to open my eyes and find hers staring deep into mine.

Her vibrant brown hair glowing with the orange cascade of the sunset, the glow of the sun in her hazel eyes, her delicate smile, and a deep blush on her face.

"Thank you for showing me this, Mikhail," she whispered softly.

My fingers found her face, running down her cheeks affectionately, making her cheeks redden further.

"Thank you for showing me how beautiful it is," I said. "I want to watch the sunset with you again, Ava."

"Ok," she answered softly. "As long as I get to be on the jet." She laughed as she started to lean backward, but I pulled her towards me and found her lips again. A thousand thoughts of her filled my brain, but I pushed them away, desiring nothing more than to enjoy this moment, and she melted in my arms again.