Author's Note: Omg you guys. First off, I want to sincerely apologize for the super long delay of this chapter. 2016 was an absolute shit year that included deaths in the family, searching unsuccessfully for a job, depression, anxiety, and an absolutely horrible case of writer's block. But I'm back now, and I swear to you that the next chapter won't take nearly as long. I want to thank you guys for being so patient with me, and hope you guys will continue to stick around.

Before we get into the chapter; My lovely friend and beta, Mordinette deserves a HUGE thank you and squishy hugs for all of her hard work. For the past week, we've been going through all of the old chapters and revising them to get them up to standard. Nothing major has been changed, mostly grammar and punctuation issues that were previously missed.

A huge thank you as well to everyone who left a review on the previous chapter. It's you guys that keep my fics going and make me want to keep working on this! So thank you to: Jess-KiwiGirl14, QueenBeeeeee, swimmer07, Ims86, Artamisofthehunt, Born to love protect and die, Gigi256, Lisablackroses, maggiescousin, touls, fogetaboutit, asideilogica21, Kaiana (guest), Lea0014, zarallei72, and guest! You guys are incredible! Thank you to those who sent me messages to check on me during my absence as well. You will never know how much that means to me!

I'll stop rambling now and let you guys read the chapter ;)

Chasing Freedom

Chapter 9

*Dimitri*

I could feel Eddie's eyes on me as I finished placing the weights back onto the rack. I'd just finished my last session of the day and we were setting up for the self defense class. I didn't have to look over at him to know he was smirking at me.

"I don't think I've ever seen you nervous before, Belikov," he teased, rolling out a fresh mat before taking a long drink from his water bottle. "She's really got your head on backwards."

I rolled my eyes. "I am not nervous," I informed him, and it was the truth. Mostly. Granted, it was a little daunting to think that someone I was so physically drawn to was coming in to observe what I did for a living, and knowing she was watching me did, in fact, make my heart race.

My agitation was mostly due to concern. I hadn't been able to sleep after her phone call three nights before. I hadn't seen nor heard from her since, besides a few short texts. She'd sounded distressed, and I'd spent a few hours on the phone with her trying to coax information out of her, but ultimately she had refused to give up any details as to why she had suddenly decided to take me up on my offer, but something had obviously spooked her. And it was the what that had me so keyed up. I just knew it had something to do with her ex.

My imagination did have a way of running away with itself at times. Rose could have simply decided that now was the time to change; to not allow another relationship turn toxic and abusive again. But my intuition was telling me that wasn't entirely the case.

"Look," Eddie said, tossing his water bottle onto his dufflebag, "I've known Rose since we were kids. She's a great girl. The best."

"Eddie." I sighed, rubbing the back of my hand across my forehead. I hadn't yet gotten around to telling him that Rose had confirmed our suspicions about her ex. She and Eddie had always been close, and the last thing I wanted was to upset him, but he needed to know. "It's not about…"

The door to the gymnasium opened, and the first few members of their group arrived, with Rose trailing behind them meekly, and I tried to ignore the fluttering in my stomach. My friend flashed me a grin before making his way over to greet the women. "You should ask her out. She needs something good in her life right now."

I watched as Eddie greeted some of our clients before reaching Rose and throwing an arm over her shoulder and pulling her into a friendly embrace. "Glad to see the sling is gone now, Hathaway."

"Yeah, Dimitri suggested I go see Dr. Sage. She said I was mostly good to go, but that I should only be observing today. Gotta take it easy for now." Rose's dark brown eyes met mine, and she bit her lip. "Thank you for the recommendation, Dimitri."

"You're very welcome."

A slightly awkward silence settled between us. Having enough, Eddie tried to hide his grin as he looked between the two of us. "Well, I'm going to finish setting up. Belikov, I trust you to take care of our girl here," he said, throwing a wink my way before heading off.

My face felt hot, and I could see a blush spreading over Rose's cheeks as well. Clearing my throat, I placed my hand at the small of her back and ushered her over to the mat, grabbing a chair for her and setting it up a safe distance away from where we would be demonstrating. "I'm really glad you decided to do this, Roza. I think it will be good for you."

Rose nodded, her feet shuffling. "Listen, Dimitri… I…" She paused, nibbling nervously on her lip again. "I wanted to thank you for listening to me that night. I know I didn't give you a whole lot to go on, but that part of my life is messy and not easy to talk about."

"I understand," I assured her, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I know we haven't really known each other very long. I'm not sure I'd be very comfortable discussing such things with someone who is pretty much a stranger, either, if I'm honest."

She arched an eyebrow. "Good point. Though," she paused, nibbling on her lower lip again, "I don't know why, but I just don't really get the whole 'stranger danger' vibe from you." Her eyes met mine again, a small smile playing at her lips. "Should I?"

I chuckled, resisting the urge to move in close. What was it about this girl? I had never felt this kind of magnetic pull toward anyone before. Maybe Eddie was right. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and ask her out. What was the worse that could happen?

Aside from the fact that she's recovering from an abusive relationship and dating is probably the absolute last thing on her mind? You could humiliate yourself and completely scare this girl away before you have a chance to get to know her properly?

That and you don't even know if she's into you, Belikov.

"No, Roza. You have nothing to worry about from me."

Her expression softened and became bashful once more. "So," she started, shuffling her feet again. There was a nervous energy around her as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. It took all I had in me not to brush the remaining hair from her face. "I was wondering. Do… do you have any plans after this?"

I stared at her, dumbstruck. The words kept spinning around in my head. Was she asking me out? "Well… I,"

"Belikov," Eddie called out from across the room. "You done flirting yet so we can actually get this session underway, or should we go on without you?"

Shooting him a glare, I quickly apologized to Rose. "Sorry. Can we talk after?"

"Yeah. Yeah, of course." She waved me off. "Go on before he has an aneurysm or something."

I grinned at her, giving her arm another squeeze before heading off to join my partner - who had the absolute worst timing in the world.

An hour later, Rose, Eddie, and I were the last ones left. Rose helped us clean up and prepare for the next class.

"That was fun," she stated once we were done, grabbing her purse and slinging it over her shoulder as I escorted her out of the gym to her car. The early afternoon sun beat down on us, and she lifted a hand up to block the rays from her eyes. "High balls and low balls, huh?" she teased.

Laughing, I held the car door open for her. "Easy for people to remember. Balls are a weakness for all of us. Men just have a few extra."

Rose snorted before tossing her bag into the passenger seat. Her cheeks were tinged a pretty pink when she turned back to me. "So… are you… are you doing anything now?"

I nodded, stomach fluttering at the prospect of her asking me out. "I have another client in about twenty minutes, but I'm free the rest of the night. Sunday nights are my only nights off."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Rose leaned against the car. "I was just wondering… if you wanted to come over when you're free. I got the laptop set up, and figured you would like to speak to your family."

"Oh," I replied, surprised, and a little disappointed. Not a date, then. Of course she wasn't asking me out. I was thrilled with the offer to finally get to see my family after so long. Smiling, I forced the disappointment aside. "That would be great. Thank you, Roza."

"If you feel up to it, I'd love it if you'd stay around for dinner. If you want to, of course. No pressure."

"Yeah." I grinned, my excitement returning. So maybe it wasn't a date, but just the idea of being able to spend time with her in a non-professional environment was thrilling. "I'd love that."

She beamed up at me as she slid into the car, and I closed the door once she was safely inside. "So I'll see you tonight, then."

I grinned, doing my best to hide my eagerness. "Until tonight, then."

I arrived at Rose's house around six thirty that night. My rusted old Chevy looked out of place parked in the circular driveway that bordered the front of the multi-million dollar house. I knew Eddie had kept the lawn immaculate during the years the house had been left unattended, and I had occasionally helped out with the larger jobs. I'd been inside the house, just once, almost a week ago, but I'd been too preoccupied with Rose to pay much attention to anything else.

The woman had a way of getting into my head and wreaking havoc with my senses.

What was wrong with me?

Taking a deep breath, I pressed the doorbell and waited. I could hear the sounds of hurried footsteps from inside and my heart sped up excitedly. However, it was Vasilisa who peeked her head out through the crack in the door, a bundle of fluffy towels cradled in her arms.

The blonde grinned. "Dimitri! Hi!" She widened the door and gestured for me to come inside. "Rose said you might be stopping by. Come on in."

"Thank you," I said, wiping my feet on the doormat before stepping foot onto the polished hardwood floors. "I hope I'm not too late - we never really settled on a time."

Lissa shook her head, emerald eyes shining as she closed the door behind me. "Not at all. Rose is just upstairs working. She said to send you on up when you got here," she informed me, pointing towards the ceiling.

I glanced up to where she was pointing and grimaced. "I don't want to disturb her if she's working. I can come back another time."

"Nonsense." She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Christian and I will be in the pool. Rose's room is just up these stairs, first room on the right." She grinned, turning away from me and heading toward the back of the house, giving a little wave of her hand. "She's waiting for you. You guys should join us when you're done."

I couldn't help but laugh as I watched her go. Glancing back up at the ceiling, I shook my head and took a deep breath before ascending the stairs to Rose's room.

I tried to keep all impure thoughts at bay, ignoring the way my heart started pounding in my chest. Easy, Belikov.

The door to her bedroom was left open, though I didn't immediately see her. My eyes scanned the dimly lit room, and I finally found her seated at a large bay window, surrounded by pillows and books and bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun. My mouth suddenly went dry. Bare legs tucked underneath her, she was furiously scribbling away at a notepad instead of typing on her computer. The bruises were yellowing in places and all but healed, with the exception of a few of the larger ones along her thigh. Dark hair twisted into a messy side braid, and a pair of reading glasses perched on the edge of her nose.

She was stunning.

I don't know how long I stood there watching her, and she didn't seem aware of my presence at all. I hated to disturb her; she looked completely in her element. Her bottom lip was bitten into her mouth as she concentrated on her work.

Gently, I tapped my knuckles against the door frame to get her attention. "Roza?"

She jumped, obviously startled, and she dropped her notepad, flailing in an attempt to catch it and knocking her glasses sideways. "Shit! Dimitri." She breathed out in attempt to calm herself. "I didn't hear you come in."

I held up my hands in mock surrender, fighting back a smile. "Apologies. I didn't mean to startle you. Vasilisa told to come on up."

Rose smiled, still a little wobbly. "No, it's okay," she assured me, bending down to retrieve her scattered writing materials and hugging them against her chest, flashing me a sheepish smile. "Sorry. Sometimes I get so into writing, the world kind of dissolves around me and nothing else exists."

I grinned, moving further into the room when she gestured for me to enter. "Not a problem. It was actually kind of amazing to watch you work for a minute."

A pretty pink tinged her tawny skin as she bashfully pinched her bottom lip between her teeth. "W-well," she stuttered, fighting back a grin as she brushed past me. "I'll leave you alone so you can talk to your family. I left Skype open, so you're all set."

I raised an eyebrow, watching as she gathered a few of her things. "You don't have to leave, Rose. I promise we won't be discussing anything sordid." I grinned, not quite ready to relinquish her company just yet. "Though you could even get some privileged and embarrassing stories from my mother and sisters."

She laughed, clutching her notebook to her chest protectively. "That's okay. I still have some work to do," she informed me and she turned and walked backwards from the room. "Take as long as you need."

I watched her go, trying to ignore the warm feeling that was threatening to bubble within my chest. A feeling that I refused to acknowledge or give name to.

Skype with my family. That's why you're here.

Sitting down at the desk, I entered my sister Viktoria's Skype information, and within minutes I was greeted by the widely grinning faces of my three sisters, my lovely mother, and my slightly confused-looking grandmother. "Dimka!"

After an hour and a half of enduring the screeching and eccentric women of my family, I eventually managed to end the call. It had been incredible to actually see them. While it didn't really compare to actually getting to see them face-to-face, it was well worth it. I owed Rose so much for that.

Viktoria had been ecstatic when I'd told her whose house I was in, and had begged me to meet and speak with Rose. I'd managed to get out of it by promising her I would try to arrange something on another day.

I eventually found Rose and her friends at the pool. Rose was sitting on the stairs of the shallow end of the expensive looking pool, wet hair plastered to her face as she chatted with Lissa and Christian, who were towelling themselves off.

Lissa spotted me first, grinning as she folded herself up in one of the fluffy towels she was carrying earlier. "Perfect timing. We're just about to go get dinner. Any preferences? We're thinking pizza."

I shrugged, reaching into my back pocket for my wallet.. "I'm not picky. Pepperoni is fine."

The blonde waved off my attempt to chip in. "It's on us."

"Only problem is, we're a little too far out for a delivery. So we're going to have to go get it," Christian added, though I could tell he wasn't particularly pleased with the idea of leaving me alone with Rose. "Won't be long."

"Please, let me help pay. Or I can go get it-"

"Let it go, Dimitri." Rose laughed, running a hand through her tangled, wet hair. "We've got it."

Vasilisa stuck her tongue out at me, grabbing Christian's arm and pulling him towards the house. "Enjoy a swim. We'll be back soon."

Once they were out of earshot, Rose turned back to me, her smile charming in the low ambient lighting. "How'd it go?"

"Good," I answered, kicking off my shoes and moving over toward the edge of the pool. Reaching behind me, I grabbed the neck of my shirt and pulled it over my head before stepping into the pool. The water was warm and inviting, feeling wonderful on my tired limbs. "Great, even. My mother was really excited. I'm pretty sure she's ready to cook a huge feast for you if she ever meets you."

She grinned, wading further into the pool away from me. "I'd like that. I've never had proper Russian cuisine before."

"I really appreciate everything, by the way," I told her, gazing apologetically at her. "I just hate that you lost your workspace for the evening."

She laughed, waving a hand in dismissal. "It was nothing, Dimitri. Really," she assured me. "As much as I would love to get all of the juicy details of your past, I'll let you have your privacy." Her expression softened. "It was the first time you'd seen them in years. I wanted it to be for just you and your family."

Our eyes met, the lighting reflecting off of her dark eyes. "I've never met anyone like you, Roza," I said softly, wading through the water towards her. "You're kind. You're generous." I was pleased she wasn't backing away from me. "You reunited me with my family. You're amazing."

Rose breathed a laugh, her eyes widening the closer I made my way toward her. I moved slowly, so as not to spook her or appear threatening. "I-it was nothing. I'm happy I could help you."

Our bodies were brushing lightly against each other as we moved in the water. "You deserve so much better than what life has given you, Roza." I couldn't take my eyes off her; the way the droplets of water clung to her dark lashes was taunting me to brush them away. "I'm drawn to you in a way I've never felt for anyone before."

A soft sound escaped her lips. Those dark brown eyes of hers were fixed on mine, but I didn't miss how they would almost unconsciously shift their gaze to my lips. "I… I feel it too. A connection to you, I mean."

"Roza," I breathed, my fingers longing to touch her, to graze my fingers along her damp cheek or tangle them in her hair. I could feel her ragged breath against my face. I didn't dare move an inch closer. "I really want to kiss you right now. But I refuse to do it if it's not something you want. I need you to want this, too." I moved back enough to create a little distance. I didn't want to overwhelm her. "Do you?"

Her frightened eyes searched mine for what seemed like eternity, her teeth biting into her lip so hard I was afraid she would draw blood.

"It's okay if you're not, Rose. I won't rush -"

"Yes."

My heart was pounding so hard in my chest, I was certain she could hear it. "Rose? You're sure?"

"Yes," she breathed, closing the distance between us. Slowly, she slid her hands up my chest, gazing up at me with dark, pleading eyes. "Kiss me. Please."

That was all I needed.