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Chapter 9

Author: Nancy B.
last update Last Updated: 2025-12-04 03:03:04

Ethan could feel it before he even reached the studio that morning, the undercurrent of scrutiny, the faint hum of judgment lingering in the air like a storm about to break.

He stepped through the glass doors, laptop bag slung over his shoulder, and immediately sensed the difference. The office was alive, bustling as always, but the energy felt sharper, more pointed. Heads turned as he walked past. Conversations paused. Murmurs floated just below the level of hearing.

He tried to ignore it. Tried to convince himself it didn’t matter. He had work to do, deadlines to meet, sketches to perfect. But every whisper, every glance, every half smile carried weight.

Marcus, of course, was already there, leaning casually against the edge of the main drafting table with that smug expression that made Ethan want to shove his pencil straight through the page. And he wasn’t alone. A few other team members some new, some seasoned exchanged subtle nods and murmurs as Ethan passed.

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  • Between Desire and Ruin   Chapter 17

    Dante’s hand tightened around Ethan’s, firm, urgent.“Stay close,” he repeated.It’s probably a malfunction, Ethan said, trying to sound calm, but his voice trembled. They’ve had electrical issues all week.I know, Dante murmured.He didn’t finish. His thumb brushed the inside of Ethan’s wrist, slow and intentional in a way neither of them was ready to name.The sound of hurried footsteps echoed faintly down the hall, but no one came their way. It was just the two of them. Alone. Half in the dark. Half caught in something they’d been skirting around for weeks.Ethan swallowed hard. We should probably wait here until the light is back Probably, Dante agreed.Dante exhaled slowly. “Ethan,” he said, voice low, almost lost under the hum of the flick lights, something inside him unraveled, the faintest drop of tension in his shoulders, a soft exhale like relief and longing tangled together. He stepped closer. Not rushed. Not reckless. Deliberate.Ethan’s pulse was hammering, but he couldn

  • Between Desire and Ruin   Chapter 16

    The world returned in chaotic, jarring pieces, shouts, footsteps, the heavy slam of a car door, the scuffle of bodies on pavement. Ethan struggled upright, ignoring the sting of glass biting into his palms. His heartbeat felt like a fist inside his chest fast, violent, impossible to steady.“Dante!” he yelled, voice cracking.He saw them, Dante locked in a brutal hold with the masked attacker halfway between the car and the alley entrance. The man had Dante by the collar, but Dante fought fiercely, twisting, driving an elbow into the attacker’s ribs. The stranger grunted, losing grip for a split second.Enough for Dante to shove him back. Ethan, stay in the car! Dante barked without looking. His tone sharp, fierce left no room for argument.Ethan didn’t stay. He shoved open the passenger door, legs trembling as he sprinted toward them.The attacker lunged again, knife flashing under the streetlight.Ethan’s blood turned to ice.Dante evaded the first swipe but the second grazed his a

  • Between Desire and Ruin   Chapter 15

    Ethan woke to the sound of beeping. Soft. Rhythmic. Too steady to be part of any dream.His eyelids felt heavy, as if someone had pressed weights against them. When he finally managed to blink, the blurry white ceiling above him sharpened, revealing the familiar, sterile tiles of a hospital room.For a moment, he didn’t remember just the echo of Dante’s shout, the rush of wind, the screech of tires.Then everything slammed back: the swerving car, Dante running toward him, the world tilting.Ethan sucked in a breath.He wasn’t dead.But someone was here.A figure sat in a chair near the bed, head bowed, shoulders tense. Ethan recognized the dark hair immediately, even messy, even stressed, Dante looked like someone carved tension into marble.Dante…?Dante’s head snapped up so fast. Ethan thought he’d hurt himself. Relief crashed across his features first raw.You’re awake, Dante breathed, standing so abruptly the chair scraped the floor. He moved to Ethan’s side like he couldn’t get t

  • Between Desire and Ruin   Chapter 14

    When they came out from the HR office, the office had emptied, leaving the corridors quiet and washed in golden evening light. Ethan gathered his notes, trying to steady his breathing.Dante stood, stretching slightly just enough to draw Ethan’s eyes without meaning to. Or maybe with meaning. Ethan couldn’t tell anymore.Walk with me? Dante asked casually, gesturing toward the elevators.Ethan hesitated. Not because he didn’t want to but because it felt like stepping into something he wasn’t sure of.Still, he nodded.They moved through the hushed office together, their footsteps echoing faintly. Ethan felt as if the silence itself was listening to them.In the elevator, it became even harder to breathe. They stood side by side, closer than necessary. Dante cologne clean, subtle, expensive wrapped around Ethan like a low humming spell.You were impressive today, Dante said softly, eyes fixed forward.Ethan gave a small, nervous laugh. I’m always impressive.Dante’s lips pulled into th

  • Between Desire and Ruin   Chapter 13

    Ethan takes a step closer.I’m saying I don’t regret the way I feel about you, Ethan says, voice trembling. I just regret that I can’t show it.Dante goes utterly still.The air is a live wire between them.Ethan…. Dante breathes.Their faces are inches apart.And then a door slams at the end of the hallway. Sharp footsteps approach fast.Ethan jerks back.Dante’s expression snaps into something unreadable.Someone rounds the corner, breathless. Dante I’m so sorry, but HR needs you. Now. It’s urgent.Dante tenses. Why?The woman swallows. It’s about Ethan.The world drops out beneath them.Dante’s eyes widen, fear flashing through them like lightning.What happened? he demands.I think; She glances between them nervously. Someone filed an official complaint.Ethan goes cold.Dante steps forward, furious. “Against who?”She hesitates. “Against both of you.”Ethan’s blood turns to ice.Dante’s face darkens with protective rage.Ethan, he whispers, voice low, barely controlled, stay wher

  • Between Desire and Ruin   Chapter 12

    Ethan barely remembers driving home. His body makes the turns, stops at red lights, follows the familiar streets, but his mind is still trapped in that conference room, still standing under the weight of Dante’s gaze, still feeling the echo of a touch that never fully happened but somehow scorched him anyway.By the time he reaches his apartment, his chest feels tight with everything he didn’t say. Everything he wanted. Everything he’s terrified is real.He drops his keys on the kitchen counter, the metallic clatter loud in the quiet room. It jars him back into himself. He presses both palms against the cool marble, trying to breathe.Dante’s voice keeps replaying in his head.You have no idea how hard it is to stay on my side of the line.A confession disguised as restraint. A warning disguised as longing.Ethan squeezes his eyes shut. He shouldn’t want this. Shouldn’t crave a man who stands on the other side of a boundary built from professionalism and rules and power dynamics. He s

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