002

I looked up.

The man standing beside me was devastatingly handsome. Dark hair, sharp brown eyes that felt like they could see straight through every wall I had left, and an expensive suit that radiated quiet power. He carried the kind of confidence that made people either step back in caution or lean closer in fascination.

“You look like you need something stronger,” he said, voice low and smooth, “but I wouldn’t recommend a pretty woman drink too much alone.”

His gaze held mine. Dark. Intense. Unblinking.

I swallowed. “I don’t usually drink.”

His eyes flicked to the glass in front of me. “That much is obvious.” A small pause. Then, softer, “Let me guess. A man?”

I let out a slow breath. “How did you know?”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “No woman sits alone like this unless she’s trying to erase someone.”

I studied him for a moment. “And you? What are you trying to erase?”

His expression didn’t shift. “I don’t erase things.”

A quiet shiver slid down my spine. I turned back to my drink and took another sip. The alcohol burned, but it still wasn’t enough to dull the hollow ache in my chest.

“What’s your name?” he asked after a beat.

I frowned slightly. “Ava.”

He nodded once, as if filing it away. Then, without warning, he asked, “Do you want to go home now?”

“I don’t have a home anymore,” I muttered, more to myself than to him.

His brows drew together. “What?”

I exhaled. “Nothing. I just… I don’t want to go back there right now. Anywhere but there.”

Silence stretched between us. Then his voice came again, low and measured.

“Do you want me to take you to my place instead? Don’t worry. I don’t bite.”

I hesitated. The logical part of me said no. The broken, exhausted part of me said anything was better than returning to that empty house.

Finally I nodded. “If you’re comfortable with that… I’d appreciate it.”

His eyes darkened slightly as he studied me, but he didn’t ask any questions. He simply stood, offered his hand, and helped me to my feet. We walked out of the bar together and into his sleek black car.

A short while later the vehicle stopped in front of a towering estate. I barely registered the size of it as he helped me out and guided me inside. The house was quiet. The air carried the faint, expensive scent of his cologne. My steps swayed as the alcohol finally caught up with me, but his hand stayed steady at my back.

“You should rest,” he said.

He led me into a guest bedroom. The bed was large, the sheets crisp and cool. He turned to leave, but I reached out and caught his wrist.

“Stay… please,” I whispered. The alcohol was stronger now, heating my skin, loosening every careful restraint I still had.

His jaw tightened. “Ava—”

I rose onto my toes and brushed my lips against his. He froze.

Then, with a quiet curse, he pulled back. “You’re not thinking clearly. I don’t take advantage of drunk women.”

But I wasn’t thinking. For the first time all night, the crushing weight had lifted. In its place was a strange, desperate heat. I reached for him again, fisting the front of his shirt and pulling him down to me.

He inhaled sharply. I could feel the hard line of him already pressing against his pants, restraint hanging by a thread.

My lips parted, breath warm against his mouth. “Just tonight,” I whispered. “No complications. I’ll disappear after. I want this.”

My hands moved to the hem of my dress. I pulled it over my head and let it fall, standing completely bare in front of him.

Something in him snapped the moment his gaze traveled down my body. Control shattered.

His hands cupped my face and his mouth crashed against mine. The kiss was anything but gentle—fierce, hungry, almost punishing, as if he had been holding himself back for far too long. I gasped as his hands slid down my back, pulling me flush against him. I had never been kissed like this. Never been held like this.

His grip tightened, but he tore his mouth away, breathing hard. “We shouldn’t,” he rasped. “Tell me to stop.”

My fingers tangled in his hair. “I don’t care. Don’t stop.”

A harsh breath left him. Then his lips claimed mine again. He stripped off his shirt in one motion, lifted me, and pinned me against the wall. The hard length of him ground against my parted thighs, the friction hot and deliberate. I tipped my head back with a broken sound as his mouth moved down my chest, kissing and tasting until he finally carr

ied me to the bed.

He settled between my already open legs and thrust in.