Se connecterPOV: DominicI was nervous as I pulled up outside Ava's place, and I hated that I couldn't tell her half the reasons why.Today was the day we flew out. A long weekend on a lake in Vermont, the kind of trip I'd been promising myself for months. I'd told her it was a getaway, and that was true. It was also the other thing, the thing I hadn't said, and the burner phone sitting in my inside pocket made sure I didn't forget it for a second.Colin's team had found them.Her parents. Alive, in a city I'd never have looked at twice if the call hadn't come, a lakeside city with an airport and a quiet reputation, which was probably exactly why they'd picked it. I'd read the file twice and put it in a drawer, and I still couldn't stop thinking about it.I took a few slow breaths in the car, running through it one last time. I wanted to destroy them. Of course I did. They'd helped build the machine that killed my father and sold their own daughter's life for profit. But they'd also, maybe, kept
POV: AvaI slept through my alarm.I woke to the sound of my phone buzzing across the bedside table and Dominic's name lighting up the screen, followed by a single line: *Outside in 30. Please tell me you're packed. I was not packed.I was on my feet and moving before I'd fully woken up, throwing things into a suitcase with no real plan, hunting for my passport in every drawer I owned. Thirty minutes later I was still in the middle of it, hair in a lopsided knot, one boot on, when I heard the knock."If that's you, Dominic, come in. If you're a stranger, you have the wrong house!" I called, giggling despite the panic.The door opened, and I heard him chuckle before he even came into the room. He leaned against the wall, arms folded, watching me tear through the wardrobe with an expression of pure entertainment. I stopped and glared at him."I'm glad my stress amuses you," I pouted."Aw, pumpkin, I'm sorry," he said, pouting right back, crossing the room to pull me into his chest. "Why
POV: AvaHe stood up, came around the desk and held out his hand. I took it, allowing him to pull me to my feet. He wrapped his arms around my waist and looked into my eyes."That's the more reason why I want this trip to be special. Just you and me, away from everything." I smiled."Then let's make the most of it."He lowered his head and kissed my lips. It was a gentle kiss at first, but he held me close for a little longer than necessary. When he pulled away, I rested my hands against his chest."There's something else we need to discuss." He raised an eyebrow."Should I be worried?""Not unless you want to be." He chuckled."Go on, sweetheart." I took a breath."What about Milo?" His expression softened immediately."What about him?""Have you thought about taking him out of town for a while?" Dominic looked at me, waiting for me to explain."I know you don't want him anywhere near the trouble that might come after the review. And even if you have people protecting him, I think it
POV: AvaIt was strange how quickly things had changed. A few weeks ago, I would have laughed if someone told me I would fall for my boss. Now, I was looking forward to spending several days alone with him in Colorado. My phone vibrated, and I glanced down.Dominic: Hey, beautiful. Are you busy?I smiled before replying.Ava: Very busy, actually. Some of us have work to do.Dominic: That's unfortunate. I was hoping to see your beautiful face.Ava: You saw it this morning.Dominic: That was hours ago.I checked the time and laughed. It hadn't even been two hours since I arrived.Ava: You're becoming very demanding, Mr Arrogant.Dominic: Only when it comes to you, baby. Come and see me when you have a minute.I shook my head, trying to hide my smile. That man was becoming a serious distraction.I finished reviewing the document in front of me, saved my work and stood up. There was no point pretending I didn't want to see him. I had been thinking about him all morning anyway.As I steppe
POV: AvaA few days away with Dominic sounded wonderful. No office, no interruptions, no colleagues watching us or pretending we were just boss and assistant. Just the two of us.Of course, there was the question of whether it was too soon. We were still learning about each other, and our relationship was only beginning to take shape. But I found myself wanting to go.Perhaps spending a few days together would help us understand what we were building. We could relax, enjoy each other’s company and have the time to talk about things without worrying about work. I smiled.“Yes, I’ll come with you. Maybe we can use those few days to work out what’s going on between us.” His entire face lit up.“You will?” I laughed at his excitement.“Yes, Dom.” He pulled me closer and kissed me quickly before wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug.“Thank you, sweetheart. You have no idea how happy that makes me.” I smiled against his shoulder.I could tell he had been worried I might turn him down,
POV: Ava Monday was here, which meant I was back at work.Dominic and I needed to act as professionally as possible, and that was going to be difficult after the weekend we had just shared. I couldn't explain what was happening to me anymore. I was falling for him, and it was something I had never imagined would happen when I first started working for him.For so long, he had been my boss, someone I respected and worked hard for. But now, after only a few weeks, things had changed completely. He wasn't just pretending to be my man anymore. What we had was real, and I was beginning to realise just how much I wanted him in my life.It was a lot to process, but I couldn't spend the whole morning thinking about my love life. I had work to do, and I needed to concentrate.I was going through some documents when my phone vibrated against the table. I picked it up, and a smile immediately spread across my face when I saw Dominic's name.But the moment I opened the message, my mouth fell ope







