Ava stepped into her office and shut the door behind her.Rafael was already inside, standing near the tall, narrow window that overlooked the compound courtyard. His arms were crossed, tension running through his frame, phone still in hand like he’d only just stopped reading something. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes followed her every movement.She didn’t bother with pleasantries. Didn’t sit. “Talk.”He turned to face her fully, the phone sliding into his jacket pocket. “I followed up on the Old Naval Port lead. You were right.”Her brow lifted, though her face remained composed. “Go on.”“The Calabrians didn’t just hit the yacht to send a message. It was targeted. One of the crates had a tracker inside. High-grade stuff. Not street-level. Military spec.” He paused, eyes narrowing slightly. “It pinged once on the outskirts of East Hollow. Then it went dark. Completely.”Ava’s eyes sharpened, though her voice was low. “Which crate did you say?”“One of the shipments we w
The towel hit Alex square in the chest.“Get up,” Ava said, already halfway to the door. “Breakfast.”He caught it, smirking. “You gonna supervise?”“I’m going to watch you burn my kitchen.”“Your lack of faith is insulting.”They walked downstairs together, the house filled with warm morning light. Everything smelled faintly of jasmine and soap. It was already past nine, so the house was nearly empty; Pearl had gone to school, and Eleanor had gone to… wherever she was.Ava moved to the kitchen island while Alex washed his hands at the sink and opened the fridge.“You’re not going to find anything exciting in there,” she warned, arms folded as she watched him. “Haven’t gone grocery shopping this week.”“Challenge accepted,” he muttered, peering in. “You’ve got three kinds of cheese, no eggs, and a suspicious amount of arugula.”“I like salad,” she said simply.He pulled out a half-wrapped baguette. “When’s the last time you stocked your fridge?”“When I realised I didn’t need to impre
"Come for me, too, dear."Alex’s cock twitched in her hands, and then, with a final stroke, he fell apart, his release spilling over her fingers, painting her skin white and into the water below them.She watched him, her gaze tracing the curve of his lips, the angle of his jaw, the intensity of his eyes.He was breathtaking.And while she was admiring him, a small smile appeared on her lips.A smile that said a million things and yet, nothing at all.Because what could she say?In her moment of bliss, she didn't realise when Alex recovered and smirked, a dangerous glint in his silver eyes."You should have been careful, Ava. You have no idea what you've just started."Ava didn't even have a moment to comprehend his words.Because just as she blinked, his fingers left her pussy hole as he focused on rubbing on her clit.Ava's eyes widened, and before she could process what was happening, her second orgasm slammed into her, stealing the breath from her lungs.She gripped his arms tight
Ava’s legs wrapped around his hips, nails digging into his shoulders as his fingers drove her mad, the pleasure so sharp it was almost painful.His free hand tangled in her hair, tugging just enough to tip her head back, exposing her throat."I'd love nothing more than to have you screaming my name, sweetheart," he said, his voice rough. "But I'll settle for seeing you fall apart in front of me.""Oh, please." Ava gritted her teeth, her pulse racing, her body wound so tight she felt like she might burst. "You can't break me that easily.""We'll see about that.""Don't make promises you can't keep, Mr Detective.""I'm not.""Then prove it," Ava challenged."With pleasure."Alex's eyes darkened, and then—He picked up the pace.His fingers pumped into her, harder and faster, while his thumb pressed against her clit in a way that made her whole body tremble.She could feel his fingers sliding in and out of her, slick with her wetness. Her walls clenched around him, her body craving more.
“So, how about I join you?”Ava huffed, still refusing to look at him. “Not going to happen.”Alex tsked under his breath, shaking his head as though he was really disappointed. "Oh, come on, Ava, it's not like we have anything to hide from each other. We've talked about this, right? I mean, we just sat each other naked."Ava’s face burned at the reminder.“Do not think about last night. Do not think about last night.” she repeated in her head.Alex chuckled, watching her squirm. “Besides, bathing together saves time. Efficient, really.”Ava glared at the wall, refusing to let him get under her skin. “You’re impossible.”"And yet, here we are."She clenched her jaw. "Now, go. Let me have my bath in peace. I’m running late for morning duty.”For a second, she thought… hoped, that he might actually listen.But instead of leaving—Alex did the exact opposite.Instead of leaving, Alex took another step inside and shut the door behind him.Ava’s head snapped toward him, her heart stutterin
“You say that, but you’re stitched. What happened?” Ava asked.Alex held her gaze as he responded. “Caught a bad angle on a case I was working two nights ago. Things got messy… took a round, but it was just a graze.”“And you didn’t tell me.”“I didn’t want to worry you.”Ava exhaled slowly, her brows still drawn together. “And instead you show up stitched and wrapped like duct tape’s holding you together?”“It’s just gauze,” he said, giving a shrug. “And, you have to admit, I did a pretty good job with the stitch.”Ava gave him a sharp look. “You stitched yourself?”“Didn’t exactly have time to wait for the ER.”She shook her head, not in anger, just in disbelief. “You’re reckless.”“Not at all… It’s called ‘being resourceful’.”She didn’t respond right away. Instead, her hand moved from his arm to his chest, palm resting flat, fingers spreading lightly over his skin.“You didn’t even flinch last night,” she said, almost to herself. “Not once.”“I didn’t feel pain,” he said. “Not the