LOGINChapter Sixteen — Steady GroundLevi's POVLevi had spent most of his adult life preparing for worst-case scenarios.He built contingency plans for boardroom pushback, stress-tested financial models against sudden market crashes, and mentally rehearsed the quiet devastation of the day someone he cared about would inevitably walk away. Control had always been his quiet armor—anticipation his shield.He had never planned for this.For Avery Delgado walking into his life like a storm he didn’t want to escape, winds fierce enough to strip away every careful layer he’d built.For waking up every morning with her scent still lingering on his pillow even when she had slipped out before dawn for an early client call.For the quiet, terrifying realization that he was no longer falling—he had already landed, feet firmly planted on ground that felt both brand new and strangely like home.It was a Wednesday evening, three weeks after they had stopped hiding. The office had mostly emptied out, lea
Chapter Fifteen — First LightAvery's POVAvery had spent years perfecting the art of walking into a room like she owned it—shoulders back, chin high, a confident stride that made even the most skeptical clients sit up a little straighter. It was armor she’d built brick by brick, a shield against doubt and dismissal.But walking into the Black + Lane offices on Monday morning with Levi’s hand brushing hers in the elevator felt like stepping onto a stage with the spotlight already burning hot on her skin. Every nerve ending hummed with awareness. The air felt thinner, the fluorescent lights brighter, the familiar hum of keyboards and murmured conversations suddenly amplified.They hadn’t planned to go public today. Not really. After the quiet relief of telling Jamie on Saturday, they’d agreed on something simple: they were done hiding. No dramatic office-wide announcement. No rehearsed speech. Just… not hiding anymore. Letting the natural moments happen without second-guessing or pulli
Bonus Chapter 14 — Coming CleanLevi's POVLevi had faced board meetings that could tank a company, hostile takeovers that left blood on the conference table, and the gray, quiet morning his father died without ever flinching.But standing outside Jamie’s apartment on a rainy Saturday morning, Avery’s hand warm and steady in his, he felt actual fear.Not the adrenaline kind that made him run or fight.The quieter, deeper kind—the fear that made him want to get this exactly right, because this mattered more than any deal or deadline ever had.Avery squeezed his fingers once—tight, reassuring, like she could feel the tremor he was trying to hide.“We’ve faced worse,” she whispered, voice barely carrying over the soft patter of rain on the awning above them. “Like that time the printer ate your quarterly report five minutes before the presentation.”Levi huffed a laugh despite the knot twisting in his chest.“Jamie’s scarier than a printer.”The door opened before he could raise his hand
Chapter Thirteen — The First ArgumentAvery's POVAvery had always believed she was brave.She could face down difficult clients without flinching, call out bad ideas in packed meetings with calm precision, and tell Jamie the unvarnished truth even when the truth felt like broken glass in her throat. Bravery wasn’t something she summoned; it was her default setting, stitched into her spine years ago.But standing outside Levi’s loft at 7:12 p.m. on a Friday, plastic takeout bags cutting into her palms and a bottle of decent red wine tucked under her arm, she felt anything but brave.They’d agreed last night—quietly, between kisses—that the hiding ended here.No more slipping out of the office ten minutes apart.No more pretending their late-night “meetings” were strictly professional.No more treating this thing between them like it could be contained in supply closets and stolen weekends.Tonight was supposed to be simple: dinner at his place, no curfew, no alarm set for 5 a.m. to be
Chapter Twelve — Testing the Waters Levi's POVLevi had spent years mastering the art of distance.He kept people at arm’s length with polite smiles, clipped answers, and the kind of deliberate calm that made most assume he was cold rather than careful. It was a practiced skill, honed through too many betrayals and too many goodbyes. It had always worked—until it became second nature.Until Avery.Now that careful distance was shrinking every single day, eroding like sand under slow, persistent waves, and he had no idea how to rebuild the wall. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to.It had been ten days since their “not-date” at the quiet Italian place with the candlelight and the too-good Chianti. Ten days of moments that no longer felt stolen—they felt earned, almost ordinary in the best way. Ten days of texts that began with innocent work questions and drifted, inevitably, into “come over after this call?” or “still thinking about that tiramisu… or you.” Ten days of waking up with her
Chapter Eleven — The First “Not-Date" Avery's POV Avery Delgado did not do dates. She did drinks—quick, dirty martinis in dimly lit bars where conversation was optional. She did hookups—hot, urgent, no-strings nights that ended with her slipping out before sunrise. She did “let’s grab food after work” that inevitably concluded in someone’s bed, clothes scattered like evidence, no promises exchanged. She did **not** do nervous butterflies at 6:47 p.m. on a Thursday while standing in front of her closet like it had personally betrayed her. But here she was—half-dressed in black lace underwear she hadn’t worn in months, staring at a rack of black tops and dark jeans, heart doing stupid little flips because Levi had texted her at 5:32 p.m.: **Levi:** Dinner. 8 p.m. That Italian place on Halsted. Not a date. Just food. She’d stared at the message for two full minutes—thumb hovering, stomach twisting—before replying: **Avery:** Fine. But if you order salad I’m leaving. His reply ha
Chapter Nine — The First Crack Avery's POV Avery had always been good at keeping secrets. She kept Jamie’s hookup secret for weeks—long after the hallway whispers started, long after she caught the way Jamie’s eyes lingered on Julian during meetings. She kept her own doubts about the agency secr
Chapter Seven — The Second NightAvery's POVAvery told herself she wouldn’t text him.She told herself the one-night thing was done. Clean break. No repeats. No complications. Just two adults who’d scratched an itch that had been burning for months and could now go back to glaring at each other ac
Chapter Five — The Morning After Avery's POV Avery woke up to sunlight stabbing her eyes through blinds she didn’t recognize. For one disoriented second she thought she was back in her own apartment—until the sheets smelled like cedar and clean laundry, and the arm slung heavy across her waist r
Sparks in the Chaos Chapter Three — The Break-Room Standoff Avery's POV Avery Delgado did not do nervous. She did sharp. She did loud. She did “say it to my face or shut the hell up.” Nervous was for people who had something to lose. But standing in the hallway outside the break room, hea







