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Safe Haven

Ava barely slept.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the photograph.

The picture of her sleeping.

The realization that someone had been watching her.

Studying her.

Following her.

It made her skin crawl.

The apartment no longer felt like home.

It felt violated.

Unsafe.

And judging by the dark circles under Ethan's eyes, he hadn't slept either.

The two of them sat in silence at her small kitchen table while police officers finished collecting evidence.

The photograph.

The envelope.

The threatening note.

Everything was taken for investigation.

Unfortunately, none of it made Ava feel better.

A police officer approached them.

"We recommend you stay somewhere else temporarily."

Ava looked down.

She already knew that.

The problem was where.

She didn't have family nearby.

Most of her friends lived in tiny apartments.

And after what had happened, she didn't want to drag anyone else into this mess.

The officer nodded toward Ethan.

"Mr. Blackwood has already offered."

Ava blinked.

Slowly turning toward him.

"You did what?"

Ethan looked completely unbothered.

"You can stay at my penthouse."

Ava nearly choked.

"No."

The answer came instantly.

Absolutely not.

Living with Ethan Blackwood was a terrible idea.

A horrible idea.

The worst idea.

"You aren't staying here."

His tone left little room for argument.

Ava crossed her arms.

"I'll get a hotel."

"No."

"Ethan."

"No."

Ava groaned.

The man was impossible.

Two hours later, despite her protests, she found herself standing inside Ethan's penthouse.

And suddenly words failed her.

The place was breathtaking.

Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city.

Modern furniture filled the enormous living room.

Soft lighting reflected off marble floors.

Everything looked elegant.

Expensive.

Perfect.

Nothing like her tiny apartment.

Ava slowly turned in a circle.

"People actually live like this?"

Ethan's lips twitched.

"Apparently."

She stared at him.

"I hate rich people."

That earned an actual laugh.

And for a brief moment, the tension eased.

Ethan showed her to one of the guest rooms.

The space alone was larger than her entire apartment.

Ava immediately felt out of place.

"This is ridiculous."

"You'll survive."

"Debatable."

A small smile appeared on Ethan's face.

A dangerous smile.

The kind that made her heart misbehave.

The kind she was beginning to notice far too often.

As the evening settled over the city, Ava stood by the guest room window.

Looking out at the skyline.

Thinking.

Everything had changed so quickly.

A few weeks ago she was searching for a job.

Now she was living with her billionaire boss because someone had broken into her apartment.

Life was weird.

Very weird.

A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.

She turned.

Ethan stood in the doorway.

Holding two mugs.

Coffee.

"Peace offering."

Ava smiled despite herself.

"For forcing me to move in?"

"Exactly."

She accepted the mug.

Their fingers brushed.

Both noticed.

Neither commented.

Again.

They moved toward the living room.

The city lights glittered outside.

The atmosphere felt strangely calm.

Safe.

For the first time in days, Ava felt herself relax.

A dangerous thing to do around Ethan.

Because relaxed Ava tended to forget important things.

Like boundaries.

And common sense.

"What are you thinking about?"

His voice broke through the silence.

Ava hesitated.

Then answered honestly.

"You."

The word slipped out before she could stop it.

Both froze.

Ava immediately covered her face.

"Oh my God."

Ethan's eyebrow rose.

"You were thinking about me?"

"No."

"You just said—"

"I meant the situation."

A smile tugged at his lips.

A real one.

And somehow that made things worse.

Much worse.

For a moment, neither spoke.

The air shifted.

The familiar tension returning.

Stronger this time.

More dangerous.

Because now there were no office walls between them.

No employees.

No meetings.

No excuses.

Just Ethan.

And Ava.

Alone.

Under the same roof.

Completely unaware that somewhere across the city, someone sat in a dark room.

Ava couldn't sleep.

Not that she expected to.

Too much had happened.

The break-in.

The photographs.

Moving into Ethan's penthouse.

The fact that someone out there seemed obsessed with her.

Sleep didn't stand a chance.

She glanced at the clock beside the bed.

3:07 AM.

Fantastic.

After another twenty minutes of staring at the ceiling, she finally gave up.

Throwing aside the blankets, Ava slipped out of bed and quietly left the guest room.

The penthouse was dark.

Silent.

Most of the city below was asleep.

Only a few scattered lights remained visible through the enormous windows.

Ava headed toward the kitchen.

Coffee seemed like a terrible idea at three in the morning.

Which was exactly why she wanted it.

As she approached the living area, she noticed something.

A light.

Dim.

Coming from the far end of the penthouse.

Frowning, she followed it.

And stopped.

Ethan was awake.

He stood barefoot near the window.

One hand resting against the glass.

A half-finished glass of whiskey sat on a nearby table.

The city lights reflected around him.

For a moment, Ava simply stared.

Because she had never seen him like this before.

Not the CEO.

Not the billionaire.

Not the intimidating boss.

Just...

A man.

Alone.

Lost in thought.

Ethan noticed her reflection in the window.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Ava smiled weakly.

"That obvious?"

"You've been pacing."

She blinked.

"You noticed?"

"I notice a lot of things."

The answer sent an unexpected flutter through her chest.

Ava moved closer.

Keeping a respectful distance.

The silence between them felt comfortable.

Which somehow felt more dangerous than awkwardness.

"You?"

She nodded toward the whiskey.

"Couldn't sleep either?"

A shadow crossed Ethan's face.

"No."

The answer came too quickly.

Too sharply.

Ava immediately knew there was more to it.

And surprisingly...

She wanted to know.

"What keeps you awake?"

The question slipped out softly.

Ethan remained silent for several seconds.

Long enough for Ava to think he wouldn't answer.

Then—

"My mother."

Ava froze.

She had never heard him talk about his family.

Not voluntarily.

Not once.

"What about her?"

His gaze remained fixed on the city.

"She died when I was sixteen."

Ava's breath caught.

"Oh."

The pain in that simple sentence was impossible to miss.

"I'm sorry."

Ethan nodded slightly.

As if he'd heard those words a thousand times.

As if they no longer meant anything.

"She was the only person who could control my father."

His voice was calm.

Too calm.

The kind of calm that comes from years of burying hurt.

"When she died..."

He laughed softly.

Without humor.

"Everything changed."

Ava listened quietly.

Not interrupting.

Not pushing.

Simply listening.

And somehow...

That seemed to matter to him.

"The company became his obsession."

Ethan continued.

"Money became his obsession."

His jaw tightened.

"And eventually, I became another business project."

Ava's heart ached.

Because suddenly she understood.

The pressure.

The perfectionism.

The walls he'd built around himself.

The loneliness.

All of it.

For several moments, neither spoke.

The city stretched endlessly below them.

Beautiful.

Quiet.

Distant.

Then Ava took a small step closer.

Not thinking.

Just reacting.

And gently touched his arm.

The contact was brief.

Simple.

Yet Ethan felt it immediately.

Every nerve in his body became aware of her.

The warmth of her hand.

The concern in her eyes.

The kindness.

God.

She was dangerous.

Not because she wanted something from him.

But because she didn't.

"You know..."

Ava's voice softened.

"I think she'd be proud of you."

Ethan looked at her.

Really looked at her.

The sincerity in her eyes left no room for doubt.

She meant it.

Every word.

And suddenly something inside him shifted.

Something he'd spent years trying not to feel.

Hope.

Comfort.

Connection.

Neither moved.

Neither looked away.

The distance between them disappeared slowly.

Naturally.

Until they were standing much closer than either intended.

Ava's pulse quickened.

Ethan's gaze dropped briefly.

Then returned to hers.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

The air felt heavier.

Warmer.

Charged.

Ava became painfully aware of everything.

How close he was.

How his voice sounded when he spoke softly.

How safe she felt around him.

And how dangerous that safety was becoming.

Because she was starting to trust him.

Far too much.

"Ethan..."

His name barely left her lips.

A whisper.

A question.

A warning.

He took another step forward.

Slowly.

Carefully.

Giving her every opportunity to move away.

She didn't.

Neither did he.

For one suspended moment, the rest of the world disappeared.

No stalker.

No threats.

No Vanessa.

No company.

Just them.

And the undeniable pull between them.

Then—

A loud notification sounded from Ethan's phone.

The spell shattered instantly.

Both stepped back.

Reality crashing down once again.

Ethan glanced at the screen.

His expression immediately darkened.

Ava's stomach tightened.

"What is it?"

He looked up.

And for the first time that night...

She saw genuine alarm.

"The police found a fingerprint."

Silence.

Ava's pulse quickened.

"A fingerprint?"

Ethan nodded.

His jaw tightening.

"They identified who broke into your apartment."

Fear crawled up Ava's spine.

"Who?"

The answer came quietly.

Almost too quietly.

Yet it hit like a bomb.

"It's Sophie."

The coffee mug slipped from Ava's fingers.

And shattered against the floor.