The storm hadn’t stopped. Ava lay wide awake, the sound of rain hammering on the glass mixing with the echo of Ethan’s words: You’re not leaving me. Ever.
Her sheets were damp from his soaked clothes, her body still trembling from the way he had kissed her—desperate, reverent, consuming. Sleep was impossible. Every time she shut her eyes, she saw him. Felt him. Heard him.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she sat up, pressing a hand to her pounding heart. This has to end. I can’t let him keep controlling me like this.
But then came the soft creak of the floorboards, the sound of footsteps in the hallway. Her throat tightened. She didn’t have to wonder who it was.
The bedroom door opened, and Ethan stepped inside. He was no longer drenched, but freshly showered, a towel draped over his
