MY GANGSTER CRUSH

Chapter Seven: Secrets at the Door

The silence in Ava’s room was suffocating, thick with the remnants of Jace’s kiss and the sharp edge of panic. Her mother’s voice on the other side of the door was calm, elegant, yet every syllable carried authority that could shatter her world in an instant.

Jace’s body was tense beside her, a coiled spring ready to snap. His eyes flicked from the door to the wide balcony window, then back to Ava, his jaw tightening with every second.

“Ava. Open the door. Now.”

Her mother’s tone had shifted. Softer words gone, replaced by command.

Ava’s chest rose and fell rapidly, her palms damp as she clasped them in front of her nightdress. She wanted to scream, to beg the ground to swallow her whole. She had never broken her parents’ rules, not like this.

Jace leaned down, his breath brushing her ear, voice low and urgent. “Window. Balcony. I’ll be gone before she notices.”

Ava’s heart clenched. The thought of him vanishing into the night after what had just passed between them left her trembling. Yet the fear of her mother seeing him here, tattooed, dangerous, with his rough hands still carrying the ghost of her skin, was enough to send her pulse into overdrive.

Another knock rattled the door. “Ava, do not make me come in.”

Jace smirked, though his eyes were sharp with calculation. “Guess I’m not exactly the boy she’d want tucking you in, huh?” His whisper was rough, mocking, but the flicker of vulnerability in his gaze betrayed him.

Ava’s throat tightened. “Please, just, just go,” she breathed, though her voice cracked with the ache of it.

For a heartbeat, he didn’t move. His eyes held hers, burning with something raw, something that made her stomach twist with longing. Then, with one last lingering glance, he moved.

In three swift strides, Jace crossed the room and slid the balcony door open. The night air rushed in, cool and sharp, brushing against Ava’s overheated skin. He swung one leg over the railing with an ease that made her dizzy, then paused, looking back at her.

“Princess,” he whispered, his smirk softening into something dangerous but tender. “Don’t forget what just happened. I won’t.”

And then....., he was gone.

Ava barely had a second to catch her breath before the door handle clicked. She spun around just as her mother swept into the room.

“Ava.” Her voice was smooth, but her sharp eyes scanned every corner. Her mother stood tall, wrapped in a silk robe, her diamond necklace glinting in the low light. She looked every bit the queen of the mansion, and Ava felt like a thief caught in the act of stealing her own freedom.

“I—I was just about to sleep,” Ava stammered, clutching her hands together tightly so her mother wouldn’t see them tremble.

Her mother’s gaze narrowed. She stepped closer, eyes sweeping over the slightly ajar balcony door, the mussed couch pillows, and Ava’s flushed face. “I heard voices,” she said softly, though her tone was sharp enough to cut glass. “Were you on the phone?”

Ava’s heart nearly stopped. “Yes. Yes, I was. With… Lila,” she lied quickly, naming one of the girls from school her mother approved of.

Her mother’s eyes lingered on her, unblinking. For a moment Ava thought she would press harder, peel back every layer of her lie until Jace’s name spilled out. But then, her mother exhaled, smoothing her robe as if she’d simply lost interest.

“Mm. Be careful, Ava. Late-night gossiping is beneath you.” She turned toward the door, pausing only once to glance back. Her eyes glinted with something Ava couldn’t read. “And keep that balcony locked. You never know what kind of people crawl into places they don’t belong.”

The words landed like a dart straight to her chest.

When her mother left, the door clicking softly shut, Ava collapsed onto her bed, burying her face in her hands. Her lips still tingled from Jace’s kiss, her skin still burned where his fingers had lingered.

She should be terrified. She should feel ashamed. Instead, all she felt was the hollow ache of missing him already.

And outside, somewhere in the shadows of the night, Jace was still out there, dangerous, reckless, and hers in a way she couldn’t admit to anyone.