CHAPTER 6 — TAKING HER INTO THE LION’S DEN
611 Words
The drive to Liam’s penthouse was silent, but not the easy kind. It was the heavy, electrified quiet that filled the air when two people were thinking too much and saying too little.
Ava kept her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Her eyes stayed on the passing city lights, but her nerves were coiled like springs. She still couldn’t believe she’d agreed to this. Staying with him. Letting him take her into a world she had no business stepping into.
Liam watched her from the corner of his eye more than he watched the road. “You’re scared.”
She didn’t deny it. “I don’t know what I’m walking into.”
“My home,” he said simply. “Nothing else.”
“That’s the problem,” she whispered.
Liam exhaled, long and controlled. “Ava, listen. I won’t cross a line. I won’t make you uncomfortable. You have my word.”
“Your word doesn’t erase the danger.”
“No,” he murmured. “But it anchors something. And I need you anchored tonight.”
He wasn’t wrong. Her mind was a storm, her heartbeat thunder, and Liam’s voice—even when it unsettled her—was the only steady thing.
When they reached the building, Ava stared up at it in awe. The penthouse towered above the city like a steel crown. Layers of glass reflected the night sky. It was beautiful. Expensive. Unreachable—like him.
Inside, the elevator opened directly into the penthouse. Ava stepped into a world she never imagined she’d see.
Marble floors. Floor-to-ceiling windows glowing with the city beneath. Soft lighting. A scent of cedar and something darker.
Liam’s world.
“I know it’s overwhelming,” he said softly.
“It feels like walking into another planet,” she admitted.
He almost smiled. “Welcome to my planet.”
Ava wandered toward the windows, the view swallowing her breath. Cars crawled below like tiny sparks. Buildings lit the horizon like constellations.
“This doesn’t feel real,” she whispered.
Liam stepped beside her. “It’s real. And you’re safe here.”
Her body reacted to his closeness in ways she didn’t want to examine. The warmth. The tension. The awareness.
“This whole situation… it’s insane,” she murmured. “I was just going to work. Just living my life.”
“And someone tried to twist the path you were walking.” He folded his arms. “I won’t let anyone drag you into danger.”
She turned to him. “Why? Why me? Why do you care so much?”
Liam didn’t answer at first. His jaw tightened, and he looked at her as if choosing what truth she could handle.
“You remind me of someone,” he said finally. “Someone I failed to protect.”
Ava’s stomach dropped. “Who?”
“My sister.”
Her breath caught. “Liam… I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to be.” His voice dipped low. “Just let me do better this time.”
A silence settled between them—gentle, heavy, understanding.
Liam walked her to a guest room. It was more luxurious than any hotel suite she had ever seen.
“You’ll stay here,” he said. “The door locks from the inside. If you need anything—anything—call me.”
Ava hesitated before stepping in. “Liam?”
“Yes?”
“What if this becomes bigger than both of us?”
He paused, eyes dark. “Then I’ll burn down whatever stands in our way.”
There was no fear in his voice.
Only a promise.
A dangerous, comforting promise.
- Writer
