One night with Mr Blackwell

Chapter 12

Adrian's pov

I honestly can't remember the last time I felt such heavy blood thirst. I was so angry that I could tear down all the board of directors in the company.

No one had the right to touch Ava but me!

No one had the right to make her cry but me!

No one had the right to look at her but me!

No wonder it felt like I was always struggling with Ava instead of getting closer to her.

I had no plans for emotions. I’d carved them out of myself long ago, the way a surgeon removes something that only causes harm.

Work was enough.

Work didn’t demand anything from me except results, and I provided them without hesitation.

Then she came back.

Ava Collins, quiet chaos wrapped in soft skin and stubborn fire.

She didn’t knock on the walls I built; she slipped through them like they never existed.

And suddenly the world that had always stayed exactly where I put it… shifted.

I don’t chase.

I don’t reach.

I don’t let anyone close enough to ruin the clean emptiness I’ve crafted.

But with her…

every rule I live by snaps like a weak thread.

I want what I shouldn’t want.

Not just her presence… but the way she inhales before she speaks, the way her anger lights her up, the way her very existence drags something alive and uncontrollable to the surface inside me.

I want her, every unguarded breath, every hidden thought, every piece of her she doesn’t even know she’s giving away.

And that terrifies me the most.

“Sir, are you really heading back tonight?” Dave asked me, still shocked about what I said.

“Yeah, so pack up!”

I wasn’t around for just a few days and the one woman i was looking forward to spending time with using work as an excuse was fired!

Touching her was their first mistake. Believing they’ll survive it is their second.

“But it's late, we can leave early tomorrow morning” Dave defended. The more he talked, the more I got angry. Didn't he see how disgusted Ava looked at me because she thought I did that to her! I noticed she didn't want me close but I still wanted to stay beside her. No! I needed to have her close. But I took a deep breath to calm myself down. It's Dave, he was a really trustworthy person so I needed to calm down.

“Sir, we can't just leave in the middle of closing the deal, we have spent years trying to seal this deal”

“Dave there's something you don't know” I said coming closer to him and placed my hand on his shoulder. “I rather loose that deal forever than let the people that touched her walk freely”

“Yes sir” Dave said, shaking his head. I knew that look, he was trying to tell me that I was insane. But at this point I rather believe that because when Ava is involved, I am never in my right mind.

I walked out of the room towards where Ava was kept and saw her sleeping. This was my new hobby, watching her sleep.

I knew I wasn't normal anymore when I took a plane back to New York just to see her face a little and come back here.

She would scream if she heard this. The thought of her screaming made me smile cause she looks so cute when she has an outburst of emotion. But I made her cry! That outburst was something I didn't like. Thinking about that again made my jaw hardened and promises to make them suffer was what I kept uttering.

“Sir we are ready to leave, are we taking her with us?” Dave said

“Yeah” I know she was going to go crazy the moment she realized I brought her back to New York but I want to stay close to her so, I can't let her stay here alone without me.

Dave bent down to lift her.

I didn’t yell.

I didn’t raise my voice.

I simply spoke.

“Dave.”

He froze.

Then, quieter:

“Move your hand away from her. Slowly.”

He swallowed and obeyed.

I tilted my head, watching him tremble.

“Good. Now remember this, Ava doesn’t get touched unless I say so. Ever.”

I carried her myself. Her fragrance hit my nose strongly which made me almost lose control. I wanted her, I wanted to eat her up, I wanted to take her here and now. The thought of the night we spent together calm flooding back, how sweet she tasted. These thoughts made my trouser feel really tight and this was killing me.

I entered the car, about to put her down but she clinged me and I swallowed hard. Her lips were so close to my neck that I felt I could go crazy in an instant.

Ava’s breath warmed my neck, each soft exhale doing something to me I didn’t want to admit.

I forced my eyes shut, gripping the edge of the seat with my free hand until the leather strained under my fingers.

Focus.

Don’t lose control.

Not here.

Her body relaxed against mine, trusting me even in unconsciousness.

That trust shouldn’t have meant anything.

But it did. Too much.

The driver glanced at me in the mirror.

“Is she…?”

“Eyes front,” I snapped.

He flinched and obeyed.

Good.

No one should look at her right now.

Not when she was in my arms.

Not when she was like this.

The car hummed down the quiet road, city lights flickering across her face. I shifted slightly, adjusting her so she wouldn’t be uncomfortable, and immediately regretted it when she moved again, her arm sliding around my torso in a loose, instinctive hold.

My breath caught.

“This is torture,” I muttered under my breath.

Not the kind that breaks you.

The kind that exposes you.

I looked down at her.

Peaceful.

Unaware.

Completely defenseless.

And she trusted me.

That was the part that scared me.

I leaned my head back against the seat, jaw tight, pulse thundering as I tried to steady myself. Then..

She stirred.

A soft sound left her, her lashes fluttering as her head shifted against my shoulder.

“Ava?” I said quietly, not sure if I wanted her to wake up or stay asleep.

Her fingers curled lightly into my shirt.

She wasn’t fully conscious yet, but she wasn’t fully gone either.

And when she opened her eyes…

She was going to see exactly who had her.

Exactly who carried her out.

Exactly who wanted to rip apart anyone who even looked at her tonight.

Ava stared at me for a few long moments, her gaze flickering between my eyes and my lips. I tried to read her thoughts, but that little tilt of her head, the sleepy confusion in her eyes… It was maddening. If only I could think for her, spare her the stress… spare myself the torture of wanting her so badly.

She was still half-asleep, every movement languid, delicate. Her fingers traced my lips slowly, as if testing whether what she felt was real. That touch… It drove me insane. I wanted her, every part of her, yet I couldn’t move too fast. I couldn’t scare her away.

Then, without warning, she pressed her lips against mine.

It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t hesitant. It was urgent, desperate, like she’d been starving for this connection her whole life. I froze, my entire body coiling with heat and tension. Every rational thought disappeared, I was lost in her.

“Ava…” I whispered, my voice low, trembling. I tried to pull back, to give us both a moment to breathe, but she clung to me, her small hands clutching my chest.

Her eyes shot open in shock.

“What the hell, Adrian?!” she gasped, shoving me with more force than her tiny frame should have allowed.

“Now you want to act all innocent after almost devouring me?” I murmured, leaning closer. “You really should change your sleeping habits, it’s terrible.”

She didn’t reply. Not a word. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, and her silence was hotter than any confession. Slowly, she slid off my lap, perching on the chair beside me, her back leaning against the car door.

I think she finally realized where she was. The street outside was empty, dimly lit, and anyone could see her. One wrong step and she could be in serious danger.

“Are you taking me home? This isn’t the direction,” she whispered, voice small, almost fragile.

“We’re going back to New York,” I corrected.

A small laugh escaped her lips, soft, disbelieving. “You’re joking, right?”

“I don’t do jokes, Ava Collins.”

Her calmness rattled me. Too calm. Too… collected. I expected fury, panic, something, anything, but she just stared at me, silent and unreadable.

Curiosity gnawed at me. What the hell was she thinking? What game was she playing? But she gave nothing away.

Then, without warning, she twisted toward the car door, yanked it open, and leapt out into the blur of the highway lights..

I sat frozen, the engine ticking idly, heart pounding, not from anger, but from shock. I could see her small figure tumbling once, then disappearing into the roadside darkness. Did I just underestimate Ava Collins?