ONE NIGHT FOREVER ALPHA

CHAPTER 5 THE DANGEROUS EDGE

Savannah had promised herself she wouldn’t see him again after the gala. Promised she would slip back into the safety of routine projects, deadlines, late nights spent staring at blueprints until exhaustion won.

But promises were fragile things. Especially when Colt Montgomery was the one breaking them open.

The knock on her apartment door was not tentative. It was firm, sharp, a command disguised as courtesy. Savannah stood frozen in her kitchen, the pregnancy test still sitting on the counter like an accusation. Two pink lines. Clear as truth.

Her heart pounded. He couldn’t know. He couldn’t possibly

The knock came again. Louder.

She swallowed hard and opened the door.

Colt filled the hallway like a shadow made of flesh. He didn’t ask to come in; he stepped forward, and suddenly her living room felt too small, too intimate. He wore a black shirt rolled at the sleeves, dark slacks that hinted at a body built from discipline. His presence carried the storm of someone used to command, someone never told no.

Savannah crossed her arms, more for defense than comfort. “How did you find me?”

He ignored the question. His gaze landed on the counter, on the test she had been too shaken to hide.

The silence that followed cracked her bones.

His eyes, steel and fire, locked onto hers. “Tell me it’s not what I think it is.”

Her throat burned. “Colt”

“Tell me.” His voice dropped, raw and low.

She wanted to lie, but the truth clung to her skin. “I’m pregnant.”

The word hung between them, heavy as iron.

Colt’s jaw tightened. He raked a hand through his hair, pacing once, twice, then stopping with his back to her. When he turned, the storm had only grown. “How do I know it’s mine?”

The air split.

Savannah flinched as though he’d struck her. “What did you just say?”

“You heard me.”

Her pulse hammered in her ears. “Do you think I’m the type of woman who would trap a man like you? That I collect strangers for what? Fun? Leverage?”

His stare was merciless. “I think I don’t know you. I think you don’t know me. And I think you’re keeping something from me.”

Anger flooded her chest, hot and sharp. She stepped closer, jabbing a finger at him. “You don’t get to come into my home and throw accusations. You don’t get to look at me like I’m some kind of liar, when you’re the one who vanished without a last name.”

Colt didn’t flinch. He let her fury crash against him, his gaze burning. “I don’t vanish, Savannah. I protect what’s mine. And if that child is mine” His voice cracked, barely audible. “then everything changes.”

Her knees weakened. The room spun with fear, anger, and something she hated herself for hope.

But before she could speak, Colt closed the space between them, his breath brushing her cheek, his hand gripping the edge of the counter behind her as if he might break it. His eyes, molten with something dangerous, pinned her in place.

“Don’t lie to me,” he whispered.

Savannah’s chest rose and fell in rapid bursts. “I’m not lying.”

The silence snapped taut between them, humming like a live wire.

And then his phone buzzed. The sound shattered the moment. Colt pulled back, checked the screen, and cursed under his breath.

He looked at her once more, eyes unreadable. “We’re not finished.”

The door slammed behind him, leaving her trembling.

Savannah didn’t sleep that night. The walls of her apartment felt too thin, her bed too cold. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Colt’s face, the suspicion, the fire, the way his voice had cut when he asked if the child was his.

By morning, exhaustion pressed behind her eyes. She poured coffee she couldn’t drink and stared at blueprints she couldn’t read. Work had always been her escape, but now it was just ink on paper.

Her phone buzzed. A message from an unknown number.

We need to talk. Noon. My office. Don’t argue. – C

She nearly threw the phone across the room. His office? She didn’t even know what business he ran, what life he lived outside the shadows he wrapped around himself. And yet, at 11:58, she found herself standing in front of a glass tower downtown, heart racing.

The receptionist didn’t ask questions. One call, and Savannah was escorted up forty floors to a corner office with windows stretching toward the sky.

Colt stood behind a sleek desk, black suit immaculate, presence dominating the room.

She forced herself to step inside. “You really think commanding me like a soldier is the way to handle this?”

His mouth curved, half smirk, half warning. “It worked. You’re here.”

She wanted to scream, but her voice cracked with something else. “I shouldn’t be.”

He rounded the desk, closing the distance. “You think I don’t see what this means? If you’re telling the truth, Savannah, you’re carrying my child.”

Her breath hitched. The words sounded terrifying and beautiful in equal measure.

But then his tone sharpened. “And if you’re not if you’re lying”

She cut him off. “I’m not lying. God, Colt, do you even hear yourself?”

His hand shot out, gripping the edge of the table near her hip, knuckles pale. “Do you know what kind of enemies I have? Do you know what being connected to me means for you?”

Savannah stiffened. “I don’t need protection.”

“You need me whether you like it or not.”

The room spun. She hated him for his arrogance, hated him more for the way her body still responded to the heat of his nearness, the pull of his voice.

“Say what you mean, Colt.” Her voice shook.

His gaze burned into her, softer now, dangerous in a new way. “I mean I can’t lose you.”

Her heart stumbled. Before she could reply, he brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, fingers lingering too long. The touch seared through her, unraveling defenses.

The office door opened without warning. A man in a gray suit stepped inside, froze at the sight of them, and quickly muttered an apology.

Colt didn’t move. He didn’t step back. He wanted the world to see.

Savannah’s pulse roared in her ears.

And for the first time, she wondered if he would destroy her life just by standing too close.

That evening, Savannah sat curled on her couch, lights dimmed, city humming beyond her window. She told herself to block him out, to breathe, to think clearly.

But then came the inevitable knock.

She opened the door to find Colt holding a bag of takeout, expression unreadable. “You need to eat.”

“I don’t need charity.”

“It’s not charity. It’s common sense.” He stepped inside without waiting, setting the bag on the table. The scent of Thai food filled the apartment, warm and grounding.

Savannah folded her arms. “You think this fixes anything?”

“No.” He leaned against the counter, eyes locked on hers. “But it’s a start.”

The silence stretched. Savannah’s defenses wavered under the weight of his gaze.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked finally.

His voice was low, rough. “Because I can’t stop thinking about you. Because I wake up in the middle of the night, angry that I didn’t stay. Because if you’re carrying my child, then you’re part of me now. And I don’t share.”

Her stomach clenched. His possessiveness frightened her, but it also sparked something she didn’t want to name.

“You can’t just claim me as property,” she whispered.

“Watch me.”

He stepped closer, hand lifting to touch her jaw. She should have pulled back. Instead, her body leaned into his touch.

His thumb brushed her lower lip. “Tell me to leave.”

Her breath shuddered. She couldn’t.

His lips were on hers before she could think, fierce and demanding, years of restraint poured into one kiss. She melted against him, the heat of his body overwhelming, his hands threading into her hair.

The kiss deepened until her knees gave out and only his arms held her up.

When they finally pulled apart, both gasping, Savannah’s mind spun.

“This is wrong,” she whispered.

“Then why does it feel right?” His forehead pressed to hers, eyes searching hers with raw intensity.

She had no answer.

But the danger in his gaze told her the question itself was a trap.

The next morning, Savannah woke to an empty apartment. No Colt. No answers. Just silence.

She should have felt relief. Instead, she felt hollow.

At work, she tried to drown in blueprints, but Colt invaded her thoughts. His kiss. His doubts. His possessiveness scared her as much as it thrilled her.

By afternoon, he called.

“Dinner. Eight. My driver will pick you up.”

She almost said no. Almost. But something stronger than pride made her whisper yes.

The restaurant was candlelit, private, the kind of place where deals and secrets were exchanged. Colt watched her from across the table, eyes shadowed.

“Do you trust me?” he asked suddenly.

The question sliced the air.

Savannah’s fingers tightened around her wineglass. “Do you trust me?”

He didn’t answer.

Her laugh was brittle. “Exactly.”

The waiter poured wine. Colt leaned forward, his voice low. “I don’t trust easily. But I want to trust you. I want to believe you.”

Her chest ached. “Then do it.”

His eyes softened, but only slightly. “It’s not that simple.”

The tension between them grew unbearable, a rope pulled too tight. Savannah set down her fork, her appetite gone.

“I can’t live like this, Colt. I can’t be with someone who sees me as a threat instead of” She broke off, throat thick.

He reached across the table, covering her hand with his. His palm was warm, steady, grounding.

“I don’t see you as a threat,” he said. “I see you as the only thing that could destroy me.”

The words burned into her.

She pulled her hand back, afraid of what they meant.

Neither spoke for the rest of the meal.

And yet, under the table, their knees brushed. Neither moved away.

They left the restaurant late, the night air cool against Savannah’s skin. Colt walked beside her, a solid presence, his hand resting at the small of her back like he owned the ground she stepped on.

Her thoughts spun fear, desire, mistrust, longing. She wanted distance, yet every brush of his hand made her lean closer.

They reached his car. Colt opened the door for her, eyes never leaving hers.

And that was when she felt it.

The prickle. The sense of being watched.

She turned her head, scanning the shadows along the street. Nothing moved, yet the feeling crawled across her skin.

Colt noticed. His jaw tightened, eyes flicking across the dark.

“Get in the car,” he said, voice sharp.

Savannah obeyed, sliding into the leather seat. Colt circled the car, slipping in beside her, but his hand rested on her thigh, grounding her, protective.

As the car pulled away, she glanced back through the tinted glass.

And that’s when she saw it.

A figure half-hidden in the shadows, camera raised, the flash off but the lens glinting under the streetlight.

They weren’t alone. Someone had been watching.

And someone now had a photograph of her and Colt Montgomery together.