Too Close
645 Words
Ava didn’t go to dinner with Daniel.
She tried.
She really did.
But the moment she left the penthouse earlier that evening, Alexander’s voice kept replaying in her mind.
“Come back here… and tell me if he makes you feel even half of what you feel when you’re standing this close to me.”
Her chest tightened.
So instead of going to the restaurant Daniel suggested, her feet carried her right back to the building she had just left.
Back to him.
The penthouse door opened before she could even knock.
Alexander stood there.
Like he had been waiting.
His dark eyes immediately scanned her face.
“You didn’t go.”
It wasn’t a question.
Ava shook her head slowly. “No.”
Something unreadable flashed in his eyes.
Relief.
Possession.
Danger.
He stepped aside to let her in.
The moment she crossed the doorway, the tension returned—stronger than before.
“You came back,” he said quietly, closing the door behind her.
“I needed to talk.”
Alexander chuckled softly.
“Talk?”
He walked toward her slowly, every step deliberate.
“Ava, you don’t come back here at night because you want to talk.”
Her breath caught as he stopped in front of her.
Too close.
Way too close.
“I don’t understand what you want from me,” she admitted, her voice shaking.
Alexander studied her face like he was memorizing it.
“What I want,” he said slowly, “is to understand why you affect me like this.”
His hand lifted.
Ava froze.
For a moment it hovered in the air between them.
Then his fingers gently brushed against her arm.
This time he didn’t pull away.
The warmth of his touch spread through her skin like fire.
“You make me lose control,” he murmured.
His fingers slowly slid down her arm until they reached her hand.
Then he intertwined their fingers.
The contact made her inhale sharply.
“Alexander—”
“I should stop,” he whispered.
But he didn’t.
Instead he stepped closer.
Their bodies were inches apart now.
The city lights behind them cast shadows across his face, making his eyes look darker… deeper.
More dangerous.
His other hand moved to her waist.
Not grabbing.
Just resting there.
But the weight of it sent a wave of heat through her entire body.
“Ava,” he said softly.
Her name sounded different when he said it like that.
Lower.
Rougher.
His thumb slowly traced the side of her waist.
A tiny movement.
But enough to make her shiver.
“You feel that?” he asked quietly.
“Yes,” she breathed.
His eyes dropped to her lips.
The room felt suddenly smaller.
Warmer.
“You should walk away,” Alexander said.
But instead of stepping back—
His hand tightened slightly at her waist.
Pulling her just a little closer.
Their bodies touched.
The contact made her heart slam wildly.
“You’re dangerous for me,” he admitted.
“And yet… I can’t seem to stop.”
His hand slid from her waist up her back slowly, stopping just below her shoulder.
Holding her there.
Her fingers tightened in his shirt without her realizing.
Alexander noticed.
Of course he did.
A slow smile appeared on his lips.
“There it is again,” he murmured.
“That spark.”
His forehead almost touched hers now.
Their breaths mixed.
And for a moment neither of them moved.
Neither of them spoke.
The tension stretched so tight it felt like it would snap.
Then Ava whispered, barely audible—
“Why does it feel like this?”
Alexander’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“Because we’re both losing control.”
His thumb brushed lightly along her back.
Sending another shiver through her.
And this time…
Neither of them stepped away.
- Writer
