30

Ava is standing on my doorstep.

Her face is illuminated in the dim porch light. Her frame is shaking with each ragged breath as the rain patters down behind her.

The tough veneer is shattered. Standing there alone,shelooks so soft and breakable. As if one little touch could make her snap in half. Tears hang like diamonds from her thick lashes.

Before I can respond, she takes a step back. "This—this was a mistake. I'm so sorry, Jackson. Goodnight."

She quickly turns to leave, but Ireach out andgently touch her arm. She tenses, her eyes flicking back to meet mine. I can feel the violent tremor of her body.

"Stay," I tell her. "You came here for a reason. Tell me what happened."

She shakes her head. "I don't know what I was thinking, coming to your home at night like this. We have a session tomorrow, so I'lljustsee you then."

"I gave you my personal contact details willingly.I make sure tobe alwaysavailable to my patients incase ofan emergency crisis."

Her voice is a soft murmur. "I—I just didn't know where else to go."

My eyes drop down to her cheekbone. It's pink, with a few flecks of maroon where the skin is broken.

Something clenches in my chest.

Someone laid their hands on her.

Anger rears inside me. It's followed by a swell of pleasure that I'm the one she turned to.

But those are both extremely inappropriate reactions.

Gently, I reach out and take the sleeve of her jacket, tugging her past thethreshold of the door. Shelets me guideinto the livingroom,before stumbling toward the nearest couch.

I kneel down in front of where she sits. "Who did this to you, Ava?"

She wordlessly shakes her head, her breath still racing. Her silky black hair framing her face sways side to side. I resist the fiery urge to ball it in my fist, bring her lips to mine, and order her to tell her who the hell hurt her—

Stop.

I softly place my hands onthe couch,either side of her body."Listen to me. Breathe in with me. Now breathe out."

She obeys. We're in sync, the rise and fall of our bodies mirroring each other. Slowly, her breathing begins to calm.

My hand reaches up to touch the mark on her cheek, but I stop myself before I make contact. It's like there's a forcefield preventing me from touching her skin. "Tell me, Ava. Who was it?"

"It doesn't matter—"

"Yes, it does. Of course it does. Was it a perp?"

She shakes her head but doesn't say anything.

"You came here for help. I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

There's a haunted look in her glistening gray eyes as she sighs, then begins.

"It was my foster brother. One of them, anyway; there were too many to count. Frank Newman. He saw me during a press conference and recognized me after all these years."

Rage congeals in my gut, but I try to suppress it.Shecame here so I could listen. Not so I could tell her exactly what this guy deserves for hurting her.

"He's in some legal trouble, unsurprisingly. He asked for my help. Thought I could make it allgo awaybecause I'm a detective now. I said no in a not-exactly-polite way, and he… did this." She gestures to her face.

"I'm so sorry, Ava. If you want to press charges against him, I'll fully support youthrough the process."

"No charges. I don't want any more of the past dredged up. But that's not why it freaked me out so much. It just made me feel like… like…"

"What did it make you feel?" I ask softly.

"Like I can never escape the past. I've worked so hard to change my life completely, but it still won't let go of me. Ijustwant to forget it all."

"Forgetting the past won't help you move on. Our pasts will always bethere,underneath everything else. If you stay in therapy, we can work on strategies to help you process it and control it."

I feel a twinge of unease. I'm advising Ava to do the very thing that I'm battling with. But I can't think about that right now.All I need to do now ismake sure Ava iscompletely, entirelysafe.

And make sure her foster brother Frank gets what he deserves.

I clench my jaw, trying to bury that urge.

"I advise you to tell Captain Hawkins about this. If Frank keeps trying to harass you, it will be good for him to be aware of the situation.I'll help youtodevelop a plan to protect yourselfin casehe approaches you again.Emergency contacts, de-escalation techniques. Anything that might help."

She nods. "I'll tell Hawkins tomorrow. I don't think Frank is a real threat. It just really got to me tonight."

She shivers, tightening her arms around herself.

"Ava, you're still shaking." I grab the folded blue cashmere blanket from the back of the couch and drape it over her legs. "Wait here."

In the kitchen, I put some water on to boil.I grab my phone and put some of my favorite soothing classical playlistsonover the living room speakers whileI wait.

Back in the living room, I hand Ava a mug. "Chamomile tea. Trust me, it'll help when all else fails."

"Thanks," she murmurs, a half-smile tugging at her lips as she clutches the cup. Steam rises, veiling her pretty face in a hazy mist.

I sit down on the couch next to her. She's so close to my body, close enough to touch. My jaw clenches as I feel my cock harden. The pull of her body is like gravity. I want to run my hands over every inch of her soft skin. Tease her nipples between my teeth. Make her moan and yelp under my touch—

Stop. Not now.

It's a moment before I realize tears are flooding her eyes.

I shouldn't touch her. Physical comfort isn't something therapists give their patients. I should hand her a box of Kleenex and let her cry.

But I don't.

I wrap my arm around her shoulders, drawing her into me.

There's a hitch in her sobs as she reacts in surprise. At first, I think I've gone too far. But then she tentatively leans against my shoulder.

"I'm not a weak person, Jackson." She breathes the words against my chest.

"I know that."

"I've dealt with much worse as a detective. Hell, I came to see you because I disobeyed Hawkins and got stabbed in the process."

"But this was personal."

She nods against my chest. "But it's not just that. I was scared of what I felt whenhehit me. I was scared of what I wanted to do to him."

"What was it?"

"Something bad," she breathes. "I can't say more than that."

"You don't need to be afraid, Ava. I know things have been complicated by my consulting on your case, but I'm still your therapist. This is confidential."

"I wanted to hurt him in return. What if that's who I am? Does that make me… broken?"

I know that feeling all too well. But it feels like a knife to the chest that Ava feels that way about herself.

"I know how it feels to want to give in to something powerful and dark inside you."

"How do you stop it?" she asks.

I shake my head. I feel the silky touch of her hair against my jaw. "I don't have all the answers, Ava. But I know one thing for certain. There's nothing about you that's broken. You're completely whole. You make the rest of the world look like it's broken."

And that's why I can't get you off my mind for a fucking second.

I tense, knowing I've said too much. Butshedoesn't draw back.

"You wouldn't think that if youreallyknew me," she mumbles.

"I promise you, Ava. I see you exactly how you really are."

She falls into silence. It feels so right, having her firm against me. But lust is clawing at my insides.

She glances around, her eyes traveling over the living room: I like to keep my house clean and minimalist. A low-slung coffeetable,covered with a selection of art books. The lighting is dim, but the speakers are outlined with LEDs that glow in a soft neon.

"You have a nice place. Sorry I've invaded it."

I chuckle softly. "I'm glad you did. I'm sure you have a nice hometoo."

"My apartment is more like a bare concrete box. I'm not so good at interior design."

Tentatively, she leans further in towards me. Her movement is cautious and halting, as if she's not used to being so close to another human.

"I feel safe with you, Jackson." Her voice is heavy, as if she's close to falling asleep. "I've never felt safe with anyone before. I'm sorry if that's weird. But it's true."

I suddenly know I would move heaven and earth tomake sureshe always feels safe with me.

I'd move hell, too.

It's a few seconds before I realize she's fallen asleep. Her body is so soft and vulnerable next to me.

Lust rears up inside me again. It's taking all my strength not to pull her up, push her against the wall, and tear her clothes off. I try to calm the fast-beating pulse of blood in my veins.

Suddenlymyeyelids grow heavy. I feel the pull of sleep drawing me inwards.

There's only a distant voice as I drift closer to unconsciousness. A voice that sounds like a twisted, poisoned version of my own.

She's in the palm of my hand now.

I let sleep take me.