Chapter 1 –
The Storm Inside
Rain hit the city like it wanted to wash everything away. Elena Hart hugged her coat tighter, ignoring the chill, ignoring the people rushing past her on the slick sidewalk. She had learned to move through crowds like a ghost, unseen, unnoticed. That was the safest way to be. Invisible. Safe. Alive.
Her steps brought her to the tall glass doors of the Crowe Financial Tower. She paused for a second, took a breath, and went in. The lobby was warm, too bright, too clean. Too rich. She hated it. But this was the only safe place right now. Safe-ish.
And then she saw him.
Sebastian Crowe.
She didn't know how she noticed him at first. He was just standing there, tall, perfect, his tailored suit clinging to him like it had been made for his body and his body only. But there was something in the way he watched the room. Quiet, measured. Predatory. Dangerous.
And then his eyes found hers.
Her heart tripped. Stupid. Dangerous.
She turned her gaze to the floor. Not that it would matter. He didn't take his eyes off her. There was a faint curl of a smirk on his lips, like he already knew something she didn't. Something he shouldn't know.
"Miss Hart."
Her body froze. She hadn't expected him to speak. She hadn't expected him to know her name.
She looked up. His gaze pinned her like a trap she wanted to walk right into and run from at the same time.
"Mr. Crowe," she said, voice calm. Too calm.
"Nice night for rain," he said, stepping closer. The sound of his shoes against the marble floor made her stomach twist. Closer. Always closer.
She hated herself for noticing the warmth radiating from him. For noticing the way his hand twitched slightly, like he was itching to touch something, to test something.
"I… prefer quiet nights," she said, keeping her voice steady. Not trembling. Not like she wanted it to.
He smirked again. That smirk that made her knees go weak without touching her.
"You're hiding," he said.
She laughed softly. A sound too nervous to be convincing.
"I'm not."
"You are," he said simply, like stating facts about the weather.
She stiffened. Who even said that? She didn't know what to say. She opened her mouth and closed it. Her throat was suddenly dry.
Sebastian took another step. Closer. Closer. He was uncomfortably close. Warmth. Heat. Dangerous warmth. The kind of warmth that made a girl want to do stupid things.
"Why are you hiding?" he asked. Not loud. Not too soft. Just… enough to shiver from.
Elena swallowed. Her pulse was too fast, thudding in her chest like a drum. "I'm not."
He shook his head. "You are. And I can see it."
And that was it. That simple statement made her want to bolt. Her legs were ready to carry her away, her heart screaming to stay.
She looked at him. Really looked. And noticed the faint tension in his jaw, the almost imperceptible curve of his lips, the sharp intelligence in his eyes. Dangerous, yes, but… attentive.
Her heart betrayed her again.
Sebastian tilted his head slightly, closing the distance without touching her. "You're afraid."
She stiffened. Fear was dangerous, vulnerability even more. "I'm not."
"You are," he said again. Always calm. Always sure. Always infuriating.
Her fingers clenched the strap of her bag. She wanted to touch him. God, she wanted to. Not in a stupid way. In a desperate, human, alive way. She wanted to reach out and just feel something real. But she didn't. She couldn't.
He moved closer still. She could feel his presence around her like heat in the cold lobby. Too close. Her knees went weak without bending. Her breath caught.
"You're tense," he murmured.
"I'm not," she whispered back, lying.
"You are."
Her lips parted. She wanted to tell him something. Anything. But words were useless.
He reached out. Just a hand. Not too fast. Not too aggressive. Just… his hand brushing against her arm. Her skin tingled, almost painfully.
Her breath caught.
Sebastian's eyes were locked on hers. Something shifted in them. Something that made her think he could see inside her. Deep. Past the lies. Past the walls. Past the fear.
And then he leaned just a fraction closer. Just close enough that her lips brushed against his jacket. Her pulse was deafening. Her chest ached with wanting.
She wanted to close the distance. She wanted to lean in and feel it, whatever it was. But she didn't.
Because she had learned that nothing good ever came from giving yourself to anyone.
Not even a man who made you forget how to breathe.
The moment stretched. Too close. Too intimate. Too dangerous.
Then a sharp ring shattered the tension.
Sebastian's phone.
His hand froze. His jaw tightened.
Elena stepped back. Heart hammering. Adrenaline mixing with longing, frustration, panic.
He answered the phone. One glance, and his face changed. Not just focus. Not just attention. Fear? Anger? Something darker.
"They know," he said, voice low, dangerous.
Elena felt the world tilt. Her secret. Her hiding. Her fragile safety… exposed.
Her stomach churned. "They?"
His eyes, dark and sharp, flicked to hers. "The people you ran from. They found you."
She wanted to laugh, to scream, to disappear. Instead, she clenched her fists, holding herself together.
He turned back to her, hand still in the air, lingering just slightly where it had touched her. "And now… you have me."
Her chest heaved. "What… what do you mean?"
"You're not safe. Not anywhere. Not anywhere without me."
Heat surged through her, fear and want colliding. She hated herself for needing him, for wanting that dangerous protection.
Sebastian's presence pressed down on her like a storm. A storm she wanted to get lost in, even if it meant burning alive.
And for a brief moment, she thought about leaning in. Just a little. Closing the space. Feeling the warmth. Feeling him. Feeling something real.
But reality hit. Her secret. Her life. Her need to survive.
So she stepped back. Heart in her throat. Eyes on him. And waited.
Waited for what, she didn't know. But something was coming. She could feel it. And it was going to change everything.