/0/71830/coverorgin.jpg?v=48b2d38f3e36c0c1671e34ca81c7524c&imageMogr2/format/webp)
Chapter 1
I shouldn't be here.
Not in his house.
Not outside this door.
Not with my hand trembling on the doorknob of Dante Wolfe's private study-a place no one entered uninvited.
But tonight, I wasn't anyone.
Tonight, I wasn't Ava Montgomery-college student, daughter of nobodies, best friend of his only child.
Tonight, I was hungry.
And stupid.
And wet.
I don't even remember the reason I came. I just remember the moment my eyes met his across that crowded dining room two hours ago-when I caught him watching me not like a father, but like a predator.
Like I was prey.
Like he was waiting for me to cross the line.
And here I was.
Knock.
No answer.
I exhaled. My heart was in my throat, beating like it wanted to escape.
I turned the knob.
It wasn't locked.
Of course it wasn't. He wanted me to come.
I stepped in.
Dim light. Warm whiskey air. Shelves of books and shadows. Thick silence. Then-
"Close the door."
His voice cut like silk laced with smoke.
I obeyed.
I turned slowly, my back to the heavy oak as I faced him-Dante Wolfe-six-foot-four in a black shirt that hugged the hard lines of a man who didn't need to raise his voice to control the world.
His tie was undone. His sleeves rolled. His eyes... those gray eyes didn't blink.
"You walked in," he said, "knowing exactly what it would mean."
I couldn't speak. My mouth had gone dry. My thighs were pressed too tight together.
He stood from his leather chair. Didn't rush. Didn't smirk. Just... stared.
Each step he took was deliberate. Slow. Like he was giving me a chance to run.
I didn't.
"I'm your daughter's best friend," I whispered. "This is wrong."
He stopped in front of me, barely inches away.
"Then why are you wet?" he asked, his voice gravel and fire.
I gasped, cheeks blazing, knees weak.
He brushed my hair behind my ear. "Tell me, Ava. What do you want?"
You. I want you to break me.
"I don't know," I whispered, but my breath betrayed me. It was ragged, desperate.
"Yes, you do." His fingers slid beneath my chin, tilting my face to meet his. "You want to be ruined. You want to be owned."
"No."
"Liar."
He kissed me.
It wasn't sweet.
It was domination in its purest form. Tongue. Teeth. Hunger. I whimpered as his hand grabbed my throat-not hard, not soft. Just enough to own me.
My panties were soaked.
He pulled away. I almost fell.
"Take off your dress."
I hesitated.
He stepped back, crossing his arms like a judge waiting for a verdict. His jaw clenched once.
"Now."
The word cracked like a whip.
I reached for the hem of my dress with shaking fingers. Pulled it over my head. Let it fall.
He stared.
"No bra," he murmured. "Little tease."
His eyes roamed over my pale skin, my trembling breasts, my thighs that refused to stop clenching.
He approached. Slowly.
"You're untouched," he said. "A fucking virgin."
I nodded, heart breaking open.
He gripped my jaw. "That makes this even better."
He walked behind me. His breath burned against my neck.
"Do you even understand what you're doing, Ava?"
/0/86214/coverorgin.jpg?v=8ae98749bbe527059207ce61dfbf3f8c&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/49989/coverorgin.jpg?v=9c0a7d23ea83cf165e8185eb896995c4&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/37570/coverorgin.jpg?v=98553738f8c88cbd7fe115836f6ff9ee&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/64982/coverorgin.jpg?v=c1edbc84c0c66d2f047358d0fe2d2e94&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/20029/coverorgin.jpg?v=115b35ce2954e0dcc97b09705b6c4658&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/43914/coverorgin.jpg?v=5af75de873fc1ede56bfa4014d0a6af0&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/50311/coverorgin.jpg?v=fa6bf4c24a209f11a35b664e3d1a8734&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/18569/coverorgin.jpg?v=f6edd67890536cdf064d59b91031551a&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/40644/coverorgin.jpg?v=93a15d692d2e77eca8e2bed652dfe6e6&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/54539/coverorgin.jpg?v=7560f39be45118d37933067bde791308&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/32655/coverorgin.jpg?v=9e8ce93318b0412202c43cd274f49060&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/27833/coverorgin.jpg?v=cafedad332189ab41b083664223cdc61&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/58409/coverorgin.jpg?v=060b43a0e860aa62701b3f809edeed01&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/31572/coverorgin.jpg?v=625c67d95885a2fc84ff27df5c47e6ab&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/37176/coverorgin.jpg?v=a46a9e49fb14b642f136fce56f0f0c05&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/31208/coverorgin.jpg?v=f631b526d5d2f138137a7ebc61f6baf3&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/91361/coverorgin.jpg?v=ae246ac3af7f69c0ca2de39bf502b979&imageMogr2/format/webp)
/0/52879/coverorgin.jpg?v=06e31ee4ed5ed6e9e8e3e27a9b27cbbe&imageMogr2/format/webp)