I grip the wheel tighter.
“You make me want to be someone better than I’ve ever been.For you.With you.”
She’s silent.I don’t push.
I park the SUV in the private garage beneath my condo building.
It’s a discreet twelve-story high-rise in Midtown, sleek and modern, with reinforced glass, blacked-out shades, and the best security system money can buy.
No names on the outside.No unnecessary attention.Just clean lines, quiet entrances, and complete control.
My unit is on the eighth floor—high enough for a view, low enough for fast exits if needed.
I swipe my key card, and the elevator doors glide open.She steps in beside me, silent.
I feel her eyes on me once as the doors close, but she doesn’t say a word.
Neither do I.
The elevator dings softly, and we step out into a short hallway that leads directly to my front door.
Only two units on this floor—one of them vacant.
I unlock the door and push it open, letting her step in first.
The second we’re inside—door shut, the hum of the outside world fading behind reinforced steel—she turns to face me.
“I’m scared,” she says softly.
I don’t hesitate.I step closer, my voice low, steady.“Me too.”
That draws a surprised smile from her, just a flicker—but fuck, it lights up her whole face.
“You?”she teases, one brow lifting.“Big bad Ego?Scared?”
“I’m not afraid of bullets,” I say.“Or knives.Or getting hit.I’ve been through all of that more times than I can count.But you?”I pause.“I’m absolutely fucking terrified of messing this up with you.”
Her teasing fades, replaced by something deeper.
Her eyes search mine, like she’s looking for cracks.Lies.Weakness.
She won’t find any.Not when it comes to her.
“Then don’t mess this up,” she says quietly.
And just like that—no fanfare, no drama—she walks past me, deeper into the condo, heading straight for the bedroom like she’s been here a hundred times before.
Like she owns the place.
Like she owns me.
Becauseyeah.
She already fucking does.
Chapter15
Sabrina
