~Avery’s POV~

      I woke up a few hours later to the sound of snoring. When I turned my head, I saw the face of the man that I had just had sex with. He still had the mask over his eyes and the curiosity was killing me.

      I slowly sat up, being careful not to wake him up. I grabbed the mask and pulled it off his face. A gasp escaped from my lips which woke him up. He sat up immediately and looked around until he saw me.

      “Zach?!”

      He opened his mouth to speak but I didn’t want to hear it. I slipped off the bed and started to grab my clothes.

      “I can’t believe you!” I cried. “I told you to leave me alone!”

      He jumped off the bed too and started to gather his clothes as well.

      “And I told you that I had to see you again,” was his answer.

      “So you find out that I’m going to this party and turn up here yourself?” I asked with disbelief as I pulled my dress on.

      “NO!” he cried. “I was already invited to this party. It was pure luck that you were here too,” he told me as he zipped up his trousers.

      I scoffed in disbelief and headed for the door. He was hot on my heels and followed me all the way down the stairs and out the massive house. I stopped when I realised that he wasn’t going to leave me alone.

      I turned around and glared at him. “Oh my God! Just stop Zach!”

      He held his hands up in the air and took a step back. “I was just gonna give you a ride home.”

      “No, thank you,” I told him and turned back around.

      He sighed. “I didn’t say that you had a choice,” I heard from behind me. He grabbed hold of me, lifted me up and threw me over his shoulder.

      “Put me down!” I screamed as I pounded my fists on his back.

      He ignored me and carried me all the way over to his car and threw me in the back seat. He closed the door and ran into the driver’s seat so fast that I had no time to escape. He clicked the child lock on just as I pulled on the handle. It didn’t open.

      “Goddammit Zach! Open the door!”

      “No,” he said calmly.

      When I get out of this car, he is so dead.

~Zach’s POV~

      She had gone really quiet ever since I had started driving. I smiled to myself. She’s probably plotting to kill me when she gets free.

      I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw her with her arms crossed and an angry look on her face. Damn, she looks so fucking hot when she’s mad.

      I stopped outside her apartment block and the second I unlocked the doors to the back, she shot out. I ran out after her but I didn’t need to hurry when I saw the building in front of me. There was smoke coming from the apartment block.

      I saw Avery run over to a man in his forties and quickly followed her.

      “What happened?” she asked.

      “Not sure at the moment,” he answered. “We know it started in number 38 and spread throughout floors three and four.”

      “WHAT?!” Avery cried. “But… my apartment’s number 41.”

      “Sorry love, there’s nothing but ash there now.”

      “But…” she said quietly. Tears started to fill her eyes and roll down her cheeks. “Everything I had was in that apartment. All my clothes, my money, everything.”

      It literally broke my heart to see her cry. I pulled her towards me and wiped her eyes. “Ssh ssh,” I said softly. “Don’t cry. It’ll be alright.”

      “No it won’t!” she shouted. “How is it gonna be alright?”

      “It will be,” I told her. “You can live with me.”

      She froze. “What? No.”

      I frowned. “What do you mean ‘no’?” I asked. “Do you have anywhere else to go?”

      She stopped to think for a second and then didn’t answer.

      “That’s settled then,” I said. “Come on.” I tugged her arm back to my car and she sat in the passenger seat this time.

      I drove home and showed her all the rooms in the house. Then I directed her to her room and told her to rest.

      I smiled to myself when she shut her bedroom door. Now that she was here, I had no intention of ever letting her go.

~Avery’s POV~

      I shut the door to my new bedroom and lay down on the bed for a moment to think about everything.

      Can I really live with him without jumping on him every time I saw him? Why was he so hot? I questioned myself in my head.

      No, I can’t stay here. I’ve never seen any guy more than once and Zach was too dangerous to be around. I needed to get away as soon as possible.

      I stood up and went to the door. Throwing it open, I looked around and saw that he was nowhere in sight. As quickly as I could, I made it out the front door and down the road.

      “HEY!” I heard a shout.

      “Shit!” I ran away without looking back at him.

      He caught up though and stood right in front of me. When I tried to move, he mirrored me and after a few tries, I threw my hands up in frustration and just stood there.

      “For God’s sake Zach, what do you want from me?”

      “I’m just want to help you,” he told me.

      I crossed my arms over my chest. “Oh really? And is that all you want to do?”

      He grinned but didn’t answer which was enough for me.

      “Get out of my way.”

      “No.”

      I sighed and locked my eyes on his. “Why are you doing this Zach?”

      His gaze softened at the question.

      “Why are you so determined to keep me with you? What the hell do you see in me?”

      He stepped closer to me and cupped my cheek in his hand. “I see a beautiful sexy woman who’s been neglected her whole life. I see someone who needs some care and attention.”

      My breath caught in my throat at his words.

      “I can give you that Avery,” he whispered. “You just have to let me in.”

      “No Zach.” I moved his hand away from my face and shook my head. “I don’t want that. I don’t need care and attention, especially from someone that I hardly know,” I said. “Please don’t take it personally Zach, I have absolutely nothing against you.”

      “Okay fine,” he sighed.  “But I still want to help you,” he said firmly. “Stay at my house for a while; at least until you get some money to buy your own place.”

      “Zach, I–”

      “Please Avery.”

      I sighed. “Okay.”

      “Great,” he said. “Come on. Let’s get back.”