I used to think silence was comforting.
The silence after filming a perfect take. The silence when the camera stopped rolling and I could finally just be. But this silence — this one, inside Maverick Ryder's penthouse — was suffocating.
Too clean. Too still. Too… calculated.
I stood barefoot in the kitchen, wearing a silk robe his assistant had left hanging in my new closet, and stared out at the skyline like it could answer the questions swirling in my mind.
What the hell had I signed up for?
"You're up early."
His voice rolled in like a storm, low and smooth behind me.
I didn't flinch, though my heart jumped. "Didn't sleep much."
Maverick leaned against the doorframe, shirtless, sweatpants hanging low on his hips like he didn't know the effect he had. Or maybe he did. His eyes were unreadable, but focused—on me.
"You'll get used to it," he said, walking over to the counter like we were just… two normal people.
"I doubt that," I murmured, reaching for a mug.
We didn't speak again until I was halfway through my coffee. The tension simmered, thick and laced with something we both refused to name.
Then he broke the silence. "Do you regret it?"
I looked up slowly, meeting his gaze. "Which part? The fake engagement? Living in your penthouse? Or selling the illusion of being yours?"
His jaw tightened, but he didn't look away. "All of it."
I sipped again. "I regret not negotiating more upfront. I could've asked for more."
That made him smirk. "Always chasing leverage."
"Always protecting myself."
He studied me for a long moment, like he was trying to read between lines I hadn't even written.
"I don't want you tiptoeing around here," he finally said. "This is your space now too. Use it."
"You mean that?" I asked, raising a brow.
"Yes." He paused. "Within reason."
I laughed—sharp and soft all at once. "There it is. The clause."
He smiled, and it was dangerously close to charming. "There's always a clause, Ava. You of all people should know that."
He turned and walked away, leaving the faintest scent of cedar and sin in his wake. And for the first time since stepping foot into his world, I wasn't just unsure of what I'd gotten into.
I was terrified I might get used to it.