My heart hammers against the confines of my chest. Adrenaline surges through me, and I tap my foot against the floor, waiting for the minutes to tick by. I can’t take my eyes off the security cameras. I look back and forth between the two near the stairs. If anyone came from the basement and went onto the second story, I’d see them.

Ana told me to stay here, and I know she’s wrestling with feeling silly and being fucking terrified. After what feels like an hour, Ana calls me. I answer my cell right away, needing to hear her voice. I’m sure this will turn out to be nothing like Ana said. I’ve had animals in the basement before. The house is well maintained, but it’s old. I have no idea how the fuck squirrels get in, but they have. Once when I was a teenager and Luke and I were home alone—our mother worked the nightshift as a nurse and my grandparents were on a holiday—a raccoon got in and sounded like a gang tearing the place apart.

Not being there to protect Ana is killing me. She’s tough as nails and won’t take shit from anyone. I’m fairly certain she can hold her own in a fight, but that’s not something I want to risk. Not now. Not ever.

I love her, and if anything happened to her, it would destroy me.

“I don’t hear anything,” Ana says. “I’m standing by the bedroom door and don’t hear a thing. How’s it looking on the cameras?”

I tap my fingers on my desk, about ready to jump out of my fucking skin. I can’t sit here and do nothing but monitor the motherfucking screen. I’ll run home if I have to. And if Steven is there, the only way he’s leaving is in a body bag.

“Still clear. I can see both staircases, so if anyone were to get up them, I’d know.”

“About that…” Ana says. “The back stairs. Do the people at the security place check in every now and then?”

A smile pulls up my lips. Only Ana could make me smile, could make the anxiety momentarily go away in a time like this. “They could, I suppose, but aren’t supposed to. For privacy reasons, but I guess there’s nothing stopping them and no way of me knowing.”

“Unless someone pulled out their phone for a home video.”

“If that happens, I’ll make sure to get us the proper royalties.”

Ana softly laughs. “I’m going to go downstairs and check things out.”

“No, Ana,” I say, and hear Lexi echo me in the background. “The cops should arrive at any minute.”

“Exactly. I’ll be fine.”

I stand, unable to sit here any longer. “Ana, if someone is in the house, just—”

“Oh, good,” Erica, my assistant says the second I walk out of my office. “I was just coming to get you. Some author is here for a meeting, but I don’t see his name on the schedule.”

“Hang on a second,” I tell Ana and turn my attention to Erica. “I don’t have any meetings today. Maybe he got the date wrong.”

“Probably. Do you want me to tell him to come back?” She leans in. “He’s kinda creepy, to be honest. He touched my hair. I don’t know why people think it’s okay to touch my hair, but it’s not.”

“Did he give his name?”

She nods. “Steven.”

“Call security,” I tell her, and her eyes widen.

“Cole?” Ana’s voice comes through the phone. “What’s going on?”

I don’t fucking know what’s going on. If Steven is here, then he can’t be at the house. “I’m not sure,” I say, walking briskly through the office. “Please stay in the room, okay?”

“Sure,” she agrees with a sigh. “The doorbell just rang. I’m going into the hall to look downstairs.”

I listen to the door open and Ana’s quiet breathing as she moves through the hall. “It’s the police. I see a car on the street in front of the house. I’m going to go downstairs and let them in.”

“Okay. Call me back as soon as you can.” I hang up and emerge into the lobby. There’s a tour going on today, and over a dozen elementary-aged children mill about, chattering and talking. Half look bored out of their fucking minds and the other half are excited to be inside the country’s largest publishing house.

And right now, they’re in my fucking way.

“That’s odd,” Erica mumbles. “I told him to wait here.”

I move my phone down and stride to the front desk. “Hilary,” I say a little too loud to the secretary. She’s talking to a teacher and whirls around, startled. “Oh, Cole, great timing! This is Cole Winchester, the editor-in-chief. He’s in charge of the—”

“There was a man here,” I interrupt. “Dark blonde hair, light blue eyes. Said his name was Steven and had a meeting with me.”

“Yeah, he’s sitting…well, I don’t know now. He was right there.”

I move closer so the students on the field trip don’t hear me. “You didn’t see where he went?”

“He left,” the teacher Hilary was talking to informs me. “He almost took out one of my students on his way out, which is why I remember. Just a minute ago. I saw him get in the elevator.”

“Is everything all right?” Hilary asks, looking paled.

“Get security up here. Have them look for him.”

Hilary nods and reaches for the phone, not taking her eyes off me. Luckily, we’ve only dealt with security issues a few times over the years I’ve been here, and nothing has ever been that bad.

I take off, passing up the elevator and going to the stairs. I push open the heavy door and step into the rarely-used stairwell. It’s muggy in here and smells like stale cigarettes and sweat. Going as fast as I can, I race down the stairs, not stopping until I’m on the main floor. There’s only one way in and out of this building without the proper clearance to get in through the back.

It’s lunchtime, so the lobby is full of people coming and going. Heart racing and breathing hard, I look around, scanning the doors. Did I miss him? The elevators rarely go straight down. It takes a fucking while to go from the floor Black Ink is on to this main one, having to stop every few floors to let someone on or off.

I stand there, looking abso-fucking-lutely crazy, watching for Steven. Spinning back and forth from the elevators to the doors. Over and over. A minute passes. Then another. And another.

He’s gone, hidden inside the building or having snuck out onto the street.

“Mr. Winchester?”

I whirl around and see one of the building’s security guards coming over. I let out a breath.

“I got a report about a man entering your office,” Henry, the guard goes on. “White male, late twenties, with dark blonde hair and light-colored eyes. Goes by the name Steven.”

“Yes.”

“You have a history with him?”

“Not personally. He’s the ex-boyfriend of an author we recently signed. She flew out to the office for paperwork and he followed.”

“A stalker?”

“Yes,” I say, not sure if I should be relieved how easy it was to tell the truth and still keep the fact that Ana and I are together a secret. It doesn’t matter in this case. Steven is a fucking loser.

“Is that author here now?”

“No, but I’m assuming the guy was looking for her.”

Henry nods and takes down a few notes. “But he asked for you, correct?”

“I’m the editor for the new author. She’d been in a meeting with me recently. To discuss her book and the details of her contract,” I add, then regret it. None of that matters. None of that is relevant. I meet with authors—male and female—all the time and no one questions it. I guess I have a bit of a guilty conscious about this, and I don’t want word to get out that I’m fucking Ana.

Or that I’m in love with her.

Not yet. Not when so much is on the line right now.

“All right. I’ll take a look at the camera footage and get the word out about this guy. You have nothing to worry about.”

Oh, but I do.

* * *

“You didn’t have to leave work,” Ana says for the third time. “I feel so bad. I told you it was nothing.”

I pull her into my arms and kiss her forehead. The police checked out the house. A few things had been knocked off a table downstairs—which was the noise Ana heard, but there was no sign of forced entry. Ana joked that it was the ghost Paige had seen, but the cops think it’s more likely to have been an animal. Rats and even cats have been able to sneak into old houses like this through very small openings.

I already called pest control to come out and have a look for rodents. The last thing I need is mice chewing up my shit and spreading their diseases all over the fucking place. People can get really sick from rodent droppings, and my nieces come over here.

“It was something, and we have a reason to be on edge,” I assure her.

Ana hooks her arms around me and rests her head against my chest. Things are falling back into place, though it feels a bit like suspended animation. Everything is hovering in midair, temporarily whole until we get hit with a blast that sends everything flying.

“And, like I said, my day was giving me a headache. I’m glad to be home early.” I kiss Ana again, debating on telling her about Steven.

That’s twice in a row I’m fairly certain he’s showed up. Neither times I saw his face for the actual proof, but I’m not one to believe in coincidences like that.

“I’m glad you are too.” She stands on her toes to kiss me. I pull her close, dipping her back as my tongue enters her mouth. “Wanna fuck me on the stairs again?” she whispers with a smile. “Put on a little show? The people monitoring your house might be on high alert after that little scare.”

“You know I’ll take you up on that offer anyway.”

She laughs. “I would be disappointed if you didn’t.”

I take her hand and lead her into the family room. We sit on the couch, and I turn on the TV just for the background noise. Lexi left shortly after I got here, needing to be home in time for her kids to get off the bus. She suggested we join them this weekend. She and Luke are going to dinner and a movie with her sister and her husband. Ana agreed, saying it would be fun.

She has to go home eventually, and I know we need to talk about it. I want her to stay, and worry that once she goes home she’ll realize she doesn’t want to be with me anymore. It’s been a while since I’ve been in a relationship, and I’ve never felt like I was very good at the maintaining part. Though I’m sure that was largely because I was with someone who wanted someone else. No amount of maintenance could have kept that ship from sinking. As much as I try to keep the thought out of my head, I can’t help the dark thoughts that creep in, making me wonder if Ana is going to get sick of me, decide that she’s had enough, or that I’m not bringing enough to the table for her to stay all in.

Because I’m not sure if I do, and I’m not sure if I’ll ever feel good enough for her. Though in all fairness, there probably isn’t anyone in the whole fucking world who is good enough for Ana.

“Thanks again, Cole,” she says softly, looking up at me. I hook my arms around her and she settles against me, propping her legs up on the cushioned ottoman in front of the couch. “You didn’t have to go through all that trouble for me.”

“Of course I did,” I promise. “And it really wasn’t trouble.”

“Are you sure?”

I can tell she feels bad and is still embarrassed that she got freaked out. Being cautious when you have a stalker who’s hit you so hard he’s broken fucking bones is no reason to be embarrassed. He made her feel that way, told her that she was overreacting by feeling perfectly normal emotions in response to his actions. Fuck, I want to break his bones.

“Positive. It’s not any trouble when…when…” When you love someone. Because I’d walk through hell and back for her. She’s the most incredible woman I’ve ever met, who’s been through so much and came out stronger. She didn’t let her past turn her bitter, didn’t turn her life upside down to get back at Steven. She picked herself up off the floor and did her best to move on.

I’ll never meet anyone like her ever again, and I don’t want to go a day of my life without her being in it in some way.

“…When it’s your girlfriend,” I finish.

“Well, good,” she says, smiling up at me. “Want to watch Fixer Upper? I can attempt to make dinner after that.”

“I like the sound of that.” I tighten my grip on her and kiss the nape of her neck. Maybe if I keep holding her like this, she’ll never leave.

* * *

The rest of the week passed by uneventfully. Ana spent the week writing, mostly staying at the house, and sometimes going to the coffee house to set up and write for the day. We were both on edge Wednesday, but were able to quickly fall back into the routine we’re starting to establish.

She’s more of a night person than I am, but that’s mostly due to me having to get up early for work. The last two mornings she’s gotten up and eaten breakfast with me, going back to bed once I leave for work and texts me when she’s up. We text back and forth throughout the day, not talking about anything in particular.

Now it’s Friday night, and since we have plans to go out tomorrow with Luke and Lexi, we’re ordering takeout and staying home. We’re sitting in the living room, salad, pizza, and breadsticks out in front of us on the coffee table, eating and debating what to watch, when Ana’s phone rings.

“It’s my sister,” she says. “FaceTiming me. That’s odd.” She answers and waits a second for the call to connect. “Did you call me by accident?” she asks.

“Hello to you too,” her sister says. Her voice is similar to Ana’s. “What are you doing?”

“Eating and looking for a movie to watch.”

“Are you alone?”

Ana raises an eyebrow. “No. I’m with Cole.”

“Ohhhh, the sexy editor?”

Ana looks over her shoulder at me. “My family might have Googled you before I flew out to New York.”

I laugh. “I usually research any new author I work with, so I can’t blame you there.”

“Let me say hi!” Ana’s sister calls.

“Are you drunk?” Ana asks her and scoots closer to me, leaning against my chest. I slip my arm around her and move closer to her face so I can be seen through the phone. Ana’s sister looks a lot like her, but with shorter hair.

“I might have had one or two drinks. Hi!” she says to me. “I’m Sophia.”

“Nice to meet you, Sophia.”

“Mom,” Sophia says, turning her head. “Come here!”

“Oh my God, Soph, stop. What are you doing? Why are you drinking and why are you FaceTiming me? I’d think someone died but you’re way too chipper for that. It’s weird, actually. Did you smoke something?”

“No!” she laughs. “I’m celebrating, and that’s why I called.” She holds up her left hand. “Jason proposed!”

Ana instantly smiles and congratulates her younger sister. I believe her to be genuinely happy for her, but I wonder if she’s feeling just the slightest like I did when Luke got engaged. Not jealous because I wanted Lexi for myself, but reminded just how fucking single I was at the time. Times have changed, but I like things happening in a predictable order. I’m the older brother. I should have been married first simply based on math.

“Tell me how he asked!” Ana gushes. I play with the bottom of her shirt, sweeping my fingers over her soft skin, only half paying attention to her sister talking.

“Mom and Aunt Alberta want to throw a party this weekend. It’s nothing fancy, of course, but I really want you to be there. We need to start planning stuff and I need my sister to help me pick out a dress. And then plan the official engagement party.”

“This weekend?” Ana shakes her head. “That’s short notice, Soph.”

“But you live here. Just come home.”

Her sister, direct in her drunken state, is right. Ana doesn’t live here.

“I want my shoes back, anyway,” she goes on. “I need to wear them.”

“I don’t even know if I can get a flight this fast,” Ana says.

“Oh please,” her sister says, waving her hand in the air. She catches sight of her ring and swoons over it. “I can’t imagine the planes to Salt Creek book that fast.”

“They don’t book at all. Salt Creek doesn’t have an airport, dummy.”

“You know what I mean.”

I look down at Ana, who’s biting her lip. She doesn’t want to go home, and I can only hope it’s because she’ll miss me.

I know I’ll fucking miss her.

“I’m inviting you too, Cole,” Sophia slurs. “Mom told me that you told her you two are a couple now. You have no reason to—where are you?” Sophia narrows her eyes and moves closer to the phone.

“I’m at Cole’s house,” Ana says slowly, eyebrows going up. “Is Mom around? Or Jason? I think you’ve had too much to drink.” Ana turns to me again. “She hardly ever drinks. One glass of wine makes her drunk. I’ve held her hair back more times than I care to remember.”

“I’m not that drunk. Everything looks fancy.”

“Oh,” Ana says and sits up, switching the camera view so her sister can see the rest of the family room. “This house is fancy. It’s a century-old Victorian townhouse in the Upper East Side.”

“Are you serious?”

“Very. See for yourself.”

“That looks like a movie set. Or Bruce Bane’s house.”

“Bruce Wayne,” Ana corrects with a laugh. Bane is—never mind. But yes, Cole’s house is amazing. I feel fancy being here.”

“Stop making this about you,” Sophia says and Ana laughs. “Anyway…I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

“Soph, I don’t—”

The phone cuts off, and I’m not sure if her sister hung up on purpose or by accident. Ana shakes her head with a sigh. “So, that’s my sister.”

“She seems nice.”

“She is. I’ve accused her of being a bit dull in the past, but she’s a good sister. And I knew Jason was going to pop the question soon.”

“I remember you saying that. Do you want to go home?”

Ana blinks and looks down for a second before moving her gaze back to my eyes. “Yeah, I’d like to go to her engagement party. And I’d like for you to come with me. But it’s weird…it doesn’t feel like home anymore.”