Ava's POV
I woke up with a hand over my mouth.
The hallway was dark. My nightshirt was pushed up around my waist. His body boxed me in against the wall, fully dressed while mine came in short, panicked bursts against his palm.
“Quiet,” he said, voice low. “You’re going to wake the whole damn house with those little sounds you make.”
I froze.
My heart slammed so hard I felt it in my throat. His other hand rested heavy on my hip, thumb pressing into the soft skin just above the edge of my underwear.
“Marcus…”
He cut me off with a slight press of his fingers.
“Don’t. Not that name. Not right now.”
I swallowed hard.
The house was silent except for the faint tick of the clock downstairs. After Mom died and my stepfather vanished, the court papers made it official.
Marcus became
