Perfect — let's do both! We'll dive deep into Ava Monroe and Julian Hart's character profiles, then move straight into Chapter 5 – The Blackout, where the slow burn sizzles under candlelight and unspoken tension.
Chapter 5 .The blackout.
Darkness makes liars of us all. But tonight, it might just make them honest.
It was 9:47 p.m. when the power went out.
Ava had been halfway through brushing paint onto a blank canvas in the sunroom when the lights died, and the estate was swallowed whole by storm-fed night.
She didn't panic. She just lit one of the tall candles on the mantle and headed toward the kitchen. That's when she heard him.
Julian.
Cursing softly under his breath as he bumped into the marble island.
"You always this graceful in the dark?" she teased, candle held up like a torch.
He turned, his silhouette sharper in the amber light. Shirtless again. His chest rising slowly.
"I could ask the same. You walk like you want someone to follow."
Ava blinked, her breath catching. "What does that even mean?"
Julian stepped into the glow, his voice lower now. "You leave trails behind. Ink. Citrus. Skin."
She didn't move. He was too close. Again. But the shadows made her brave.
"Why do you always talk like you're writing poetry for no one to hear?" she asked.
"Because if I say it straight…" He paused. Looked at her mouth. "…I'll do more than talk."
A drop of water slid from his wet hair down his temple. The silence swelled.
Ava's fingers tightened around the candle. Her voice was almost a whisper.
"Julian…"
He reached up, brushing her hair behind her ear, hand lingering just long enough for her pulse to spike.
"I think about it every night," he admitted. "What you'd do if I kissed you."
Ava didn't pull away.
But he did.
He stepped back, running a hand over his mouth like he'd broken a rule even speaking.
"We shouldn't," he said.
"I know."
They stared at each other for one more second—two hearts in a house too quiet.
Then Julian turned and disappeared into the dark.
Leaving her shaking. Wanting. And furious that he always left first.