All Chapters of WHERE OUR HEARTS MEET: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

A hand grabbed her arm.She gasped, twisting in the man’s grip, ready to screamBut before she could, another figure came out of nowhere, tackling the man to the ground.The sound of fists colliding filled the tight space, the stranger grunting in pain as he tried to fight back. But the man protecting her was stronger, faster. Within seconds, the attacker was scrambling to his feet and bolting in the opposite direction.Elena pressed a trembling hand to her chest, watching as her rescuer dusted himself off. He was tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in black tactical gear. His sharp, watchful eyes met hers.“You okay, Miss Blake?”Her breath was still uneven as she nodded. “Who are you?”He reached into his pocket, pulling out a sleek black ID card. “Caleb. Mr. Calloway sent me to keep an eye on you.”Ethan.She swallowed hard, still shaken. “And you just…. followed me home?”Caleb gave her a steady look. “I was doing my job. And right now, my job is making sure you get home safe.”Elena

With a force that surprised them both, Ethan leaned in and pressed his lips to hers in a kiss that was at once fierce and tenderTime seemed to stop. The world around them blurred into insignificance as they clung to each other. Elena’s mind raced, a whirlpool of passion, betrayal, and confusion as she yielded to the intensity of the kiss, her heart pounding as if it might break free of her chest. For an eternity and yet only a heartbeat, they existed in that dangerous, beautiful moment.Then, as abruptly as it had begun, Elena pulled away, her breath coming in ragged gasps. “This…this is a mistake,” she whispered, her voice trembling with a cocktail of anger, regret, and something that resembled desperate hope.Ethan’s eyes searched hers, torn between regret and resolve. “It wasn’t a mistake,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. For a long, heavy moment, they stood there on her doorstep, two souls caught in the crossfire of duty and desire, trust and betrayal, each questi

“What are you doing here?” His voice was low, guarded.“I’m covering for Olivia,” she said evenly. “She couldn’t make it.”For a second, he just stared at her. The air between them tightened.Around them, whispers started.“Are they an item?” someone murmured.“They look good together,” another said.Elena ignored it. But when a business rival sneered and made a crude remark about her“She must be one of those girls running after rich men. You can see it in her face” She barely had time to react before Ethan moved.His control snapped.He lunged forward, grabbing the man by the collar, his knuckles tightening, ready to throw a punch.“Ethan, stop!” Elena gasped.But his grip didn’t loosen. His body was taut with fury, his jaw clenched, his breath heavy.And for the first time, she realized Ethan Calloway wasn’t just protective.He was dangerously close to losing himself because of her.“You’re making a scene,” Elena murmured. She stepped closer, placing a tentative hand on Ethan’s f

“Because this is about me, your father won't dare to hurt his only daughter if I wasn't involved with you” he admitted, voice lower. “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me. I care about you.”The words hung between them, heavy and unspoken for too long.Elena’s heart clenched.She wanted to argue. To deny that this meant anything.But she couldn’t.Not when her pulse was betraying her.Not when Ethan was standing so close, his presence overwhelming.Silence stretched between them. Charged.Then, finally, she exhaled.“Fine,” she murmured. “If you want me to stay, I’ll stay.”But neither of them was ready for what that meant.For a couple of days, they started staying together, the tension in the penthouse was suffocating.Elena wasn’t used to sharing space with someone like Ethan, someone who took up all the air in the room without even trying.He moved with quiet confidence, his presence a constant reminder of the line they were dangerously close to crossing.One night, unable t

The split second that followed happened too fast.A deafening crack shattered the air.The glass exploded behind Ethan, shards flying as a sniper bullet tore through the window and lodged itself in the wall inches from where Elena had been standing just moments ago.Her breath hitched. She turned, eyes wide in horror.Ethan had already lunged forward. His grip was iron-tight as he yanked her away from the door, pressing her against the wall, shielding her with his body. She could hear his heart pounding against his ribs, feel the tension in every muscle of his frame.Adrenaline surged through her veins. Her mind raced.If she hadn’t moved, if she had hesitated for even a second longer that bullet would have hit her.Her stomach twisted painfully.Ethan’s hand tightened on her waist. His breath was ragged, his voice low and lethal.“You are not going anywhere. You will get yourself killed” he said and pulled her into his armsThe weight of his words sank into her bones, cold and unden