"How can no one find her? It's been more than a fucking week!"

Raymond listened as his security team tried to explain that they couldn't find Astrid. He'd last seen her on the night of the masquerade ball, and nine days had passed since then. He hadn't even seen her leave his side, which is what frustrated him more.

On top of the hotel having no footage of her anywhere since the hotel's security for that night was conveniently messed with.

A part of him suspected that it had to do with the owner of the SUV that had picked her up on that night back at the restaurant. He hadn't seen the owner of the car, but with how quickly his wife had responded, he knew that she knew who the man was.

And it didn't sit well with him knowing that she was possibly having an affair.

It would definitely be karma getting back at him, but he thought that they were in a good place. She had just agreed for them to adopt, so he wasn't sure what could possibly be the reason behind her disappearance.

He wasn't ready to start thinking of the worst possible scenario.

"Do you want chocolate or vanilla?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want both?"

"Would you judge me if I said yes?"

"A whole lot."

"Well then fuck you."

Thor laughed a little as he put a chocolate and a vanilla cupcake on the plate, before putting it on the tray. He poured the boiling water in the cup before stirring the sugar in. She watched him silently, enjoying how his back muscles flexed.

"Here you go," he said, handing her the tray.

"Do these finally come with the answer to my question?" she asked, accepting it.

"No," he replied.

"Does this count as kidnapping? I feel like it does," she pointed out.

He smirked. "A kidnapper wouldn't even think of giving you luxurious cupcakes. Seriously, those are some of the most expensive cupcakes I've ever bought."

"Where did you buy them?" she questioned.

"You're not going to find out where we are Annalise, so you may as well quit while you're ahead," he teased.

"It's been over a week though. I don't have some exciting life to get back to, but you do," she pointed out.

"I can work from here too. I work every time you take a nap," he argued.

"But I don't understand why I'm here to begin with," she countered.

He sighed, standing up to walk over to the sliding door. "The thought of you going back to Raymond while you're pregnant with my child unsettles me."

"And so what? You're going to keep me here as your prisoner for nine months?" she asked.

He scowled, turning to face her. "Prisoner? You see yourself as a prisoner?"

"What else am I supposed to see myself as? And don't even think about mentioning the fact that we've had great food and you've gotten me clothes. I'm just a prisoner living in luxury. Come to think of it, this is exactly like my marriage," she commented.

That hit him hard.

"I had no idea you felt that way," he mumbled, turning back to look outside.

She sighed, putting the tray on the side table so that she could leave the bed and join him over at the door. "We've been here for over a week. All you've done is feed me and make sure that I'm well rested. You barely talk to me, you avoid any kind of physical contact with me, and you're still treating me like I did something wrong. My marriage was exactly like this."

"Was?" he questioned, looking down at her.

She looked away from him, instead staring at the lake before them. "He's been trying hard to be the person he used to be. He's tried to get our marriage back to where it was."

"And?" he prompted.

"The fire's dead."

She walked out onto the balcony, resting her hands on the balustrade and taking in the morning breeze. He watched her, watched how perfectly she swayed. Her buttocks were defined, clearly visible even as covered by the silk nightdress he'd personally picked out for her.

He hadn't touched her since their kiss back at his apartment parking lot, and it wasn't easy resisting the urge to, but the urge was winning as he watched her hair blowing in the wind, her eyes closed as she took in the sun.

The relief that filled her at his touch had her wanting to admonish herself for her dependency on it. His touch was soft, his fingers trailing her arms as he stood behind her. She leaned into him, drowning in the scent of his manly shampoo.

"The fire was never there Annalise. He only gave you a spark."

She turned to face him, vulnerable as ever. "You ignite a whole firestorm in me Thor Wentworth."

He pulled her flush against him, making her gasp as he squeezed her buttocks. "You know nothing about me Annalise. I am not the kind of man you probably think I am."

"You don't know what kind of man I think you are," she challenged.

"I can see it in your eyes. You yearn for me, but I'm nothing like your husband Annalise, and neither do I want to share you with him," he warned.

"You've kept me here for over a week, and I haven't made any moves to escape," she pointed out.

He knew then what she was saying.

"Say it out loud," he said.

She could see it in his eyes- she could see the need to have her say the words aloud. "I want you Thor Wentworth. I want you firestorm and all."

He picked her up, wrapping her legs around him. "Didn't they teach you never to play with fire?"

"I never said I wanted to play with fire. Besides, fire happens to be a source of light and warmth. It doesn't always have to burn," she argued.

He couldn't counter that, and he didn't want to. She'd said the words he wanted to hear, so he did what he'd been yearning to do ever since she told him that she's pregnant. The news shocked him only for a brief moment before everything had clicked.

Raymond had lied to her.

He didn't say anything to her announcement, and she didn't push him. She somehow knew that he wasn't the kind of person to be pushed, so she let him process her words. She didn't expect him to take her hand and lead them out of the hotel.

She fell asleep in the car and woke up in this place.

He kissed her passionately as he walked them back into the bedroom. He lay her down, hovering over her while they didn't break their kiss. She could feel the familiar fire between them simmering, and she was excited.

His palm settled on her breast before he squeezed, feeling her rapid heartbeat against his hand. She moaned in approval and he did it again, this time earning her arched back as a response. He pulled away to look her in the eyes as she panted.

"Has he touched you since I have?" he asked.

"Once," she admitted.

"Only once?" he asked in confusion. He couldn't fathom why any man with the honour of having his way with her would only do it once, let alone in the space of two months.

He wanted her every second of the day as it was.

"No fire," was all she said.

He tucked his bottom lip between his teeth, getting up. She watched him with bated breath as his hands got a hold of the bottom of her night dress. She was naked beneath it from her shower the night before, something he appreciated as he rolled it up.

She thought he wanted to take if off of her, but instead he rolled it up until he could put it over her eyes, leaving her blind to his antics. He took a moment to appreciate the beauty before him. She was flushed and visibly turned on as he trailed his fingers on her sides.

She squirmed at his touch. "Do you feel the fire Annalise?"

"Yes," she said breathlessly.

He leaned down, his lips barely touching her skin and she instinctively arched into him. He smirked, loving her body's reaction to him. He wanted to claim her, but he also wanted to remind her what being with him was like.

He would never admit it out loud to her, or at least not at the stage that their relationship was at, but she was the first woman he truly felt sexually attuned to. He'd slept with other women before, but they were always either too timid for him, or too adventurous.

Astrid was just perfect for him.

She tamed a part of him that he didn't think would ever find peace. She didn't even do much, and he was surreptitiously apprehensive about what letting her in fully would do to him. He'd bared his soul to someone else before and he'd been burnt.

The irony of the situation he was in didn't die on him.

He would never tell her, but she had the power to be his firestorm. He was just being careful with his heart and his feelings in that moment, but he would never deny what he already knew- that Astrid was his new weakness.

She gasped before moaning when his lips finally made contact with her skin. He nipped at her already hard nipple before tenderly caressing it with his tongue. Her eyes were closed, but even then, she felt like they'd roll to the back of her head.

He paid attention to her, kissing, licking, sucking and driving her wild. She didn't know where they were, but she hoped that they didn't have any neighbours because she wasn't shying away from expressing how good everything felt.

The fire was blazing and she loved every second of it.

She lost count of how many times she touched the stars before he finally eased himself into her. Her sharp intake of breath made him pause, but her whine encouraged him to go deeper until he was fully in her.

She couldn't remember it feeling that good.

She could only think that every time with him had been a new experience for her, an experience she knew she could never tire of. He moved and she bit her lip to keep from screaming out in pleasure. She was in her own form of paradise.

Thor loved everything about watching her in that moment. Aside from how perfectly they fit together, he followed the trail of sweat on her forehead, watching as she breathed in heavily, keeping from screaming.

He leaned down and captured her lips, unexpectedly ramming himself into her. She screamed into his mouth, and he repeated the move. He received the same response and he realized that she liked what he was doing to her.

They were at it for hours, and he'd let her lose the nightdress so that he could see her eyes. There was even a moment when she cried from pleasure, and he just watched her come apart, screaming his name as he too reached his high.

"Where have you been my whole life?" she asked, her forehead slumping onto his chest as she panted.

"I got held up by the bullshit I faced before I met you," he replied before kissing her forehead.

He eased out of her and for the first time since they met, he realized that they'd never before used protection. She was sure that she couldn't have kids, so she didn't find the protection necessary at any point.

And now she was pregnant with his child.

He took her hand and led them to the bathroom where he got the shower going. The bathroom quickly steamed up before he pulled her under the water. They soaped each other up, washing each other's bodies, before he pulled her in for a slow kiss, enjoying how she fit in his arms.

"You're pregnant with our child Annalise," he said.

"I know," she replied.

He moved the wet hair from her face. "How do you feel about that?"

"I honestly haven't thought about it. I found out on the morning of the masquerade ball, and I was just sort of dazed the whole day. When I saw you, I wasn't sure what to think or say. Even in the time that we've been here, I haven't thought about it. Instead I was trying to figure out why you were so mad at me," she responded.

He turned the water off, sighing. "The Raymond thing pissed me off. I wasn't dealing well with the fact that you were willingly choosing to go back to him after everything he put you through."

"I was afraid. I've believed for so long that I'm nothing without him, and even now a part of me believes it," she admitted as they stepped out of the shower.

"But you know that you deserve more right?" he asked, handing her a towel.

"Do I? I haven't exactly been the greatest person. For all I know, this is karma getting back at me," she argued.

"For being a prisoner in a loveless marriage?" he questioned.

"I do have a past beyond my marriage and my relationship with Raymond for that matter you know? People like me don't just land up in fucked up situations like the one I'm in because they're good people," she said before walking out of the bathroom.

He scowled, having been completely blindsided by what had just occurred. Ever since he'd met her, she'd been Astrid Annalise Watson, but it hadn't registered to him that she was somebody else before she became Mrs Watson.

He was intrigued, and for the first time, he realized that he wasn't the only one with walls up.

He walked back to the room, expecting to find her there, but instead she'd headed to the kitchen, still wrapped in the towel. He arrived to find her going through the cupboards. She looked like she didn't know what she was looking for, and he realized that it was because she wasn't looking for anything.

She was upset.

He sighed and went over to stop her, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "Stop."

"Let go of me," she said lowly, fighting against his hold.

"Annalise, stop. I'm not going anywhere," he told her.

"And I'm supposed to believe you? I can't go back there Thor. You told me not to let him kill me any more than he has, but I'm drowning. I don't know what I was thinking. I was lying to myself. I can't go back," she ended off with a sob.

"And you won't," he replied.

She turned in his arms so that she could punch his chest repeatedly. "You left me. You let me go back to him. You didn't even try to stop me."

He sighed once more, capturing her fists and bringing her into a tight hug. "I know, and I'm sorry."

She cried for the longest time, and he didn't say anything. He just held her, stroking her hair while she let everything out. He suspected that the sudden breakdown had more to do with her hormones than her repressed emotions.

Either way, he knew that it was a combination he didn't enjoy encountering.

It hurt him listening to her cry. He didn't expect to feel that way, to feel for her on that kind of level, but he knew that in his arms was a broken woman who was tired of fighting on her own. She was tired of fighting for a better life.

In his arms was a woman who just wanted someone to fight for her just once.

He carried her bridal style to the bedroom where he lay her on the bed. She closed her eyes, exhausted from crying, and soon enough, she was asleep. He kissed her forehead before getting changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

He left the room, finally ready to face the world. While he had worked in the time he'd spent away with Astrid, the two of them hadn't had any contact with the outside world. He switched on his phone and it was flooded with messages. He made himself a cup of coffee as he waited for the phone to stop buzzing.

"Your disappearance has Astrid Watson written all over it," was the first thing his best friend said as he answered the phone.

"She's pregnant," he informed.

"Hold up! You told me that she can't have kids, and now she's pregnant?" Scott asked.

"The only conclusion I can come up with is that the dick is the one who can't have kids. He must've paid to have her medical records hidden from her and then made her believe that it's her fault that they don't have kids. He's had multiple mistresses, but he's never impregnated a single one of them," Thor explained.

Scott was silent for a while before he sighed. "Well fuck! Now what?"

"I'm still trying to figure it out. I'm not exactly sure where we stand," Thor admitted.

"What exactly has happened in the past week?" Scott asked.

"Nothing until today. She told me that she wants me and she's pretty pissed off at me for letting her go back to him without fighting for her," Thor replied.

"She looked you in the eyes and told you that she was going back to him, but she's mad that you didn't stop her? I will never understand women," Scott chuckled.

Thor sighed. "I guess I can see where she's coming from though. I let her go back to a toxic situation even when I was confident that nothing would come of it. I was cold about the whole thing, and I fucked up. Now I need to fix that."

"She's still married to him Thor. The fact that not even I know where you are must mean he's got his security teams searching everywhere for her," Scott pointed out.

"They won't find us. I had Clive wipe the security footage from the hotel and disable any trackers on her phone. No one saw us leave the hotel," Thor informed.

"Alright, let's just say you're right. How long do you expect to stay away for? People are looking for you. The article came out like Duke said it would and you're a hot topic right now, except you're nowhere to be found. Jared is barely keeping up with keeping the press at bay. You're my best friend and you know that I'll stick with you through whatever decision you make, but Thor, I beg you to think carefully about this. Make sure that she's worth all the trouble," Scott warned, but Thor didn't need the warning.

He already knew it in his heart that she was worth all the trouble in the world.

There were layers that she still had to peel to get to him, and it was the same with him. He knew that there was definitely way more to her than he'd already seen and had been told. The decision he had to make had nothing do to with whether she was worth the trouble or not.

It had everything to do with whether he was willing to fight to find out.

"She's worth it Scott, which is why I'm trying to come up with a plan before we come back," he replied.

"And exactly where are you?" Scott questioned.

"The lake house," Thor replied.

"Of course you're at the lake house. Ok, listen, I'm in no way an expert here, especially with a situation like yours, but I think you should talk to her. Don't make all these decisions by yourself. As it is, I'm sure you dragged her there without telling her. By doing that, you're just repeating the same vicious cycle of control that she's been stuck in with Raymond. Don't control everything. Ask for her opinion and suggestions on how the two of you should move forward with this. She might just surprise you," Scott suggested.

Thor hadn't even thought about the repercussions of his actions in bringing them to the lake house. He just wanted to be away from everything and everyone, but he hadn't thought about how that decision went down with her.

"I knew there was a reason why I keep you in my life," he joked.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't screw this up Thor. As it is, I don't know what we're going to do with Raymond's house plans," Scott reminded.

"Give him the plans, but tell him that we can't build the house," Thor told him.

"And what is this reason why we can't build the house all of a sudden? We've already laid down the groundwork and we signed a contract," Scott reminded.

"I'll pay the fine, but there's no way I'm working with him," Thor refused.

"Technically your part of the whole process is done," Scott pointed out.

"Fine! If you're going to work with him, then I don't want to know and I don't want to ever have to cross paths with him," Thor said strongly.

"You really feel strongly for this woman, don't you?" Scott realized.

"I might just kill him for everything he put her through Scott. She's broken and it fucking breaks me; not just because she's emotionally broken, but because I have to work double time to make sure that her emotions don't mess with her pregnancy. I need them both to be healthy," Thor replied.

"Has she gone to the doctor yet?" Scott asked.

"No. She found out on the day of the masquerade and hasn't really processed it yet," Thor responded.

"Get her to the doctor Thor. When you're done with that, send me the Wellman designs. I have a meeting with them tomorrow afternoon," Scott informed.

"I'll send you the designs by tomorrow morning latest. I had an idea hit me three nights ago, and I've been working on a better design. They may even like it better than the original," Thor said proudly.

"Well you're the architectural genius between us, so I trust you. Just make sure that I have them. You know how the Wellman's are," Scott replied.

"Don't worry. I've got you," Thor said.

"Alright man, let me get back to my day. Keep me updated on Astrid and your relationship," Scott requested.

"Will do," Thor responded before hanging up.

With Astrid asleep, he was once again free to work. He made the changes he needed to, before deciding to cook. While he cooked, he was working on the designs for Joe's new restaurant. He had finished the designs, until he realized that there was a way for him to change things up so that Joe has more space for more customers. Joe trusted his vision completely.

"What are you working on?" Astrid asked behind him. He'd switched off the stove and given the designs his full attention.

He turned to look at her, surprised to find her in his t-shirt. "Just some designs."

She walked into the kitchen and looked over his shoulder. "Joseph Sullivan? Wait, are you the same Thor that volunteered to build Joe's restaurant for him?"

"Technically I volunteered to design it for him. Scott is the one who handles the building process," he clarified.

"Why?" she asked.

"Why does Scott handle the building process?" he asked in confusion.

"No. Why did you volunteer to do this for Joe? Is it because he's my best friend?" she questioned.

"Yes and no. I happened to overhear the conversation he had with the guy he originally wanted to design the place and he happened to mention that the guy just wasn't getting his vision. He also mentioned that the guy was the tenth guy who just wasn't getting it, so I figured I could give it a shot. I waited for the architect to leave since Joe was still sitting at his table, and then I joined him. I grabbed the notebook I had with me and told him to start describing what he wants. As he described, I sketched and by the time he was finished, I had a rough sketch for him. He loved it and I told him that I'd work on a formal design for him to truly see it. However, the kind of place he wants and his budget are not aligned, so I made him an offer he couldn't refuse. I'll design the place for free and we'll give him a discount on the building process as well," he explained.

She narrowed her eyes. "There's something else you're not including."

He was surprised, but he didn't give anything away. "He's got a great vision and I believe in his dream. Isn't that enough?"

"Fine, don't tell me, but whatever your true agenda is, you'd better not hurt him in any way. I don't know what this is between us, but I will fight before I let my best friend get harmed in any way," she said fiercely.

He pushed his glasses up. "Calm down woman. I have no intentions of bringing him any harm or sabotaging his vision. I genuinely want him to succeed."

"Good! You look hot in your glasses," she commented as she headed to the fridge.

"Thank you?" he said unsurely.

"How long have you had them?" she asked.

"About five years. I mostly wear contacts since working with the screens every day has damaged my eyes to an extent. Scott suggested I get laser surgery but I'm not too keen on the idea," he admitted.

"Then don't do it. If you can still see and are comfortable switching between your glasses and contacts, then stay with them," she replied.

"What about you? Do you wear either?" he asked.

"I actually got the laser surgery. It was Raymond's doing since he told me that he didn't want people thinking that I'm imperfect in any kind of way," she informed.

"He's an idiot," he commented.

"Don't I know it? Anyway, when are we leaving this place?" she asked.

"Are you that bored of me?" he joked.

"Not even close, but I don't want to keep you away from your work either. I'm not stupid Thor, so I know that you getting the titles you just did is a big deal, especially on the business front. I know you don't want me going back to Raymond, but staying here forever isn't an option either," she pointed out.

He sighed. "So what do you suggest we do?"

She frowned. "You're asking me?"

"You're as much of this situation as I am Annalise. You have a say too," he pointed out.

"That's new for me. Are things always going to be like that?" she asked.

He got up and strode over to wrap his arms around her. "With me it will be. You are your own person and I never want you to think I'm controlling you."

She smiled, linking her hands behind his neck. "As sweet as that is, in this particular situation, I have no idea what to do, so I'm trusting you to come up with a solution. Like I said, I have nothing to get back to, so I'm down for whatever."

"Well, I can think of many things I want to do to you right now, and by my calculations, it's going to take days before I feel like sharing you with the world, much less your ex-husband," he said cheekily.

She giggled. "Ex-husband? Hmm, I like the sound of that."

"It's definitely going to happen, but until then..."

Her laughter echoed as he carried her back to the bedroom, their food forgotten.