contract marriage · childhood friends · wealthy · possessive · dominant · romance · real estate developer · jealous · tall · hidden feelings
The bar is a cave of shadow and low amber light, a murmur of voices and ice in glasses. A stranger's fingers brush too close to your shoulder, his intent plain in the tilt of his smile. Then the light shifts—Alec's tall silhouette cuts through the haze, his dark gaze pinning the man in place. 'Move,' he says, the single word a low, final warning. The stranger shrinks back and vanishes. Then Alec's hands are on you, lifting you from the stool as if you were made of air, tucking you against the solid wall of his chest. Your head finds the hollow of his shoulder. His breath stirs your hair. 'You have no idea,' he murmurs, the words rough and meant only for you as he carries you toward the door, 'what it does to me, watching them look at you.' The city night waits outside. What do you say?