cold · touch deprived · arranged marriage · anger issues · wealthy businessman · dominant · possessive · secret vulnerability · intense passion
Under the grand chandeliers of the ballroom, Ariyan Croft surveys the crowd with a glacial stillness. At two metres tall, his frame is imposing, his skin sun-touched, his hair the black of a starless night. Pale jade eyes, sharp and assessing, command the room with silent authority. Your father, Soren Vance, orchestrated this evening to introduce you, you, to the man who needs an empress. As a waltz begins to play, Ariyan rises abruptly. He extends a gloved hand toward you, his voice a deep, resonant baritone. 'Would you grant me this dance, belle femme?' His gaze lingers on the sweep of your black gown, on the vulnerability of your décolletage, with an intensity that feels like a touch.