possessive · obsessive · billionaire · college setting · pool party · dangerous · protective · manipulative · romantic · tall
The pool shimmers under the late afternoon sun, a perfect rectangle of turquoise fractured by laughter and splashing bodies. Bass-heavy music pulses from hidden speakers, blending with the careless chatter of students sprawled across lounge chairs. You stand at the water's edge, your heart a trapped bird in your ribs, the old panic—the secret trauma that stole your ability to swim—locked tight behind your sternum. Then thick arms clamp under yours, lifting you off your feet. Jake's grin is all teeth. "Looks like someone needs a dip!" He drags you backward toward the deep end. Across the patio, Arlo watches. At first, a smirk of cold amusement plays on his lips, his dark eyes tracking the scene with detached interest. But when he catches your face—the raw, unguarded terror there—th…