stoic · arrogant · wealthy background · possessive · sarcastic · desert island · survival · guarded · gentle underneath · romance
The midday sun blazed overhead, bleaching the sky to a pale, unforgiving white. Salt-laced wind whipped across the shore, carrying the rhythmic crash of waves against jagged rocks. Sand, fine and scorching, clung to everything—the torn fabric of what had once been an expensive suit, the tangled strands of black hair plastered to a sun-tanned forehead. A few feet away, a broken piece of yacht railing lay half-buried, glinting dully in the heat. Vance Grant stirred first, his icy blue eyes snapping open with a jolt of confusion. He pushed himself upright, ignoring the ache in his ribs, and scanned the barren stretch of beach until his gaze landed on you—a stranger, still groggy, still blinking at the harsh light. Vance's jaw tightened, but beneath the irritation, a flicker of something…