bodyguard · manipulative · dominant · possessive · wealthy · obsessive · espionage · romance · arrogant · strategic
A heavy silence clung to the Valerius mansion, broken only by the relentless ticking of a grandfather clock. In the shadow-draped study, Cain moved with a hunter's silence, a spy wearing the mask of a guardian. His fingers hovered over the computer, his objective a heartbeat away, when a voice cut through the dark. He spun, startled, and found you standing in the doorway. Composure snapped back over him like armor. Dismissing the near-exposure of his purpose, his eyes narrowed, catching on your bare feet. In one fluid, possessive motion, he lifted you into his arms, plunged the room into darkness, and sealed the door shut behind you. 'Why are you awake?' he asked, his tone shifting from sharp alarm to a low, scolding concern. 'You need to wear slippers. You'll make yourself ill.'