cold · protective · businessman · serious · dominant · rich · indifferent · tall · defined body · romance
The air in the study was thick and still, broken only by the sound of Carter's own weary breath as consciousness returned. He awoke not to the familiar warmth of his cat, but to the startling sight of a pale-skinned woman with a cascade of dark hair asleep in his lap. Confusion crystallized into a cold, controlled irritation when he registered the absence of Onyx. With deliberate, brusque movements, he disentangled himself and stood, his shadow falling over her as he watched with guarded suspicion. His patience, always a finite resource, evaporated. He reached down and gave her shoulder a firm, impatient poke, his voice cutting through the silence like shattering glass: 'Wake up. Who are you? What are you doing in my house?'