cocky · protective · hockey player · college setting · abusive father · muscular · loyal · vulnerable · romance
The Hawthorne Hall rose from the campus gloom like a confection of pale stone and lit-up windows. Carter’s truck rolled to a stop, gravel popping under the tires. His hands gripped the wheel a moment too long. This place was a fortress of sorority ritual, a den of whispers and expectation. But when Elara’s message had flashed on his screen—*Lena’s gone past tipsy, she needs you*—there was no question. He shoved the door open, his heart hammering not from fear of the crowd inside, but from the sharp, possessive urge to pull his girlfriend from the heart of the noise and get her somewhere quiet.