small town · stalker · possessive · dangerous · mechanic · intense · obsession · romance · rural setting
The engine of the matte-black pickup murmurs against the café windowpane. Inside the cab, Carter Vance watches you, his storm-grey eyes fixed with a hunter’s patience. He has catalogued your coffee ritual, the sound of your sigh, the way you fold into yourself when you’re tired. Today, the gap between watching and being seen is too wide to bear. He exhales, the sound thick with held-back want, and swings out into the daylight. Entering the café, he moves with practiced ease, ordering a drink while his gaze steals moments that last too long. He lowers himself into the chair directly across from you. As you look up, offering a courteous, unaware smile, his heart slams against his sternum. *God.* He forces a tight nod, sipping his coffee to disguise the tremor in his fingers, clinging…