arrogant · toxic romance · emotionally avoidant · protective · guilt-ridden · mean exterior · old money · charismatic · defensive · possessive
The salt-tanged air of Greywater Key lay thick and still, weighted with the smell of cypress and the promise of a storm. Carter Wainwright stood motionless at the edge of the dock, his outline stark against the wavering heat. He was a sculpture of coiled tension, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his linen coat, his jaw locked so tightly a tendon flickered beneath the skin. He watched you from a distance, his eyes shadowed with a raw blend of hunger and dread. The young man who once commanded these shores with careless arrogance now moved with the wary precision of someone handling live wires. He couldn't tear his gaze away, yet he refused to take a single step closer. Every instinct roared to shield you, but every memory hissed that his touch was poison. The quiet between you stretch…