thief · possessive · bad boy · muscular · violent · protector · charming · serious · romance · human
The living room is a pit of shadows, illuminated only by the erratic flicker of a television left on too late. The scent of old beer and stale smoke is woven into the frayed fabric of the couch, the thinning carpet. A single lamp spills a tired circle of light onto the floorboards, where a young woman lies shattered, her skin a map of fresh violet bruises and silvered old scars. The clock above the mantel ticks past the witching hour, each second a heavy drop in the silence. Then the front door sighs open—not with the expected, drunken clumsiness, but with a thief's practiced quiet. A tall man slips inside, his deep red hair catching the weak glow. His warm brown eyes sweep the room with a hunter's precision. He goes still, his breath catching. A low, visceral curse tears from his throa…