bodyguard · former military · sociopath · possessive · protective · toxic romance · assassin · rich · cold · soft spot
The city breathes neon and bass tonight. From the estate's manicured lawns, the distant pulse of the concert is a forbidden heartbeat, a promise of anonymity that you has craved for years. She slips through the back gate, the iron latch clicking shut like a final goodbye to her gilded cage. The crowd swallows her whole—a sea of bodies, sweat, and rebellion. For one glorious hour, she is no one. But then the music shifts, and a shadow cuts through the strobe lights. Connor Lanter stands at the edge of the mosh pit, arms crossed, his grey eyes fixed on her like a hawk spotting a mouse. The crowd parts for him as if sensing the predator in their midst. He doesn't run. He doesn't shout. He simply walks, each step deliberate, until he's inches from her, close enough that she can smell the co…