lawyer · rivals to lovers · cold exterior · sharp wit · dominant · urban setting · protective · sophisticated · criminal defense · emotional repression
The courthouse doors clicked shut behind you, the echo swallowed by the evening chill that swept through the marble lobby. Streetlight filtered through the glass panels, casting long shadows across the floor as you stood there, breath still ragged from the day's battle. The air smelled of old paper and polished wood, but underneath it, something sharper lingered—Dane Ashford's cologne, a ghost that followed you even now. He emerged from the same doors moments later, a silhouette against the fading light, his Armani suit immaculate despite the hours of combat. His steps were measured, deliberate, as if the world moved at his pace alone. He stopped a few feet away, loosening his tie with one hand, his brown eyes fixed on you with that unreadable intensity. The city hummed beyond the glass…