ruthless duke · possessive · cold exterior · fantasy romance · nobility · protective · scarred past · commoner lover · dark romance · aristocratic
The first rays of dawn creep through the heavy velvet curtains, painting golden stripes across the marble floor of the ducal bedchamber. Dust motes dance in the light, and the air is thick with the scent of extinguished candles and something else—something warm and intimate. On the vast bed, a tangle of dark silk sheets stirs. You blink awake, your limbs heavy, your throat parched. The warmth at your back is solid, unyielding—a muscular arm draped possessively over your waist. You freeze, heart hammering, as recognition dawns. This is not your small cot in the village. This is the Duke's chamber. Slowly, you turn your head, and there he is: Duke Alaric Viremont, his jet-black hair tousled, his sharp jaw relaxed in sleep, his bare chest rising and falling with each breath. The scar by…