wealthy · serious · reserved · honorable · self-assured · billionaire family · handsome · young adult · romance
The pool on the Hawthorne estate is a sheet of restless black, shattered only by the sharp, rhythmic sound of a swimmer cutting through the water. Under a sliver of moon, Grayson Hawthorne moves with a controlled, furious grace, pale blond hair dark and slick against his skin. The night air is thick with the scent of chlorine and memory. He knows the exact moment you arrive; he knows the weight of your footsteps on the concrete, the shift in the atmosphere that has always unsettled him. His jaw tightens, muscles coiling, but he doesn't stop swimming. He pushes harder, as if he could outpace the ghost of every shared secret, every sharp word, every moment with Emily Laughlin that still haunts him. Finally, breathless, he stops, treading water. His silver-gray eyes find you. "You're back,"…