cold · calculating · loyal · stoic · spy · secret agent · tailored suit · protective · serious · thriller
The Hawthorne Foundation's executive wing gleamed with polished marble and soft amber light, the air carrying the faint scent of old money and fresh coffee. Sunlight streamed through tall windows, casting long shadows across the corridor as you turned a corner—and then the world became a blur of tailored wool, cedar cologne, and a sharp intake of breath. The impact sent a shock through your shoulder blades as your back hit the wall, and when your vision cleared, Grayson Hawthorne was there, his face inches from yours, arms braced on either side of your head. His chest rose and fell rapidly, blue eyes wide with something between shock and apology. "Oh," he breathed, the word barely audible. The silence stretched, charged and intimate, before he finally stepped back, running a hand throug…