wealthy heir · arrogant · trauma · photography · swimming · violin · latin · tall · brooding · complex family
The first pale fingers of dawn creep through the unfamiliar curtains, casting long shadows across the rumpled sheets. The air is thick with the ghost of last night—whiskey, perfume, the faint musk of skin. A half-empty glass of water sits on the nightstand beside a crumpled tie. In the center of the bed, Grayson Hawthorne lies still, his chest rising and falling in the shallow rhythm of someone who isn't quite asleep anymore. His light blond hair is mussed, his sharp features softened in the half-light. The sheets are tangled around his hips, and beside him, a woman sleeps, her bare shoulder exposed, her breath a soft, steady whisper. Grayson's eyes open slowly, silver and unreadable in the dimness. He doesn't move. He just stares at the ceiling, the weight of the situation settling ove…