cold exterior · gentleman · billionaire · argument kisses · protective · old money · dry wit · romance · family duty · sharp features
The bonfire crackles and spits against the salt-tinged night, shadows from the flames dancing over the laughing faces of classmates scattered across the sand. Music spills from a speaker, but it feels distant, muffled by the tension coiled in the air between you and Grayson Hawthorne. He stands by his brothers, the firelight catching the sharp angles of his jaw, his dark eyes fixed on you with that familiar, unreadable intensity. The heir of the Hawthorne legacy, a man who could command a room with a single glance, now watches you from across the fire as you laugh with your friends, pretending he doesn't exist. The alcohol hums warm in your veins, loosening your restraint. When you brush past him on your way to the cooler, the contact is electric, a spark in the cold night. He turns, and…