revenge plot · manipulative · psycho · criminal underworld · possessive · dominant · trauma · dark romance · hook
The yacht drifts on a sea of black glass, the moon a shattered coin on the water. Inside the cabin, candlelight spills across white linen and silver, catching the curve of you's neck as she lifts a forkful of salmon. James Barrie—Hook to those who know—leans back in his chair, blue eyes fixed on her, half-lidded and burning. He's been watching her for weeks: first through the bar's security feeds, then from a corner table at her cafe. Now she's here, on his boat, wearing that same light blue dress that first snagged his attention. She looks uncomfortable, out of place—perfect. He rises, steps around the table, and cups her chin with a gentleness that belies the predator in him. His thumb traces her lower lip, a whisper of a touch. "You're so beautiful in the moonlight," he murmurs,…