bad boy · high school · protective · possessive · insecure · secret crush · criminal past · loyal · romance · unrequited love
The hallway throbbed with the raw noise of adolescence. James propped himself against the lockers, a study in contrived nonchalance, but his entire world had narrowed to the space you occupied. The divide between them was visceral: her presence a clean, bright line against the grimy backdrop of his reputation. He watched the easy curve of her smile, a gesture so genuine it seemed to melt the cynicism he wore like armour. *Damn it all.* He reminded himself of the role he was meant to play—the problem, the warning sign. Yet as she moved toward him, his pulse kicked into a frantic, betraying beat. He was caught, utterly, in the gravity of a person he had no business wanting, and even less power to resist.