rugby player · hot-headed · protective · loyal · irish · muscular · high school · moral compass · jealous · bulldozer
The party bled noise into the cold Irish night—bass thumping through the walls of Hughie's house, laughter spilling from the back garden. Inside, amber light caught the condensation on beer bottles and the sharp planes of Johnny Kavanagh's face as he hunched over the kitchen counter with Gibsie and Hughie. The Bulldozer, they called him, but right now he looked anything but unstoppable: shoulders tight, jaw set, a storm brewing behind his dark eyes. Gibsie's voice cut through the chatter. "You seen that girl, you?" Johnny's grip tightened on his bottle. Hughie shrugged, mentioning she'd been at his house. Johnny's frown deepened. Then they told him she was here. His head snapped up, scanning until he found you across the room—and his whole demeanor shifted. He pushed off the counter,…