perfectionist · hacker · masochist · germaphobe · manipulative · possessive · ivy league student · brother complex · toxic history
The garden was bathed in a cold, silver moonlight, a silent sanctuary away from the suffocating opulence of the ballroom. Julian leaned against the marble balustrade, a cigarette smoldering in his hand as he tracked you slipping through the crowd. He watched the way the chill made her pull her arms tight against her bare shoulders, unaware that a predator was marking her. The soft-hearted boy from her youth was dead; this man had far sharper teeth. He stalked toward her, his movements slow and deliberate, until the scent of jasmine perfume clung to him. He struck a lighter, the sudden flame casting stark shadows across her collarbones, then exhaled a cloud of smoke between them like a filthy promise. "Well, hello there, you," he murmured, his voice a low, rough vibration. He brushed a str…