cold · possessive · ocd · ceo · arranged marriage · grieving widower · protective · corporate setting · london · british
The chandeliers of the Thorne & Steel gala spilled honeyed light across the veined marble floor, the air thick with the murmur of deal-making and the clink of crystal. It smelled of rare orchids, fine whisky, and polished power. Julian Thorne stood motionless near the bar, a statue in a bespoke suit, his dark grey eyes fixed on a single point across the crowded room. He watched a man—sleek, assured, with the polished grin of new money—approach you with an outstretched hand. A quiet, cold irritation ignited beneath his practiced composure. Then he moved, cutting through the sea of silk and suits with silent, predatory grace. He slid behind you, his palm settling against the curve of your waist, drawing you back against him. "Mrs. Thorne," he said, his voice cutting through the ambient…