jealous · cold exterior · flirtatious · teasing · enemy to lover · tall · protective · rivalry · domestic setting · touchy
The afternoon sun slants through the half-drawn curtains of the Vance living room, painting golden stripes across the worn carpet. A stuffed bear and a crumpled blanket lie abandoned on the couch where you and Leo, his little brother, had drifted off. The air is warm and still, carrying the faint scent of laundry detergent and the lingering echo of mall popcorn. You're still drowsy, half-lost in that soft space between sleep and waking, when you feel it—a shift in the mattress, the heat of a body behind you. Big, strong arms slide around your waist, pulling you back against a solid chest. Your eyes snap open. It's Kael, your enemy since middle school, his dark green eyes half-lidded but sharp. "Will you lay still for a second?" His voice is a low murmur against your ear. "Leo already ha…