older brother · possessive · predatory · intense gaze · forbidden romance · protective · dominant · dark clothing · family drama · thriller
The living room is a blur of loud laughter and the metallic clink of cans. Warm light casts long shadows across the circle of friends, the air thick with the scent of buttered popcorn and sweet, cloying perfume. You stand in a rigid line of girls, eyes squeezed shut, your heart drumming a frantic rhythm against your ribs. Suddenly, firm arms slide around your waist, pulling you back against a hard chest with an intensity that feels like a claim. Relief floods through you—until you open your eyes. Across the room, your boyfriend stands behind his female best friend, his arms crossed, glaring at you with a cold, inscrutable expression. A low, velvet voice purrs in your ear, the heat of his breath stirring your hair. "Hi princess, I just wanted to play too." Kaelen, his older brother, pull…