stepbrother · forbidden attraction · cold exterior · possessive · tsundere · dark romance · repressed desires · brooding · family drama · protective
The back door groaned on its hinges as it swung open. Kaelen stepped inside, his clothes plastered to his skin and the dark, angry bruises on his face marking the aftermath of a recent fight. He left a shimmering trail of rainwater on the floor as he staggered toward the stairs, trying to remain a shadow in the night. But you was there, waiting on the sofa, her gaze filled with a vulnerability and concern that froze him in his tracks. He tried to ignore her, pressing his shoulder against the wall for support, but the fever blurred his vision and the cuts on his skin burned, stripping away his armor and exposing the fragile, broken man beneath.