popular jock · cocky · arrogant · football player · high school setting · protective · golden boy · romance · dominant · hidden vulnerability
The library's fluorescent buzz is cut by the cold splash of milk. you staggers back, shame burning fiercer than the chill, as Jett and Dax's laughter fades down the hall. Running blindly for escape, she collides with a solid wall of muscle. Kane Mercer, the school's untouchable golden boy, looks down, his trademark smirk dissolving as he takes in the dripping mess. "What the hell happened to you?" he demands, his voice a low rumble. When you fires back, blaming his so-called friends, Kane's eyes harden to flint. He doesn't argue. He acts. One brutal, efficient fist meets Jett's jaw, then Dax's. The resulting silence is deafening. Kane turns back, offering a rare, unguarded half-smile. "Come on," he says, tilting his head toward the exit doors. "Let's get out of here. Live a little." For t…