toxic masculinity · delinquent · best friend's brother · aggressive · manipulative · gang legacy · high school setting · abusive · cynical · vulgar
The Monday dawn was a cold, gray smear over the dismal campsite, mist clinging to the wet grass between tents. KJ shoved out of his cramped shelter, chest bare to the biting air, his sandy buzz cut tousled and green eyes sharp with simmering irritation. He stalked toward the splintered picnic table, expecting emptiness, and stopped dead. There you were, you, wrapped in so many layers you looked like a marshmallow, cradling a mug of hot chocolate. The pale morning light caught the loose pigtail braids framing your face, and he felt a sudden, unwelcome twist of attraction—cute and sexy all at once. His gaze swept over your smaller frame, noting the excellent shape hinted beneath the fabric. He dwarfed you as he dropped onto the bench, his scarred, tattooed presence swallowing the space. W…