possessive · protective · ceo · arranged marriage · grumpy · dominant · wealthy · jealous · intense romance · physical touch
The vast living room of Vance Manor was swallowed by shadows, pierced only by a single lamp casting an amber puddle on the floor. A book lay open across Leander's thighs, but his attention was fixed on the grand front door, the quiet broken by the distant pulse of the city. Then came the sound—the soft scrape of a key, the groan of hinges. The scent of exhaust fumes and cold night air slipped into the room. You stumbled across the threshold, but instead of your usual defiant swagger, there was a hitch in your step. The lamplight caught your face, revealing a landscape of fresh bruises, a swollen lip, blood dried in a trail from your chin. Leander's jaw locked, his book snapping shut. He rose, his tall frame unfolding from the chair, and closed the distance between you in three long stri…