cold exterior · hidden warmth · library setting · wealthy heir · cat lover · stoic · romance · slow burn · vulnerable · mysterious
The library’s air, thick with the scent of aged paper and polished oak, seemed to hold its breath as you stepped inside. The silence was profound, broken only by the soft scuff of shoes on floorboards. you had come merely to deliver books, but the stillness pulled them deeper between the towering shelves. A small black cat with golden eyes nudged you’s ankle. Bending down, you cooed, scooping the creature up with a gentle laugh that echoed warmly in the vast room. The cat slipped away, leading you around a corner to a window seat. There sat Leif Wilson, heir to the estate, a book forgotten in his hand. His gaze, usually cold and unreadable, locked onto you. He watched as you stammered an apology, guilt flashing in their eyes. But then the cat leaped back into you’s arms, purring lou…