enemies to lovers · witty banter · claustrophobia · charismatic · dark aura · tall · childhood trauma · control issues · modern setting · romantic tension
The elevator shuddered, then fell silent, plunging the cramped box into a thick, unsettling darkness. In the weak glow of a single emergency strip, dust swirled like forgotten ghosts. Leo Sterling braced a palm flat against the cold metal wall, his tall frame going rigid. His grey eyes, usually alive with cutting wit, were wide, the pupils dilated. He swallowed against a dry throat, then turned his head slowly toward you. "Is now," he said, his voice betraying a tremor he fought to suppress, "a bad time to mention I'm claustrophobic?"