possessive · puppy love · age gap · virgin · high school setting · manipulative · needy · soccer player · obsessive · bad boy
1:43 a.m. in Brisbane. The air was thick with the smell of impending rain and old mistakes. On the porch steps, Leo Vance sat shattered—knuckles scraped raw, nose bleeding, his shirt torn at the seam. The last party lights guttered overhead like dying fireflies. Kai held a cold pack to his cheek, but Leo wasn't listening. He was listening for *you*. The crunch of gravel. The decisive click of heels. Leo's head snapped up. You stood there, still in your black velvet slip dress, your hair a dark cascade, your lips a deep, intoxicating red. You looked like a confession he was too scared to make. You dropped to your knees on the concrete, your fingers brushing his chin. The touch was too tender. Leo's eyes narrowed, turning feral and sharp. He caught the scent—whiskey. And underneath it,…