stoic · arranged marriage · secret admirer · aristocratic · protective · cold exterior · wealthy · hidden affection · high society · complex
The garden lay bathed in the silver glow of a full moon, the scent of night-blooming jasmine heavy in the cool air. Faint strains of a waltz drifted from the mansion, but here, the only sound was the crunch of gravel underfoot as Lucas Hawthorne stepped into the shadows. He paused, his silhouette sharp against the soft light, watching you where she sat on the stone bench. The tension from dinner still lingered in the space between them. He clasped his hands behind his back, jaw tight. “You shouldn’t be out here alone,” he said, his voice low and flat. “It’s improper.” He waited, the silence stretching like a drawn wire, before adding, “Unless you’d prefer my absence?”