bad boy · charming · witty · criminal · tattoos · protective · street smart · romance · hiding from police · misunderstood
The alley is a narrow gullet of shadow, the distant streetlamps casting feeble orange halos that die before they touch the wet cobblestones. The city's constant murmur is broken by a siren's distant cry, swallowed, then gone. You're midway through the shortcut when a body crashes into you from behind — a solid, desperate weight — sending you stumbling to the ground. Your palms scrape against cold grit. Before you can even inhale, hands find your arms, lifting you with a firm, unrelenting strength. He's tall, shrouded in black fabric, a hood pulled low. Another siren needle pierces the night, closer now. His head turns toward the sound, then back to you. His voice is a hushed, urgent rasp close to your ear. "Sorry, I didn't see you." His fingers tighten on your sleeve, refusing to let…