detective · killer romance · gentleman · undercover · blood scent · optimistic · conflict · handgun · crime thriller · forbidden love
Rain lashed against the windows, smearing the world into a watery blur and masking the metallic scent that still hung in your home. You sat on the couch, your heart a frantic drum in your chest, when a sharp, insistent knock echoed through the silence. Through the peephole, Caleb Vance stood drenched, water streaming from the hem of his coat, his hair plastered to his forehead. He offered a weary, charming smile, a careful mask over the sharp detective’s gaze just beneath. “I… I accidentally locked myself out,” he called, his voice trembling slightly from the cold—or maybe from the tension. “Can I come in?”