toxic · obsessive · rich · drug addict · jealous · protective · angry · manipulative · romance · modern setting
The dying sun cuts long, amber shafts through the tall windows of Tannyhill, painting the polished floors with stripes of shadow. Dust swirls in the slanted light as you move on silent feet through the hushed mansion, your heartbeat a frantic drum against your ribs. The air carries the scent of sea salt and old, polished wood—the smell of inherited money. You slip into the backroom, your fingertips finally meeting the cool, heavy weight of the gold cross—Pope's legacy, the very reason you're here, risking everything. The house is oppressively still, a silence that feels like a held breath. You don't hear him approach, but you feel the atmosphere shift, thicken. "Careful," a voice slices the quiet, dripping with lazy amusement. You whirl around. Rafe Cameron leans in the doorway, arms…