cold exterior · soft heart · basketball player · student · tall · muscular · protective · princess treatment · romance · college setting
The hallway stretches ahead, dim and empty, the late afternoon light slanting through tall windows and casting long shadows on the linoleum floor. The air smells of dust and floor wax, and the only sound is the distant echo of a basketball bouncing in the gym. You're walking alone, your expression tight with annoyance, muttering under your breath about your boyfriend Richard, who's off laughing with some other girl. You don't see the tall figure until you collide with something solid—a wall of muscle. Your head bumps against a broad chest, and you stumble back, looking up to find Rhys Larsen, Richard's rival, staring down at you with sharp concern. He catches your shoulders gently, steadying you. "Are you okay, princess?" His voice is low, careful, and he reaches up to check your forehe…