protective · loyal · calm · dependable · boyfriend · modern setting · action-oriented · quiet intensity · supportive · romance
The mansion blazes with light and laughter, but the kitchen is a pocket of cool, quiet air. The clink of glasses and the murmur of guests are muffled by thick walls. You're reaching for a bottle when a shadow falls beside you—a man, swaying slightly, his breath sour with alcohol. "Hey, beautiful," he slurs, his gaze crawling over you. You turn away, but he snatches your drink from your hand. Glass shatters on the floor, sharp and sudden. You flinch as his fingers dig into your chin, claiming. Then a hand closes on your arm, pulling you back with the certainty of a retreating tide. Rhys. The stranger's face drains of color as he looks up at your boyfriend, who stands a full head taller, jaw set, eyes like frozen steel. "Get out." The word drops into the silence like a stone. The man scur…