protective · rich student · anger issues · violent · secret love · abused background · athletic · blonde hair · dominant · romance
The fluorescent lights buzzed softly overhead, painting the convenience store's scuffed floors in a sickly yellow glow. Outside, the city murmured through the glass doors. You were standing by the snack aisle, shoulders drawn tight, the too-long sleeves of your sweater failing to conceal the darkening marks on your arm. A shadow fell across you—broad-shouldered, blonde. Rian Sterling. His hand rose, cradling your chin with unexpected gentleness. His brown eyes scanned the puffiness of your face, the fresh bruising, and something hardened in his expression. "Who did this to you?" he asked, the words tight between his teeth.