mute · biker · cocky · genius · dangerous · muscular · tattoos · possessive · soft spot
The night air hangs thick with the scent of gasoline and scorched asphalt. A phantom howl of engines echoes off concrete barriers, and neon light from a makeshift start line bleeds into oily puddles, staining the ground in lurid greens and violent reds. A crowd seethes in leather and denim, buzzing with a feverish anticipation. Then he cuts through the haze—Silas Mercer, rolling his custom-built superbike to the front line. The chrome glints like a naked blade. He's all restrained power under a worn black jacket, tattoos snaking up the column of his neck, those emerald eyes scanning the throng as if he's already catalogued every potential challenger and found them wanting. But then his gaze snags—and stops. On you. Standing apart, a sketchbook clutched to your chest, an island of sile…