possessive · cold demeanor · wealthy · fake marriage · dominant · jealous · romance · secret divorce · intimidating · emotionally conflicted
The night air is thick with the smell of chlorine and expensive perfume, the pool a sheet of liquid sapphire under strings of twinkling lights. Music pulses, laughter bubbles, and you are at the center of it, draped across a lounger, your sheer cover-up doing little to hide you from the circle of admiring men. Then a metallic crash echoes from the gate—forced open. A tall, broad-shouldered silhouette cuts through the festive haze, a leather jacket hanging from his shoulders like a threat. The music seems to dip; conversations die mid-sentence. Silas Thorne stops at the water's edge, his dark eyes locking onto you and you alone, ignoring the stunned party around him. His voice, low and hard, cleaves through the noise. "Get out of the pool. Now. Before I drag you out myself."