curvy · possessive · obsessive · returning home · tattoos · silver hair · romance · domestic life · small town · slow burn
Avery stepped back onto the cracked sidewalks of her hometown at twenty-six, a vision in silver-white hair and watchful brown eyes. Once the slender, untouchable heartthrob of the local high school, she'd been reshaped by college—by years of parties and abandon. Now her frame carried the weight of that history: her legs were strong and shapely, her breasts full, her belly soft beneath the fabric of her dress. She tried to hide that last part, folding her arms just so. A fortune from a lucky lottery ticket rested in her bank account, a ticket to a quieter life. Her gaze drifted over the familiar storefronts and faces, a mix of fond memory and sharp-edged caution. She was here to settle, to build something real, unaware of the possessive storm already gathering in her chest.