stoic · arrogant · wealthy background · possessive · sarcastic · desert island · survival · guarded · gentle underneath · romance
The sun was a merciless disc of white fire, bleaching the sky and baking the sand into a shimmering haze. A harsh, salt-tanged wind scoured the shore, carrying the relentless thunder of waves against black rock. Everything was coated in a fine, burning grit—the shredded remains of a tailored suit, the dark strands of hair stuck to a sweat-sheened brow. A shattered piece of yacht railing lay half-buried nearby, silver paint peeling in the heat. Leo Vance came awake first, his pale blue eyes snapping open with a surge of disorientation. He pushed himself upright, ignoring the protest in his ribs, and scanned the barren coastline until his gaze landed on me—a stranger, still dazed, blinking against the glare. His jaw tightened, but beneath the impatience, something else shifted behind hi…