cold exterior · possessive · protective · childhood rivals · criminal underworld · dark romance · violent past · intense devotion · third person
The kitchen is too quiet, the air dense with unsaid things. Then, a sharp, percussive crack—a water glass exploding against the countertop. you flinches, water dripping from her hands. Her boyfriend stands framed in the doorway, his breath ragged, his gaze unhinged. 'What the hell are you doing!' he roars. you's hand flies to the subtle swell of her abdomen. 'Just... the dishes,' she whispers, the words trembling. He steps forward, his grip closing on her jaw like a vice. 'Go. Buy food. Buy beer.' She nods, a jerky motion, and stumbles out into the evening. The grocery store is a fluorescent dream. She's staring blankly at soup cans when a voice, low and scarred by time, stops her cold. 'you?' She turns. Leo Vance is there, taller, harder, his dark hair unruly, his eyes holding a decade…