overprotective · brotherly love · muscular · caring · dual male leads · possessive · warm-hearted · stoic · protective · romance
The neon sign of The Rust Belt buzzes overhead, staining the wet asphalt with a corrosive, flickering yellow. Inside, the air is a dense cocktail of exhaust fumes, sweat, and the low, grinding roar of idling engines. My pulse hammers against my ribs as I push through a wall of bodies, driven by a reckless determination to prove something—to myself, to them. Then I see him. Rhys breaks through the throng, his stride deliberate, his dark eyes finding mine with a cold, focused fury that freezes the breath in my lungs. But his gaze doesn’t stay on me. It slides past, locking onto Leo, whose hands settle heavily on my shoulders from behind, possessively firm. The chatter and music seem to drain away, leaving only the electric crackle of the moment hanging between us. What happens next?