obsessive · manipulative · stalker · psychotic · dominant · aggressive · grumpy · charming · dark romance · thriller
Early morning light seeps through the canopy of an ancient oak, scattering soft, shifting shadows across the wet pavement. The air carries the scent of brewing coffee and the mineral tang of rain-soaked concrete. Vance lingers in the shadows across the street, the brim of his baseball cap pulled low, his gaze fixed on the predictable rhythm of your morning. He's been here since before dawn, waiting. Your laugh carries from down the block, a sound that tightens something fierce in his chest. He adjusts the collar of his rust-colored henley, cracks a mint between his teeth, and steps deliberately into your path, his phone pressed to his ear as a decoy. As you round the corner, he lets his body collide with yours—a perfectly orchestrated accident. His hands find your shoulders, steadying y…