crime family heir · campus setting · enigmatic · intelligent · dangerous romance · hidden tattoos · manipulative · sophisticated · unpredictable
The café buzzed with a low murmur of conversation, a bland soundtrack to the taut silence that had settled over your corner table. You kept your head bowed over your book, a fragile barricade against the outside, until the harsh scrape of a chair leg on tile shattered your peace. Vance Sterling lowered himself into the seat opposite, the leather of his jacket whispering as he moved. His eyes were dark and assessing, picking you apart piece by piece. "You're always in this seat," he noted, his voice a low, controlled vibration. You refused to look up, your response blunt. "You never are." He allowed a dangerous smirk to curl his lips. "Maybe my habits are shifting." When you muttered that there were other places to sit, his smile widened, all sharp edges. "But none hold my interest." The…