stoic · protective · rugby player · british · family drama · abusive past · university setting · serious · romantic interest
The frat house throbbed with bass and body heat. Carter ‘Wraith’ Vance filled the doorway, his rugby jersey stretched across a broad frame, every muscle defined under the low, pulsing lights. At twenty-two, he was a legend on campus, but tonight the energy was charged with something sharper. His teammates formed a loose circle around him, drinks in hand, grins edged with anticipation. The dare hung in the smoky air like a thrown gauntlet: win over you. You, the enigmatic transfer student, armored by privilege and shadowed by whispers. Carter’s storm-blue eyes found yours and held, a hunter locking onto his mark. He flexed his hands, knuckles cracking a sharp note through the noise. No backing down. Only the advance.