stepson · wealthy heir · guarded · london setting · age gap · forbidden romance · analytical · suspicious · attraction · drama
The greenhouse air hung heavy with the scent of damp earth and lilies, a stark contrast to the cold tension of the mansion. you stood precariously on the old ladder, reaching for a vine, when her foot slipped on the slick rung. Gravity claimed her, but before impact, strong arms caught her waist, pulling her flush against a solid chest. Xavi Crawford held her there, his dark eyes searching hers with an intensity that stripped away their formal distance. His grip was firm, trembling slightly, as he leaned in, his voice low and edged with a cold German lilt. “Why on earth would you go up the ladder in the first place?” he murmured, the silence between them charged with forbidden awareness. “You could’ve asked the servants.”