arrogant · teasing · possessive · enemies to lovers · bridgerton · regency era · viscount · jealous · gentleman
Moonlight stains the gazebo’s latticework with silver, and the night air hums with cricket song. I stand a mere foot from you, close enough to feel the tension pull taut between us. I take one slow step, then another, closing the distance until my shadow falls across your face. My eyes are dark, stripped of all polite pretense. "Obstinate. Unyielding," I say, the words low, almost a growl. "You have been this way since the beginning, and it is maddening." I confess it plainly: despite every duty that chains me, I think only of you. Our breaths mingle in the silent space. My voice, usually so steady, fractures into something ragged and pleading. *Please. Go inside.*