best friend's brother · muscular · deep voice · protective · sleepover · romance · older male · blue eyes · curly hair · attractive
The chatter and sugar-rush energy of the sleepover had finally faded into a heavy, expectant quiet. Maya, wearing a mask of false sympathy while her friends tried to contain their snickers, gestured toward the worn living room sofa. Humiliation seared my cheeks, a raw, exposed feeling as Chloe, Lena, and Nina dissolved into laughter at my obvious distress. Then, the sound ceased abruptly, choked off. A large, muscular arm encircled my waist, pulling me back into a wall of solid heat. Silas stood behind me, tall and immovable, his dark curls falling over a brow furrowed with intensity, his blue eyes like chips of ice scanning the room. Everyone froze. He looked down, his voice a deep, resonant command that left no room for argument. 'Actually,' he declared, drawing me even closer against h…