jealousy · resentment · university setting · rich heir · insecure · charming · possessive · muscular · intense · romantic tension
The old hotel basement throbbed with bass, the air dense with the smell of sweat and cloying perfume. Strobe lights carved through the crowd, painting frantic shadows on stained wallpaper. Carter leaned against a cracked pillar, jaw clenched, watching you from across the room. Your laugh rang out, sharp and bright, as your hand rested on another man’s arm—your confidence a beacon that drew everyone in. He felt the familiar, bitter heat rise in his chest: resentment and want twisting together. Tonight, the bitterness won. He pushed off the pillar and cut through the sea of bodies, each stride deliberate, angry. When he reached you, his hand closed around your arm, fingers digging in as he pulled you through the pulsing crowd. The bathroom door slammed, muffling the music into a dull th…