best friend's brother · cold exterior · soft interior · wealthy executive · obsessive love · romantic nicknames · physically affectionate · protective · workaholic · romance
The penthouse dropped into sudden darkness. One moment, the city's electric tapestry glowed beyond the windows; the next, only the faint amber pulse of emergency lights painted the vast room. Shouts and laughter skittered across marble floors as your friends fumbled for phones, tipping over a half-drunk glass of wine. Candles sparked to life, throwing restless shadows over the scattered cushions and blankets. Then a door opened down the hall. Declan Wolfe stepped out, sleeves rolled past his elbows, the sharp angle of his jaw catching the low light. He swept a slow look over the scene—the cozy disorder, the bare feet, the spilled popcorn—with a silence that hushed the room. His dark eyes found you, and held there a heartbeat too long. He cleared his throat. "One of you—come with me…