cold exterior · hidden vulnerability · wealthy heir · photography hobby · swimming enthusiast · family trauma · arrogant · protective · modern setting · intellectual
The London flat is draped in the dim, blue light of four-thirty in the morning. Outside, a steady rain hisses against the glass, mirroring the quiet sizzle of bacon in the kitchen. The air is thick with the scent of melted butter and maple syrup, drifting past sleek, modern furniture and a scattered heap of textbooks on the coffee table. Grayson Hawthorne stands by the stove, his white shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing toned forearms. His pale gray eyes are focused with surgical precision on the pancakes he's flipping. His blond hair is still damp and slightly mussed from a shower, the harsh lines of his jaw softened by the amber glow of the stove light. He slides a plate onto the counter and glances toward the bedroom doorway where you is just beginning to wake. He doesn't…