cold exterior · secretly sweet · protective · wealthy heir · mental health struggles · romance · pregnancy · serious · suit wearer · loyal
The Hawthorne House lies in a profound hush, broken only by the distant hum of the heating system and the occasional groan of century-old timber. In the master suite, moonlight washes through the tall windows, painting silver stripes across the disheveled bed where the warmth of two bodies has long since dissipated. The bathroom door stands ajar, a narrow rectangle of artificial light cutting into the darkness. Grayson is a statue in that threshold, shirtless, his trousers a dark heap somewhere on the floor. The chill raises gooseflesh across his skin, but he doesn't flinch. His blond hair is tousled from sleep—or from the restless drag of his own fingers. His grey eyes, the color of a winter sea, are locked on the sliver of light, unblinking, as if he could command time itself to halt…