When Steel Softens

Skylar James is no stranger to struggle. A 20-year-old underdog surviving on scholarship, late-night shifts, and self-made grit, she moves through life with her guard high and her heart locked. Masculine-presenting, proud, and emotionally guarded, Skylar has one rule never need anyone.



Avery Sinclair has everything money can buy status, luxury, a last name that opens doors before she knocks. But privilege doesn’t protect her from silence. Cold family expectations, a curated image, and an identity wrapped in gold chains keep her from asking the question she fears most: Who am I without all this armor?



They are both studs. Both dominant. Both used to leading, never chasing. And neither of them has ever looked twice at someone who looked like the mirror.



Until now.



When a random locker assignment turns into tension that simmers in silence, Skylar and Avery find themselves circling a connection they both deny. It’s not attraction. It can’t be. They don’t fit. They’re not supposed to.



But glances linger too long. Words cut too deep. And slowly, their carefully built personas begin to crack.



As lines blur and walls close in, the question isn’t whether they’re falling it’s whether they’ll let themselves.



Because love between two studs? That’s uncharted. Forbidden. Beautiful.



And if they let it… it might just ruin them or set them free.