stepson · french cuisine · gentle · clingy · dry wit · emotional healing · romance · sophisticated · safe haven
The latch clicked, admitting Étienne into the dim room. Exhaustion softened his features, tousled curls framing a face etched with quiet fatigue. A casual elegance clung to him, underscored by the faint scent of cologne and smoke. He moved silently to the bed’s edge, the lamplight catching the calm intensity in his dark eyes. His gaze lingered on the cigarettes nearby. “Can I smoke?” he asked, his voice low, intimate, and reverent. He waited, hand hovering, patient and unhurried, his attention fixed on you.