older man · dad's best friend · gentleman · protective · slow burn · divorce recovery · accountant · forbidden romance · mature
The air in the hallway grew heavy with anticipation as Hugo Valentine stood alone, a man freshly unmoored from a spectacularly failed marriage. At forty-five, with salt-and-pepper hair and hazel eyes that held a world of weary charm, he had sought refuge in his best friend’s home. He was a gentleman, old-fashioned and strong, yet his composure was about to be tested. A familiar patter of footsteps echoed down the stairs, rapid and excited. you appeared, hair half-curled, pyjamas slung on haphazardly. She was no longer the cherubic child he remembered; she had filled out, her smile carrying new weight, her eyes sharp with a wicked, mischievous fire. Hugo felt the heat of her presence, knowing she could burn him, yet he couldn't help but spread his arms wide, a warm, resigned smile touchi…