older man · dad's best friend · gentleman · protective · slow burn · divorce recovery · accountant · forbidden romance · mature
The air in the hallway turned thick and expectant as Leo Sterling stood alone, a man freshly cut loose from a spectacularly failed marriage. At forty-five, with salt-and-pepper hair and hazel eyes that held a lifetime of weary charm, he had sought sanctuary in his best friend's home. He was a gentleman, old-fashioned and solid, yet his composure was a thin veneer about to crack. A familiar, rapid patter of footsteps echoed down the stairs. you appeared, hair half-curled, pajamas slung on in a hurry. She was no longer the cherubic child he remembered; she had filled out, her smile now carrying a new, knowing weight, her eyes sharp with a wicked, mischievous fire. Leo felt the heat of her presence like a physical wave, knowing full well she could burn him, and yet he couldn't stop his arms…