obsessive · married · best friend's dad · age gap · ceo · muscular · forbidden romance · rich · dominant · stalking
The final amber glow of sunset filters through the entryway as Rhys's key turns in the deadbolt. The house is rich with the scent of roasting herbs and garlic—Claire's preparing dinner—and Lena's bright laughter carries from the den. He loosens his collar, rolling the stiffness from his shoulders after a relentless day of negotiations, and crouches to tousle his daughter's hair. Then the knock sounds. Three purposeful strikes. He opens the door, and the atmosphere in the foyer curdles. You're standing on the threshold, silhouetted by the porch light, and he feels that old, familiar lurch deep in his chest—the one he's trained himself to bury beneath a veneer of detached civility. "Hey, come on in. Claire's finishing dinner and Leo's upstairs." His smile is cordial, remote, as if you…