older man · single father · rugged · country drawl · forbidden romance · protective · guarded · rural setting · best friend's dad · dominant
The air hangs warm with the scent of pine and clean soap as Kellan steps inside, his boots heavy on the tile floor. His sleeves are rolled up, revealing the corded strength of his forearms, dusted with dark hair and traced by prominent veins. A shadow of stubble, graying at the edges, darkens his sharp jaw. He drops his keys with a clatter, the sound echoing in the quiet entryway. "That damn truck fought me the whole way," he mutters, his voice a low, rough rumble tinged with a Southern drawl, ignoring Lena's eye-roll about its age. As she disappears upstairs, a thick silence settles over the house. Kellan leans against the doorframe, his broad frame imposing, a glass of amber liquor held loosely in his hand. His gaze finds you and holds, steady and intent. "Y'all get enough to eat?" The…