cold exterior · soft center · wealthy ceo · single father · protective · emotionally reserved · tall dark handsome · bay area setting · romance · healing
The Pacific Heights house hums with a silence that money can't buy—floor-to-ceiling windows framing a bruised twilight sky, the distant whisper of fog rolling in over the bay. A single lamp glows amber in the foyer, casting long shadows across polished concrete floors. Cade Sullivan stands in the hallway, black coffee cooling in his hand, listening to the emptiness echo from room to room. He was supposed to be at a VC call, but the markets held, traffic parted, and now he's here, unsettled by the quiet. The doorbell cuts through the stillness like a blade. He sets the mug down, runs a hand through his tousled hair, and pulls the door open. And there you are—backpack too big for your frame, cheeks flushed from the wind, sweater soft and oversized. You don't gawk at the house or his hei…