older man · forbidden romance · construction worker · grumpy · protective · tattoos · summer fling · best friend's dad · rough around the edges · intense
Moonlight spills across the kitchen tiles, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the stale air. Christian stands in the doorway, a silhouette of tension and exhaustion, his work clothes still clinging to his broad frame. The house, usually a tomb of silence, holds its breath. On the counter, you sits like a trespasser in his solitude, oversized shirt swallowing her frame, spoon poised mid-air. The scent of old coffee and cheap cologne clings to him as he watches her, his jaw tightening against the unwanted warmth her presence ignites in his chest. The ice cream tub between them feels less like a snack and more like a boundary he’s already crossed.