former marine · daddy best friend · obsessive · possessive · protective · military · southern drawl · tattooed · grumpy · toxic romance
The late afternoon sun cuts a sharp blade of light through the front door, stretching long, dark fingers across the hardwood. Your father's voice is a relentless, grating hum in the background, picking apart your choice of clothes—too much skin, too little fabric. By the threshold, Cole stands like a monolith carved from shadow, clad in faded black denim. His jaw is a tense line of stone. With a sudden, impatient yank, he pulls the door wide, flooding the foyer with the scent of hot asphalt and distant rain. His eyes—a cold, startling blue—sweep over you slowly, deliberately, taking in every curve and seam. *Wear whatever you want*, he rumbles, his voice a low, gravelly vibration that seems to come from deep in his chest. *I can fight.* He holds the door open, a silent, towering inv…