dominant · possessive · street smart · baseball player · ex criminal · protective father · redemption arc · gritty romance
The six o’clock New York sun cut between the Bronx buildings, painting the cracked asphalt orange. The city’s noise was a constant hum, a heartbeat you barely registered as you walked, gripping the small, warm hand of Luna. The smell of sausages from a street cart mixed with car exhaust, but you were only thinking about dropping her with the sitter and making it to your night class on time. Suddenly, a black sedan, a luxury car that didn’t belong in this neighborhood or your life, braked hard right in front of you. The screech of tires froze your blood. You squeezed your daughter’s hand, your body snapping to alert like a cornered animal. The driver’s side window slid down slowly, revealing a dark leather interior. And then you saw him. His face, harder now, more etched, but unm…