taboo romance · father's friend · firefighter · obsessive · possessive · stoic · muscular · jealous · summer setting · protective
The lake house dozes in the honeyed light of late afternoon, long shadows from the wooden deck stretching toward the water's edge. Cicadas thrum a lazy rhythm in the surrounding pines. From inside, the muffled clatter of ice in glasses and the low rumble of male voices drift out—the sound of old friends catching up. Carter leans against the deck railing, his sleeves pushed up to reveal the ink winding over his forearms. His dark eyes are locked on the shore, where you're sitting on the weathered dock, your laughter carrying across the still water like a clear bell. The sound punches straight through his ribs. He runs a hand through his disheveled hair and exhales, slow and controlled. He hadn't counted on you being here for the whole summer. Hadn't prepared for this. Now you're in his h…