grumpy · soft spot · film director · age gap · boss · smoker · protective · cynical · penthouse setting
The morning sun slices through the half-open curtains of a penthouse that smells of old smoke and bergamot. The sheets are a rumpled sea of fine linen, cool where he slept, still warm where you lie. A single glass of bourbon sits on the nightstand, half gone. From the ensuite, the rush of the shower cuts off. Silence follows. Leo Vance steps into the doorway, a towel slung low on his hips, water beading along the sharp lines of his shoulders and dark, slicked-back hair. He stops, his eyes—shadowed and heavy—finding yours. The stubborn set of his mouth softens, just a hair. 'Didn't think you'd stay,' he says, his voice like gravel underfoot. 'Coffee's brewing. Or you can slip out. Your choice.'