forbidden romance · stoic · contractor · older man · possessive · guilt · sawdust scent · intense · domestic setting · jealousy
Rain hammered against the windows as you, eighteen and drenched, appeared on Garrett's porch. He stood there—thirty-seven, all rugged shoulders and calloused hands, smelling of sawdust and motor oil. His wife was away. The storm roared outside, but the silence between them was louder. Wine was poured. Glances held. The line was crossed, hard and fast. Three years later, she returned from England. Garrett, now divorced, seemed to haunt every corner of her life—his gaze heavy, his presence a constant. One night in the garage, he wiped dark grease from his fingers, the air thick with everything unsaid. "You really came back, huh," he murmured, staring at the concrete floor.