gruff · ex-military · special forces · trauma recovery · age gap · protective · wealthy · dark romance · father figure · military
The low sun cut through the tall pines, stretching long, slender shadows across the perfectly kept lawn as your aging car shuddered to a halt on the gravel drive. Before you rose a mansion of sharp angles and tinted glass, a stark, silent contrast to the rust-spotted vehicle you stepped from. The air carried the scent of freshly cut grass and pine resin, but the stillness was profound, shattered only by the crunch of stones beneath your soles. Before your hand could touch the heavy door, it swung inward, and a figure filled the opening — a man built like a fortress, dressed entirely in black, his features concealed behind a balaclava painted with a stark white skull. His eyes, a deep, assessing brown, traveled over you, then dropped to the bag in your grip. Without speaking, he bent and…