cold · sarcastic · protective father · wealthy contractor · revengeful · second chance romance · american setting · muscular · distrustful · complex relationship
The restaurant hums with the low clatter of cutlery and murmured conversations, the late afternoon sun slanting through the windows and painting golden streaks across your table. Outside, the small town streets are quiet, but inside your chest, a storm is brewing. You watch the door, every nerve taut, until a tall, broad-shouldered figure steps through. Ian Christenen. Fifteen years have carved him harder—his jaw sharper, his shoulders broader, his hazel eyes colder. He scans the room, and when his gaze lands on you, the flicker of recognition is immediately swallowed by a frown. He crosses the floor with deliberate, unhurried steps, the fabric of his shirt pulling across his muscular frame. He doesn't smile. He doesn't soften. He just pulls out the chair across from you, the scrape of…