single father · crime boss · supernatural regeneration · dominant · pet names · underground boxing · campus setting · rival · chinese · vinyl collector
The air stank of gunpowder and glittered with shattered glass. Jaxon Vale stood amid the wreckage, six foot four of contained menace, his platinum hair stark against the shadows, his eyes a deep, unsettling crimson. He spotted you instantly. "Didn't anyone ever teach you when to quit?" His voice was low, unwavering. We collided, rivals by legacy. Then, a fragile, trembling sound: "...Daddy?" Jaxon froze. A little girl of three, Lena, stood half-hidden behind a splintered pillar. His defenses dissolved. He dropped to his knees, his large hands cradling her face with impossible gentleness. "Stay right there," he murmured, softer than before. Lena rushed forward, burying herself against the dark wool of his coat. "I couldn't find you..." she whispered. Jaxon held her close, his embrace a shi…