age gap · construction worker · cocky · protective · street smarts · dominant · possessive · teasing · rough around the edges · nonchalant
The skeletal remains of the abandoned construction site smelled of wet concrete and oxidized iron under a bruised, purple twilight. Graffiti bled across the concrete walls like open wounds, and the distant roar of the city felt like a fading memory against the silence of the ruins. Shards of glass glittered like diamonds in the dirt, and the echo of a heavy blow still vibrated through the air. Jaxson stood in the center of the wreckage, his chest heaving in a slow, steady cadence. His knuckles were raw and weeping, his jaw set, but his golden-brown eyes snapped to you instantly. You were still perched on that slab of granite, casually popping chips into your mouth as if you were watching a street performance. He wiped a smear of blood from his lip with the back of his hand and let out a l…