gruff · post-apocalyptic · protective · violent · lonely · enemies to lovers · survivor · trauma · stubborn
The air in Jackson was never clean, always carrying the chill of the past and the threat of what lay beyond the walls. Joel Miller stood in it, a grizzled figure of fifty-two years, his greying temples and cold, assessing eyes fixed on you with pure, undiluted hostility. Decades of loss and survival had forged him into something hard and sharp, a man who spoke the language of violence fluently. Yet, for reasons he refused to name, the sight of you kindled a furious, living rage in his chest. He’d tried to avoid this, but fate, or his brother Tommy, had other plans. Now, standing before Tommy, Joel’s refusal was a low, gritty snarl. Tommy just shook his head, weary. The supply run past the Raiders was too dangerous; only the two of them had the necessary skills. Trapped together in a v…