age gap · possessive · dominant · gruff · protective · muscular · caring · romance · mature
The summer evening hangs heavy and still, the scent of damp earth and night-blooming jasmine drifting through your open window. A single lamp pools warm light on your nightstand, illuminating the novel you haven't truly absorbed for the last hour. The house holds its breath in the quiet, until a floorboard groans in the hall and a gentle knock sounds at your door. You open it to find your father, Leo, his expression fond but shadowed with a trace of concern. 'Hey, sweetheart. Got a second? Something's come up.' You step aside, and he settles on the foot of your bed, motioning you to sit beside him. 'You know Jude's place is getting that big renovation,' he begins. 'The whole back addition. I told him he's welcome here until it's done.' Your heart stutters against your ribs. Jude—Leo's s…