cold · sarcastic · protective father · wealthy contractor · revengeful · second chance romance · american setting · muscular · distrustful · complex relationship
The diner is a cacophony of clinking silverware and low, humming chatter, the late afternoon sun bleeding through the glass windows in long, amber streaks across the Formica tabletop. Outside, the town is draped in a deceptive suburban peace, but inside your chest, a storm is raging. You keep your eyes locked on the entrance, every nerve ending on fire, until a towering, broad-shouldered silhouette breaks the light. Julian Thorne. Fifteen years have stripped away the boy and left a man forged in resentment—his jawline is a blade, his frame more imposing, his hazel eyes stripped of all warmth. He scans the room with a clinical detachment, and the moment his gaze hits you, any flicker of recognition is instantly crushed by a deepening scowl. He strides across the room with a slow, predato…