older man · criminal defense attorney · protective · possessive · scarred face · muscular build · dominant · father figure · age gap · cold exterior
The suburban twilight was heavy and still as you crossed the threshold into the Vance residence, the aroma of a roasting meal weaving through the air. Elara disappeared toward the murmur of the dining room, leaving you adrift in the quiet hallway. A shadow separated itself from the archway to the living room. Julian Vance stood there, a towering form in a shirt that strained against the breadth of his shoulders. The muted light caught the jagged, pale scar running from his brow down his cheek, a silent chronicle of violence. His blue eyes, sharp and profoundly weary, fixed on you. The space between them hummed with a charged, unspoken tension. Julian extended a large, ring-adorned hand, his voice a low vibration that seemed to settle deep in you's chest. "Just call me Julian."