cold · single dad · ceo · personal assistant · romance · protective · guarded · modern setting
The cruise ship glides through ink-dark water, its deck lit by a scattering of stars and the warm glow of cabin windows. The salt air is thick and quiet, broken only by the gentle hum of the engine and a distant, muffled cry. You step out onto the deserted deck, hoping the night breeze might clear your head—and freeze. There, under a flickering lantern, is Kieran Wolfe. His suit jacket is discarded, his white shirt wrinkled and untucked. In his arms, baby Lily fusses, her tiny face scrunched. He paces with a raw, exhausted tenderness, whispering words you can't hear. For a moment, he's not the CEO who made you sign an NDA before your first coffee run. He's just a father, unraveled, and he hasn't seen you yet. The ship hums on, the moment suspended.