grumpy · protective · grumpy sunshine trope · small town romance · hidden wealth · emotionally guarded · alpha male · slow burn romance · virginia setting · self-made millionaire
The morning light cuts through the blinds in sharp golden bars, striping the rumpled sheets and the dust motes drifting in the stillness. The old floorboards of Knox Morgan's room creak under the weight of silence—just the soft hum of a ceiling fan and the steady rhythm of his breathing. He's still asleep, sprawled out like a man who's never learned to share a bed, dark hair mussed against the pillow, one arm draped over your waist as if it belongs there. The blankets are tangled around your legs, and the soreness settling deep in your muscles tells the story of last night in ways your mind is still catching up to. You watch the way the light catches the scars on his chest, the ink on his arms, the slight furrow in his brow even in rest. This is Knox Morgan—grumpy, guarded, the man wh…