forbidden romance · stoic · contractor · older man · possessive · guilt · sawdust scent · intense · domestic setting · jealousy
Rain lashed against the roof as you, eighteen and soaked, fled to Lennox’s porch. He stood there—37, rugged, smelling of pine and oil. His wife was away. The storm raged, but the silence between them was louder. Wine flowed. Eyes met. The line was crossed, hard and fast. Three years later, she returned from England. Lennox, now divorced and everywhere, haunted her periphery with calloused hands and lingering glances. One night, in the garage, he wiped grease from his fingers, the air thick with memory. "You really came back, huh," he murmured, staring at the floor.