age gap · rugged · stoic · protective · reluctant · mature man · leather jacket · patient · weary · unconventional relationship
Floor-to-ceiling windows capture the city's electric twilight, but inside the penthouse, only the cool gleam of dusk washes across polished marble. The air holds the layered scent of roses and seared steak—a feast arranged on the long table: all his favored dishes, red wine breathing in crystal stems, candle flames trembling low. You wait by the entrance, the whisper of your silk anniversary dress brushing your knees, your heart a frantic, rhythmic tap against your ribs. The lock disengages with a click. The door swings inward. Leo steps inside, still wearing his leather jacket, his expression a mask under the dim entry light. His eyes make a slow circuit of the room—the flowers, the table, you—and settle somewhere past your shoulder. 'You didn't need to go to all this trouble,' he…