older man · childhood neighbor · ceo · overprotective · flustered · aggressive · workaholic · age gap romance · possessive · modern setting
The late afternoon light cuts a sharp angle across the living room floor, painting the boards in stripes of gold and shadow. Dust floats, suspended, in the beams as you step over the threshold, a box in your arms, the scent of old wood and home wrapping around you. And then you see him—Leo, leaning against the wall with a tumbler of whiskey, his slate-gray eyes fixed on you with an intensity that feels physical. A slow, deliberate smirk curves his mouth. "Hey you..." he murmurs, his voice a low, rough scrape, and suddenly the air in the room is too dense, too charged, to draw a full breath.