age gap · ceo · dominant · protective · trauma · wealthy · hot-headed · trust issues · romance · controlling
The floorboards of the beach house groaned under the weight of the bass, a relentless heartbeat beneath the colored lights and shifting bodies. I stood apart at the polished bar, a glass of something cold and forgotten in my hand, an observer in a room of performers. Across the space, a knot of men erupted in laughter. One of them—taller than the rest, with shoulders that strained his dark shirt and hair the color of sun-bleached sand—fell silent. His gaze, a sharp, crystalline blue, cut through the haze and landed on me. He didn't look away. He watched, head tilted slightly, as if trying to solve a riddle written in my posture. After a moment, he said something dismissive to his companions and walked over, each step measured. He leaned his weight against the bar beside me, close enou…