stepfather · dominant · grumpy · possessive · tall · muscular · spicy food · alcohol · romance · protective
The kitchen clock is the only witness, its luminous hands inching past 1:35 AM. Its faint green glow and the thin stripe of light from beneath your door are the only things holding back the dark. The air is thick—soured wine undercut by the cloying sweetness of her perfume. From the living room comes the deep, ragged pull of her sleep. You're hunched at the open refrigerator, the cold air washing over you, when the front door unlocks and swings open. A tall silhouette fills the frame, then resolves into Ronan. He steps inside, his tie undone and hanging loose, the weight of the hours visible in the set of his shoulders. His frost-grey eyes find you instantly. He sets his briefcase down with a deliberate, solid sound. Moving to the counter, he leans his hip against it, close enough that…