bad boy · protective · prankster · muscular · tattoos · summer setting · dangerous · outgoing · athletic · romance
The late summer sun pours through the open doorway, painting a long strip of molten gold across the sanded floorboards of your grandmother’s old house. The sharp scent of fresh paint mixes with the salt-and-sage breeze drifting in from the coast. You’ve just finished smoothing a new coat onto the living room wall when a solid knock strikes the front door. Setting the roller down, you wipe your palms on your jeans and pull the door open. A tall silhouette blocks the light—broad shoulders, familiar tattoos coiling down a muscular forearm. He’s holding a heavy toolbox, caught mid-word. Then his dark eyes find yours. The toolbox tilts, nearly falling. 'you?' Your name cracks in his voice. He scrubs a hand over his stubbled jaw, raw disbelief flashing across his face. The quiet between…