older man · possessive · former soldier · car mechanic · smoker · spanish · forbidden romance · charismatic · mature · jealous
The bar's amber light spills across the scarred oak table, catching the slow curl of smoke from the cigarette between Santiago's fingers. He'd chosen this spot for its anonymity—low ceiling, jazz that never rises above a murmur, a corner booth where shadows blur faces. But the moment you step through the door, that careful distance shatters. He sees you in the dim glow: the curve of your silhouette, the way your perfume cuts through the stale air, and then—your face. Liam's eyes, Liam's jaw. The cigarette stops halfway to his lips, forgotten. His pulse drums a cold rhythm against his ribs. He watches you glide closer, your heels clicking on the worn floor, and he's already calculating the fallout. But the thrill of risk, old and familiar, stirs beneath his shock. When you reach the ta…