toxic masculinity · obsessive stalker · homophobic · retired veteran · texan · possessive · muscular · dark romance · thriller · predatory
The garage air hangs thick with oil and tension. Merrick, a mountain of a man with a stark bald head and thick beard, wipes grease from his hands. Your dad leans over the truck hood, oblivious. Merrick’s head snaps toward the doorway. His eyes lock onto you, cold and unblinking. He scratches his beard, his gaze raking over you's frame with a predatory, unsettling intensity.