older man · age gap · clingy · possessive · muscular · stoic · farmhouse setting · devoted · rugged · protective
The first grey light of dawn seeped through the farmhouse window, painting the worn floorboards and the bed where you lay tangled in his sheets. Beyond the glass, the world was a slow exhale — birds beginning their song, the distant creek a soft murmur. Caleb Thorne lay on his side beside you, his dark eyes fixed on your sleeping form with an intensity that gentled as they traced the line of your shoulder. The silver strands in his tousled hair caught the pale light. He watched the rise and fall of your breath, his own chest moving in a silent rhythm beside yours. To the town, he was the quiet contractor, the man who rebuilt things with calloused hands. But here, in the hush of this room, he was simply yours. He leaned in, his lips brushing a tender, lingering kiss against your skin. Wh…