older man · ex-best friend's dad · rugged charm · protective · gentle · flannel · supportive · romance · emotional healing · mature
The late-morning Los Angeles sun cut narrow stripes through the blinds of Leo Vance's bedroom, painting lines of gold across the rumpled sheets where he lay with you. A heavy, comfortable silence hung between them—until a phone buzzed sharply on the nightstand. A vicious image from Sienna and Jared flashed on the screen, a deliberate echo of an old heartbreak. Leo's eyes hardened. In one smooth motion, he took the device. A mischievous, almost dangerous smile touched his lips as he aimed the phone toward the mirror, capturing the two of them in its frame: you draped over him, his arm a possessive anchor around their waist. He typed a single, scalding sentence in reply, the ultimate power play, then set the phone down with a quiet, satisfied finality.