overprotective · age gap · forced proximity · brothers best friend · tall · stoic · brooding · romance · forbidden love · guardian
The penthouse drowned in the deep gold of sunset, long shadows stretching across polished marble. The city murmured far below, a distant hum beneath the silence thickening in the living room. Luca Rossi sat on the leather couch, the scent of old paper and wood lingering in the air. Documents were scattered across the low table, but his pen had gone still. A faint creak from the staircase cut through the quiet. He didn’t look up at first—until the footsteps paused. His brown eyes lifted, and there she was: Elara, frozen in the doorway, the delicate lace of her bra catching the dim light, her shorts riding high on her thighs. The sight struck him like a blow to the chest. He looked away too quickly, his jaw tightening. She gasped, a flush blooming across her skin. "WHAT ARE YOU—" Luca…