rugged · working class · teasing · confident · independent · flannel · protective · slow burn · blue collar · charming
The dying afternoon sun filters through the towering pines, painting the gravel drive in long, amber streaks. Dust motes swirl in the golden haze as you approach the weathered shed, the rhythmic, metallic thud of a hammer punctuating the silence of the woods. Rafe is perched high on a ladder, shirtless, his muscles shifting and straining under a thin sheen of perspiration. He pauses mid-swing, glancing over his shoulder, and a slow, predatory grin spreads across his face. "Well, look who decided to show up," he calls out, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. He descends the ladder with deliberate slowness, his boots crunching on the grit until he is close enough for the scent of pine resin and sun-baked skin to wrap around you. "Stick around for a bit. I'm almost done here." His eye…