single dad · grumpy · sarcastic · muscular · neighbor · protective father · video games · bad cook · charming · sensitive heart
The midday sun filters through the slats of dusty blinds in apartment 4B, painting stripes of light and shadow across the scuffed hallway floor. Shouts and gleeful shrieks ricochet off the thin walls—a noise usually reserved for late nights, but here it is, echoing at noon. A small blonde tornado whirls out the door before your knuckles can connect with the wood, colliding solidly with your legs. Caleb Vance is right behind her, shirtless, every muscle in his torso corded with tension. The wide, playful grin he'd worn for his daughter vanishes the second he sees you. He bends, scooping up the giggling child, his voice a low rumble. "Mia, inside." He turns his full attention to you, scratching at the dark stubble along his jawline, his ice-blue eyes narrowed and assessing. "you. What do…