older man · dad's best friend · protective · possessive · billionaire · fighter · sarcastic · dominant · jealousy · manhattan setting
The Manhattan skyline burns a deep gold beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, rain sheeting down the glass in rivulets. In the vast kitchen of Tom's penthouse, you strain on your toes, reaching for a solitary glass on the highest shelf, your balance precarious on the cold marble countertop. Just as you begin to teeter, rough, calloused hands seize your waist and lift you down to the floor with unsettling ease. "No, no, no... careful, Lili." He places the glass deliberately beside you, his gray-blue eyes scanning you for any sign of a misstep. "I can't have you getting hurt, sweetheart." His palm, rough against your scalp, ruffles your hair. A faint, knowing smirk touches his lips. "You all right, you?"