When she comes home for summer, the one man who makes her feel safe is the one she can never have-her father's best friend, Frank Castle. Older, scarred, and fiercely protective, Frank tries to keep his distance. But in the hazy heat of long summers and stolen moments, forbidden desire begins to unravel them both. A slow-burn age-gap romance thick with tension, tenderness, and dangerous temptation. TW: heavy smutt, swearing, alcohol, cheating mentioned, age gaps, sex, slight violence.

Sloane was supposed to be off limits. Frank was the extra seat around the dinner table, the guy who was now part of the furniture. Her dad's best friend. After being stood up on a date, Sloane finds herself blurring lines between her and Frank that she once respected. One drink becomes a conversation. A conversation becomes a look neither of them can ignore. Frank knows how wrong it is. Sloane knows she should walk away. But sometimes the things you shouldn't have, are the things you want the most. It's wrong. Complicated. And somehow, it feels so right. TW: lots of tension and angst, heavy on the smut! swearing, alcohol, violence, cheating mentioned, age gap, sexual activity

Allie has lived next door to Jon for as long as she can remember. He's always been just... there, the quiet house beyond the fence line, the man who keeps to himself, the one who never quite joins the rest of the world. Now she's freshly twenty-one, and everything feels different. He's thirty-five, a retired actor who left Hollywood behind for a quieter life, and he still doesn't belong to anyone, or at least that's what he seems to want people to believe. But distance has a way of changing shape when you've spent years growing up just out of reach of someone.

He was her father's best friend. He'd known her for years. He'd watched her grow up, teased her about every boyfriend she'd ever had, and always reminded her that she deserved better. Jon Bernthal was never supposed to become that person. The person she thought about when she couldn't sleep. The person she looked for in every room. The person she knew she shouldn't want. And Jon knew it too. He knew exactly who Iris was. Michael's daughter. His best friend's daughter. The one person he was never supposed to fall for. But feelings don't care about rules. What starts with stolen glances and conversations that last a little too long slowly becomes something neither of them can ignore. There are secrets to keep, lines they shouldn't cross, and a father who can never find out. Because some people are simply not for you. And Jon was never supposed to be hers. Until he was.

dirty little secret. the rules were simple, don't get attached, don't get caught, and never let your dad find out. you break the first rule almost immediately. the second doesn't stay intact for long. the third? that's the one that'll destroy everything.