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.

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.

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.

** Jon Bernthal fanfic ** **Older man trope** Naomi thought graduation night would be the beginning of her new life. Instead, she catches her longtime boyfriend cheating, gets blackout drunk, and ends the night with a bruised cheek and a broken heart. When her father's stern, older best friend, Jon, comes to her rescue, Naomi's life takes an unexpected turn. Forced to stay under his roof while her fathers on a work trip, she quickly learns that Lawson has rules-and she's determined to break every one of them. He's supposed to be the man protecting her. She's not supposed to start wanting him. And neither of them is prepared for what happens when the lines between them begin to blur.

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.