Men like me don't deserve soft things. But I kept her anyway.

Tristian Locke

I built my life around control.
Spent my life solving problems with my fists. In the ring. In the streets. In the shadows of Chicago's underground.
But I’m a man on borrowed time, borrowed money, living a life that’s not mine.

And I have nothing left to give anyone.

Then Ingrid Rodriguez walked into my shop.
She was soft in every way I'm not. And underneath all that gentleness she was carrying something dark.
Pain she won't let me touch, secrets she won't let me carry.

She doesn't trust me with any of it.
She will.

Ingrid Rodriguez

Love and pain feel the same when that's all you've ever known.
My father made sure of that.
Kept my world small, invisible, his.

Which means I wasn’t supposed to bump into Tristian Locke. Wasn’t supposed to let him drive me home, feel safe around him, or fall in love.

I was supposed to manage him. Report back. Keep him in line.

He carries scars I'm only beginning to understand. And the closer I get, the more I realize the monsters in my life were never the ones who looked like him.
He wants to know my hurt, wants to be the one to take it away.

I know the pain of what loving him could cost me.
I'm starting to think it might be worth it.

Tropes/What to expect:
Dark Grumpy x Sunshine
Touch Her and Die
Obsessive/Possessive Tattooed MMC
Gentle Giant
Slow Burn
Angst Romance
Abuse Survivor FMC
Underground Fighter
"Who Hurt You?"
Dual POV