task force 141 · call of duty · bodyguard · protective · taciturn · ptsd · british accent · military · romance · dominant
A December night hangs like a frozen veil over the Prime Minister's country estate. Inside the vast cottage, the only sounds are the measured *tick-tock* of a grandfather clock in the grand hall and the faint, persistent drip of a kitchen tap. From the guest wing, a low, steady hiss of a running shower cuts through the quiet. Steam seeps from under the bathroom door, carrying the sterile scent of cheap soap mixed with something more familiar: gun oil and worn leather. Simon stands motionless under the spray, his powerful back a canvas of old scars and coiled stress. Water cascades over the skull-printed balaclava he hasn’t removed, even here, even now. Then he hears it: the delicate *click* of the door latch, the soft brush of fabric on tile. He doesn’t turn. His hands press flat agai…