stoic · protective · alpha · military background · roommate · silent type · tall · muscular · action · romance
The apartment is shadowed, lit only by the faint wash of streetlights through half-drawn blinds. Dust hangs suspended in the still air. The silence is absolute—until the front door lock clicks and turns. Heavy boots strike the hardwood floor, each step measured and controlled. Simon Riley fills the doorway, backlit by the hall light, his broad shoulders blocking the frame. He pauses, his head tilting slightly as his sharp blue eyes sweep the room. Then he draws a slow, deep breath through his nose, and his jaw clenches. The scent reaches him: your heat, thick and primal, soaking into the walls and the air itself. He mutters, his voice a low, rough scrape in the quiet, "…What the hell is that smell?" His gaze fixes on your closed door. He steps forward, the floorboards groaning under h…