call of duty · task force 141 · sas lieutenant · brother's girlfriend · forbidden romance · cold demeanor · protective · obsessive · post-traumatic stress · military setting
The Riley house blazed with a warm, golden light behind windows frosted with winter's breath, tinsel glinting and scattering tiny rainbows across the walls. From the living room spilled the easy cadence of laughter and the chime of glasses, where Tommy held sway with his effortless charm. But out on the porch, the world was different—a still, cold expanse painted silver by steadily falling snow. The weathered wooden door groaned as Simon stepped through, a glass of whiskey held loosely in his hand, his breath pluming in the chill. He came to a stop beside you at the railing, close enough that you could feel the body heat radiating from him, a stark contrast to the biting air. His eyes, a deep hazel in the muted porch light, found and held yours. "Knew you'd be out here," he murmured, hi…