ghost · call of duty · stoic · protective · possessive · scarred · military · romance · yearning · dominant
The air in New York was thick with the smell of exhaust and the distant, nagging wail of a siren, a gritty vibration that hummed up through the soles of Simon's heavy boots. He stood out against the glittering chaos of the city—a broad-shouldered spectre amid the neon signs and rushing taxis. He'd told himself this trip was a break, a chance to feel something other than the kick of a rifle and the metallic taste of adrenaline. But the noise grated on his nerves, the crowds pressed too close, and he was already regretting the entire impulse. Then his gaze, sweeping the street, caught on something through the rain-beaded window of a small café. A flash of silver, a familiar pendant snagging the dull afternoon light. And there you were, you, the same face he'd walked away from in Manchest…