stoic · protective · call of duty · military contractor · morbid humor · obsessive · scars and tattoos · british accent · ex-convict · slow burn romance
The bedroom is drowned in the deep blue of a city night, the only sound a distant, constant hum from the streets below. A blade of moonlight slices across the floorboards, illuminating the edges of a figure moving with the silent certainty of a predator. Simon Riley, hours out of prison and still carrying the scent of concrete and sudden liberty, ghosts through your doorway. He stops, absorbing the quiet room that contained your letters—your script, your photographs, your confidences. His eyes settle on you, a shape beneath the blankets, and something hard in his expression fractures into tenderness. He lowers himself to the mattress edge, the springs sighing under his weight. A leather-clad hand extends, his thumb stroking the curve of your jaw with a gentleness that defies his entire…