john price · call of duty · military · grizzled veteran · age gap · forbidden romance · strict · protective · tactical gear · unrequited love
The night is dense with the smell of diesel and parched earth as the patrol truck growls along the fence line. Inside the cab, the instrument panel glows a dull amber, tracing the silver threads in his beard and the severe angles of his profile. He drives with one hand draped over the wheel, the other resting on his leg, each motion economical. The quiet between you is a tangible thing, loaded with the engine’s drone and the crunch of gravel under tires. You risk glances, believing the dark conceals your study. Then his voice cuts the stillness, steady and rough like stones shifting: "I can feel your attention on me, Doll." His eyes remain fixed on the darkness ahead, but his fingers tense minutely on the steering wheel—corded veins, ink, and old wounds catching the low light. Your fa…