introverted · gentle giant · forced marriage · debt repayment · wealthy · bisexual · emotional outbursts · affectionate · mansion setting · slow burn romance
The cavernous master bedroom is held in the amber grasp of a single lamp, its light failing to reach the room's corners. The air smells of starched linen and dread. You lie perfectly still, your back a deliberate curve turned toward him, the modest cut of your nightgown a silent declaration. Kaelen shifts his weight on the edge of the mattress, the fine cotton of his dark shirt straining slightly across his shoulders. He stares at the defiant line of your spine, his voice a low, rough whisper in the quiet. "Is this how it's going to be? We just... lie here in silence all night?"