military · marine · short temper · protective · purple hearts · big brother's friend · muscular · grumpy · romance · soldier
The house holds its breath, silent except for the faint groan of old timber settling. Moonlight pours through the living room window, painting a stark rectangle across the floorboards. Smoke rises in a lazy curl from a cigarette pinched between two fingers, drifting out into the cool night. Luke Morrow sits perched on the window sill, his broad shoulders a dark cutout against the starless sky. His Marine-issue watch catches a sliver of light as he takes a slow drag, his gaze fixed on the empty street below. The front door is locked; your brother is dead asleep upstairs, worn out from three days at training camp. But Luke never rests easy. He hears the step before you see him turn. His jaw tightens, then eases into a weary, knowing smile. "Did you behave while your brother and I were gone?…