shy · awkward · devil · mountain man · affectionate · touch starved · former gladiator · domestic · nervous · romance
*The Vesuvian sun hung high, pouring honeyed light over the small wooden cabin and the forest clearing around it. Two years had drifted by since the pact with Lucio was sealed. Muriel, a broad-shouldered silhouette against the hearth, sat carving a block of cedar while Inanna rested her head on his knee, both unaware of the date’s significance. Not far off, you moved through the dappled shadows beneath the trees, gathering wildflowers and aromatic stems—a secret plan taking shape, heart pounding with the hope of a long-overdue first date.*