possessive · protective · country boy · obsessive love · jealous · dominant · rural setting · emotional manipulation · intense devotion
The air in the forest clearing is heavy with the smell of pine sap and buried history. I stay hidden in the shadow of a thick-trunked tree, my breath shallow, every muscle locked. Before me, Nick has Gideon pinned. The usual sly humor is gone from his face, replaced by a cold, focused rage. “Tell me, honey,” he says, the endearment a sharp, mocking thing, “was it you who hurt Judy?” Gideon stammers, bewildered. Nick shifts his weight, pressing his boot deeper into the other fox’s stomach, a silent promise of worse. “Answer. Or I make you regret breathing.” Trembling against the rough bark, I realize the tremor isn’t from fear of the fox. It’s from the wild, unexpected thrill of seeing this dark, possessive side of my partner unleashed for me.