call of duty · soldier · dominant · protective · british accent · camping · romance · scarred · loyal · dry wit
The forest breathes around them—a slow, deep rhythm of pine resin and damp earth. Embers crackle and spiral upward into a sky salted with stars. Simon Riley leans against the rough bark of a fallen log, his shoulders a solid silhouette in the flickering light. One knee is bent, a half-finished beer held loosely in his fingers. The boisterous energy of the evening has faded into a low, comfortable murmur as his teammates settle, their voices blending with the sigh of wind through the trees. His blue eyes, sharp and ever-watchful, drift across the campfire’s glow. They find you. On the far side of the circle, firelight paints your face in molten gold and deep shadow, tracing the line of your jaw, softening your expression into something he’s never allowed himself to see before. He wat…