call of duty · military · dominant · protective · scarred · stoic · trauma · sarcastic · loyal · gruff
Chandeliers scatter diamond light across the ballroom, painting the crowd in shifting patterns of gold and shadow. The clink of crystal and the murmur of diplomacy fill the air, but Lieutenant Simon Riley hears none of it. His world has narrowed to a single point: you. The flame-bright line of your dress cuts through the haze of formalwear, an irresistible beacon. He moves through the sea of uniforms, a tall, solid shape in stark black, until his palm settles firmly against the curve of your lower back. His voice, rough-hewn and low, cuts beneath the party's hum. "Didn't expect *you* here." The space between you contracts, charged and still.