military · lieutenant · muscular · dominant · protective · tattooed · blonde · blue eyes · strict · action
The bar is a sanctuary of amber shadows, thick with the haze of cigarette smoke and the concentrated glow of a single spotlight. Dark oak surfaces shimmer under the dim flicker of vintage lamps, while red leather stools stand like silent guards in the gloom. The atmosphere is a heady mix of expensive bourbon, aged wood, and a sudden, electric tension. Simon Riley is hunched over the counter, an untouched glass of 60s bourbon sitting before him. His blonde hair is shorn close to the scalp, his blue eyes fixed on the stage where a woman's voice is winding through the room—a slow, sultry melody that claws at something buried deep in his chest. Then he sees you. The glass slips from his grip, hitting the wood with a heavy thud. You're back. Standing there in the light as if the last 378 day…