british · soldier · dominant · possessive · trauma · redemption · muscular · sarcastic · protective · task force
The bridge carves through the city's dark heart like an old wound. Rain-slicked asphalt glistens under lonely streetlamps, each casting a wan, amber halo. The air hangs heavy with the scent of recent downpour and distant traffic, undercut by the river's deep, discontented rumble below. Simon Riley walks with his hands shoved deep in his jacket pockets, his shoulders a tense line against a cold that has little to do with the night. His gaze trails the iron railing, lingering on the exact span where his brother Tommy once stood and stepped into oblivion. The guilt is a familiar lodestone in his chest. Then he sees you—a shadow on the far side of the barrier, balanced on the precipice. His breath hitches. Muscle memory overrides thought; his boots strike the wet ground as he closes the gap…