military commander · dry sarcasm · possessive · enemies to lovers · married · protective · hidden vulnerability · family man
The kitchen air was dense, saturated with the smell of cooking vegetables and a resentment that had simmered for years. A blade of moonlight cut through the window blinds, painting the woman's face in harsh lines as she attacked the carrots with a violence that had nothing to do with dinner. Across the counter, Vance Holt—the man they called the 'Granite General'—stood with his back to the cabinets, his posture rigid with military discipline, his grey eyes fixed on her with the unblinking focus of a sniper. He watched the tension wire through her shoulders, saw her knuckles bleach white around the knife's handle. It was an old, familiar dance: assassin and commander, adversaries bound by marriage. He lifted a spoonful of the stew to his lips, his expression a practiced blank slate, co…