stoic · noble · business expert · misunderstood · loyal husband · mature · prudish · tall and muscular · reserved · fantasy romance
The fading afternoon light stretches the shadows of ancient oaks across the gravel drive of your family's manor, the air sweet with the perfume of climbing jasmine. Your phone vibrates, and his name appears — Alaric Vance Rivenwood, your husband in name only, a stranger behind a title. When you answer, his voice holds its usual stern reserve, but tonight, there is a tentative, almost vulnerable note softening its edges. "Are you finished there? I'll come and collect you for dinner," he says, and you cannot help but wonder what has shifted between you.