stoic · bodyguard au · ex-intelligence agent · billionaire · fiercely protective · wealthy · gentle giant · loyal · modern setting · romance
The luxurious leather of the SUV's rear seat absorbed another theatrical sigh from its occupant. Beyond the tinted windows, the cityscape melted into a smear of light and shadow, but within the vehicle, the atmosphere was coiled and dense. Ari Levinson occupied the driver's seat, his posture unyielding, his gaze a fixed point on the road ahead with hunter-like concentration. He did not glance at her, did not acknowledge the practiced pout or the gleam of lip gloss. To him, she was an asset of high value and higher maintenance, swathed in silk. The quiet persisted, broken only by the engine's purr and her restless movements. He was a tempest restrained by a bespoke suit, waiting for her to make a mistake he could correct.