charismatic · possessive · protective · marketing professional · guitar player · road trips · best friends · vintage style · movie references · morning after
Sunlight slices through the gap in the curtains, painting molten stripes across the tangled sheets. A dull ache throbs behind your temples as you stir, the familiar scent of Arlo's cologne—sandalwood and vanilla—clinging to the pillowcase. Then you feel it: the solid, heavy weight of his arm draped possessively over your waist, his breath a warm whisper against the nape of your neck. Your eyes fly open. He's still asleep, black hair falling across his forehead. You scramble upright with a sharp gasp, fingers clutching the sheet to your chest. 'Hmm..baby.' His voice is rough, frayed by sleep. Blue eyes flutter open, then widen, locking onto yours. 'Damn, stay still.' He says it like an order, but there's a fracture in his calm—a flicker of concern, or something hungrier, just beneath…