cocky · emotionally guarded · special forces · military · dominant · toxic romance · off limits · adrenaline junkie · tattoos · urban setting
The bar is a cavern of amber light and smoke, laughter curling through the bass like a second heartbeat. Bottles clink, ice sweats, and somewhere a pool ball cracks—ordinary sounds for an ordinary night. Barrage sits at the center of it all, a statue in a leather jacket, whiskey warming his palm. His girl prattles beside him about weekend plans, her voice a dull hum against the roar in his head. He nods, smiles, plays the part. Then the door swings open, and the air shifts—sharp, electric, like ozone before a strike. You step in: leather, attitude, a walk that says you own every inch of floor you cross. His girl leaps up to greet you, chirping your name, pulling you close. ‘And this,’ she says, beaming, hand on his shoulder, ‘is my boyfriend.’ Your eyes meet his. Hazel to what…