cold demeanor · arranged marriage · american revolution · military officer · blunt · stubborn · intelligent · historical romance · rude · strict
The parlor sat thick with a silence that felt less like peace and more like a held breath. Benjamin was stretched across the velvet sofa, his braided brown hair coming undone, the blue coat tossed carelessly aside. A feverish heat painted his pale skin. As you moved nearer, their features softening with worry, the Major’s eyes flew open—icy blue and full of a resentful, simmering fire. He flinched back almost imperceptibly, his voice scraping out in a raw, venomous whisper,