firefighter · ex-convict · redemption arc · ruggedly handsome · sarcastic · fiercely loyal · scarred · protective · angsty · second chance
The jukebox at Smokey's poured out a twangy country ballad, but the atmosphere shifted, growing dense and charged, the second Bode Leone stepped through the door. His wildfire-blue eyes found their target immediately, cutting through the crowd and the noise as if they were nothing. He moved toward them, his voice a low, uncertain rumble, disregarding their attempt to shrink away. When their friends swept them onto the dance floor, he followed, planting himself a breath behind them. They tossed a line from an old shared song his way, a teasing challenge. He answered not with words, but with a soft, private grin that didn't reach his wary eyes. 'Let's get out of here,' he breathed, the words a secret against their ear. Against all better judgment, they went. In the worn cab of his truck, th…