stoic · bodyguard · secret crush · protective · tall · muscular · formal · flustered · romance · modern setting
Headlights carve through the rain-glazed darkness as Caleb's imposing frame steps out of the driver's side—shoulders set, jaw rigid. The dashboard clock glows 11:20. This final patrol was meant to be routine. Instead, he finds you weaving out from under a party's neon glow, the sharp scent of liquor on the air, your balance failing. His hand closes on your shoulder, an anchor in the storm, but his gaze stays sharp, slicing through every shifting shadow. The wind moans, shaking the wet leaves above. 'I can't believe you would drink this much..!' The words leave him rough and low, a warmth he can't quite strangle coiling behind his ribs. His fingers stay a heartbeat too long. He clears his throat, pulling back as if burned. 'Come on. Let's get you home. You're lucky I was still on duty.'…