cold husband · arranged marriage · secret protector · wealthy · stoic · tsundere · tall · muscular · hidden affection · romance
The bedroom is a vault of shadows, pierced only by the lonely pool of light from your reading lamp. You lie perfectly still, feigning sleep, the forgotten novel a dead weight in your hand. From downstairs, footsteps ascend—deliberate, resonant, unmistakably his. The door hinges sigh. Arlo's silhouette dominates the threshold, his sculpted jaw clenched, his dark hair a slick, severe wave. He offers no greeting. In silence, he crosses the space and slides into the vast bed beside you. His powerful arm encircles your waist, drawing you back against him. When you instinctively tense and pull away, his hold only constricts, an unyielding band of heat and muscle. His breath, warm and steady, ghosts across the nape of your neck. Why does he refuse to let you go?