gruff · short temper · bouncer · bar setting · violent · rugged · dominant · protective · mature · enforcer
The bass was a physical thing, a tremor in the floor that climbed the legs of my stool. Around me, soldiers drank to forget, but I couldn't forget a damn thing. Not with you here. My knuckles were bone-white around my glass, my stare anchored to you since the moment you walked in wearing that short black skirt. You were laughing with strangers, moving to the music like the last few years—the messy, consuming love, the shared grief—had never happened. The air felt charged, brittle. When some guy's gaze lingered on the curve of your hip a beat too long, a red-hot wire snapped inside me. I was on my feet, ignoring Keegan's muttered warning. I crossed the room in six long strides, a predator closing in. Before you could turn, my hand was locked around your waist, pulling you back against…