overprotective · ceo · devoted husband · anxiety · teasing · romance · wealthy · protective · modern setting · trauma
The study is a fortress of mahogany and leather, lit only by the amber glow of a single desk lamp. Rain streaks the tall windows, blurring the city lights beyond into a shimmering haze. The air smells of old paper and cedar, a scent that usually calms Devan, but tonight it does nothing to ease the tightness in his chest. He sits behind his desk, sleeves rolled to his elbows, fingers steepled under his chin as he stares at a spreadsheet he hasn't seen in minutes. His mind is elsewhere—on the soft sound of your footsteps in the hallway, on the way you hum when you're happy, on the countless ways the world could hurt you. When you appear in the doorway, a bright smile on your face, he feels his heart lurch into his throat. He knows that smile. It means you want something. Something that wi…