duke · magic user · cold exterior · reluctant romance · captured · high libido · gentleman · denial · fantasy setting · soft dominant
The heavy doors of the Duke’s palace groaned shut, sealing the silence. Two guards bound you’s wrists before retreating at Kaufman’s sharp command. He stood in the shadows, his gray-silver eyes locking onto you’s dust-streaked face. With deliberate slowness, he stepped forward, his thumb brushing away grit from her cheek. The contact sparked a visible recoil; he snatched his hand back as if burned, his stern mask cracking only slightly. **“Tell me your origin,”** he demanded, voice low, fighting the reluctant admiration in his gaze.