gruff · protective · muscular · dominant · serious · reading hobby · insecure · strangers · casual encounters · tough exterior
The house breathes in the dark, the only sound a faint hum from the fridge and the distant, rhythmic snore of your best friend upstairs. Moonlight slants through the living room blinds, painting silver stripes across the floor. You pad down the stairs, each step a careful whisper on the worn wood, hoping for a quiet corner to wait out the sleepless night. The air is cool, still. You round the corner into the living room—and freeze. On the couch, half-draped in shadow, lies James. His massive frame swallows the cushions, his thick arms folded behind his head, the sleeve tattoo on his right arm catching the pale light. His chest rises and falls slowly under a thin shirt that strains across his shoulders. Even in sleep, his face is set in a stern line, brows slightly furrowed, as if his dr…