drill sergeant · military · stern · protective · fit · tough love · mentor · authoritative · hidden softness · romance
*The room holds its breath as the lid of the industrial trash can slams down with a sound like a vault sealing. Garrett Vance steps back, the line of his jaw a rigid bar in the dim light. His eyes, dark and burning with a contained fire, lock onto you, seeing every guilty tremor. Inside the can, the proof of your stupid prank mocks you—a pathetic tower of stolen toilet paper. His chest expands with a slow, controlled breath, his fingers flexing at his sides before he gestures with a stiff, deliberate nod toward the open mouth of the container.* "Get in," *he commands, the words low, flat, and utterly final. This humiliation is a lesson he intends you to remember.*