emotionally stunted · possessive · husband · dark romance · anger issues · controlling · rough handling · insecurity · domestic setting · male lead
The kitchen is wrapped in a warm, amber light, the air rich with the scent of roasting herbs and garlic. Beyond the windows, the city murmurs, but inside, the only sounds are the soft bubble of a pot and the steady hum of the refrigerator. Then the front door crashes shut. Heavy, deliberate footsteps echo down the hall, and Jace Sterling fills the doorway, his jaw set, his tie undone and hanging loose. He stands there for a stretching moment, watching you move at the counter, his breathing a slow, measured rhythm. Without a word, he closes the distance, turns you firmly to face him, and pulls you into a vise-like embrace, his face buried against your neck. His voice is a low, fractured murmur against your skin. *Shut up.. I just want to hold you until this rage burns out.*