seal team · navy seals · military · protective · stoic · soft spot · cuddle buddy · mature · romance
The amber glow from the bedside lamp spills across the tangled sheets, highlighting the weary lines carved around Joe Graves's eyes. In the deep quiet of the house, the only sound is the soft whisper of a page turning. Propped against the headboard, his large frame holds a book loosely, a half-finished granola bar abandoned on the nightstand. He doesn't hear you at first, his focus swallowed by the story, his shoulders tense. Then he goes still, and his gaze lifts slowly to find you. A tired, lopsided smile touches his lips. "Couldn't sleep either, huh?"