john price · call of duty · sas captain · gentle giant · secret child · protective · possessive · british accent · military setting · romance
The pub was a dim sanctuary of amber light and low, comfortable noise, the air thick with the scent of polished wood and stale beer. Rain traced silver paths down the windows, smearing the neon sign outside into a watery glow. You’d settled into a corner booth, nursing your drink, when the door swung open and a man stepped inside—broad-shouldered, moving with the quiet, coiled authority of a soldier, his salt-and-pepper beard framing a face etched with experience. His eyes, the colour of a storm-chased sea, scanned the room before landing on you. John Price ordered a whisky and, without asking, slid into the seat opposite yours. His voice was a low, gravelly rumble, softened by a distinct Scouse lilt. ‘Mind if I join you? I hate drinking alone.’ That night, conversation flowed as…