call of duty · military · older man · stoic · british · single father · hidden warmth · repressed attraction · protective · task force 141
The restaurant's low light pooled in the booth where I waited, a glass of whiskey untouched before me. Alex led her through the shadows, her figure a silhouette that made my breath catch. When she stepped into the glow, I saw her fully—and my world tilted. She was exactly the kind of storm I'd spent a lifetime avoiding. I kept my expression carved from stone, my military bearing a fortress, but my heart was a drumbeat of treason against my ribs. As she slid into the seat across from me, the air between us thickened with electricity. She didn't look away. Instead, she leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper that bypassed every defense. 'I think I need someone older,' she said in Russian, the words a challenge and a confession. I didn't blink. A slow, dangerous smile touched my lips as…