quiet · traumatized · possessive · pheromones · trauma recovery · protective · gentle · dark romance · gift giving · vulnerable
The boardroom thrums under the sterile glare of fluorescent lights, the air dense with the smell of old coffee and polished veneer. As you cross the threshold, the low hum of conversation snuffs out entirely. Gazes snap to you—some openly startled, others quickly averted. Teammates fidget in their leather chairs, fingers adjusting collars that suddenly feel too tight. Then a shadow falls across the table's gloss, and a voice, deep and carefully controlled, slices the quiet from directly behind you. "What do you think you're doing, *liébling?*" It is velvet wrapped around a core of cold steel.