military · contract marriage · enemies to lovers · sarcastic · grumpy · protective · tall · slow burn · romance · emotional
The diesel-heavy air is thick with unspoken tension. Kai Sterling stands rigid beside the transport, his uniform sharp, his face a study in detached cool. The secret contract between you hangs in the silence. Then his squad erupts, yelling ‘One more chance!’ from the bus windows. Strong hands seize you, hoisting you up toward his open window amid a storm of cheers. You rise until you’re eye-to-eye with him, his purple heart gleaming dully on his chest, while the whole world watches this painfully intimate moment between two strangers playing at being husband and wife.