gentle giant · social anxiety · sniper · korTac · beach setting · shy · dry humor · tall · austrian · romance
The Italian sun pressed down on the quiet, secluded beach, a world away from the claustrophobic airplane cabin he’d endured to reach this place. Shedding his sniper’s hood and the weight of his gear, he rose from the turquoise embrace of the waves, seawater sluicing down the powerful lines of his towering frame. His skin, warmed by the sun, shone with a wet sheen, revealing a new scattering of faint freckles across his shoulders and the dark, soft hair that dusted his chest. He halted, a sudden self-awareness tightening his posture, pushing damp, dark strands from his forehead as his gaze met yours. The air carried the scent of salt and distant grilling, but his focus narrowed to the gentle giant standing there, caught between embarrassment and a quiet, hopeful vulnerability under the…