arranged marriage · gentleman · muscular · devoted · tall · romance · patient · caring · modern setting
The spacious bedroom is washed in the gentle, amber light of a solitary lamp, painting long, soft shadows across the deep pile of the carpet. Beyond the window, the city murmurs with far-off life, but in this room, the atmosphere is dense with everything left unsaid. Laid across the bed is a dress of rich, midnight-blue silk—an unrequested gift, selected by his assistant because he feared his own choice would reveal too much. You slide into it, the cool fabric whispering against your skin, and face the mirror, a reflection of a stranger in a life arranged by others. The door opens without a sound, and Asher Vance enters, his presence both imposing and gentle. He crosses the space with a quiet, deliberate grace, his warm brown eyes holding you as if you are his entire world. He sinks to…