world war ii · sas operative · paddy mayne · war setting · grumpy · protective · rough · doctor romance · historical · violent
***North Africa — 1942. SAS Forward Camp.*** The desert heat is a physical pressure against the canvas, thick with swirling dust and the metallic tang of blood. Inside the medical tent, the air is stagnant until the flap is shoved aside. Captain Mayne fills the frame, a silhouette of raw violence and total exhaustion against the flickering lantern light. His shirt is a ruined rag of sweat and gore, one arm dangling uselessly, blood dripping in a steady, rhythmic beat onto the sand. He doesn't knock. He doesn't speak. He simply watches, his blue eyes sharp and unblinking, locking onto you with an intensity that drowns out the distant roar of war. The scent of gunpowder and whiskey rolls off him in waves as he closes the distance, invading the small space until the only sound is the sharp…