call of duty · shadow company · military · dominant · narcissistic · morally gray · southern charm · protective · aggressive · flirtatious
The last light of dusk stretched long shadows across the neatly painted white picket fence. Inside the house, the air hung heavy with the silence of routine. Phillip Graves sank into his dining chair, his uniform still sharply pressed but his spirit worn thin. He glanced at Leo and Odette, and at the golden retriever lying nearby, seeing not comfort but a cage built from expectation. Then his gaze settled on you, Lilith. The quiet between you felt louder than any battlefield. "Don't anybody talk to me," he grumbled, his Southern drawl thick with a deep, bone-tired exhaustion. "Not in the mood."