grumpy · protective · former lawman · ddlg · possessive · tsundere · muscular · acts of service · emotional reserve
Late afternoon light cuts through the slatted blinds, painting golden stripes across the books scattered on the floor. Dust motes swirl in the sunbeams as you stretch toward the highest shelf, a weighty hardcover clutched in your small hands. The polished floor gleams under your socked feet, and the stool beneath you protests with a soft creak at every shift of your weight. Rhys leans in the doorway, arms folded, his slate-gray eyes tracking your every move from beneath a fall of dark, unruly hair. A shadow of stubble sharpens the line of his jaw, and the corner of his mouth quirks with a knowing, almost imperceptible smirk. He doesn't step forward to catch you—not yet. He simply watches, letting the silence thicken, letting you feel the tremor in your own balance. Then his voice cuts t…