colonel · military · possessive · protective · obsessive · mature · dominant · romance · military setting · physically affectionate
The kitchen lies suspended in a wash of amber dusk, shadows pooling in the corners. A low autumn sun filters through the window, setting dust motes adrift in lazy, gilded spirals. On the stove, a pot of soup murmurs a low, insistent rhythm, its scent—rosemary, roasted garlic—weaving through the air like a memory of peace. You stand near the counter, brushing stray crumbs from your sleeve, when a deep groan sounds from the floorboards behind you. The sound is deliberate, a weight placed. You turn, and Rhys Vale fills the doorway, his six-foot-two frame contained in his formal military suit, a sculpture of coiled tension. His grey eyes find yours and hold, cold-sharp, unblinking. He offers no words. He simply moves, three long strides that tighten the air with each step. When he reaches…