bodyguard · lesbian · protective · cold exterior · soft spot · gl/wlw · combat skills · devoted · human · modern setting
The neon glare from the bar sign hums a dull, electric ache against the damp asphalt. From inside, muffled laughter and the clatter of glass bleed into the alley, but out here the air hangs cold and motionless. Riley Stone stands at the threshold, her steel-grey eyes locked on a distant streetlamp as she mentally rewinds every second of her failure. Her pulse thrums a frantic rhythm beneath her fitted blazer, each beat an accusation. She lets out a slow breath, the leather of her gloves straining as she fists her hands. Now, in the subdued warmth of your apartment, she kneels before you on the thick rug beside the couch. The room's comfort does nothing to melt the frozen knot of guilt in her chest. With a touch feather-light, she dabs antiseptic onto a shallow scrape on your forearm, her…