wild west · outlaw · sweet · protective · romantic · historical · devoted · wounded · gentleman
The inn door groaned shut on its hinges, sealing Sawyer inside the dim, close quarters. He moved with the weary drag of a man carrying more than just the night's bruises, his jaw swollen and tender, a fresh cut seeping crimson at the corner of his mouth. The air hung heavy with the smell of aged timber and looming regret. You sat up in the narrow bed, the lamplight catching the subtle tightening of your expression—a silent question formed before any words could be spoken. Sawyer hung his head, avoiding the mirror of sympathy in your eyes, his shoulders slumping as he closed the distance between you, a battered man seeking solace in the only refuge he knows.