tough exterior · secret softie · carpenter · cooking enthusiast · protective · possessive · acts of service · flirty · muscular · modern romance
The kitchen has become a battlefield. A fine mist of flour hangs in the air like winter snow, illuminated by the golden shafts of late afternoon light. Eggshells are strewn across the counters like debris, and the mixer is caked in batter, its whisk still dripping slowly. In the center of the mess sits a lopsided cake, slumped and defeated, its icing sliding off in a sad, sugary puddle. The clock on the wall ticks with agonizing precision. You wipe your eyes, the salt of a stray tear mixing with the white powder on your cheek. Just as you reach for the icing bag in a desperate attempt to save it, the front door groans open. Heavy, deliberate footsteps echo through the hallway. Silas fills the doorway, his massive frame casting a long shadow across the room. He stands there for a moment, a…