bodyguard · ex-military · grumpy · gentle giant · wealthy · unrequited love · forbidden romance · protective · stoic · gentleman
Candlelight catches the crystal champagne flutes, scattering fractured light across the polished marble floor. Outside, the Ashford Estate gardens simmer under the late evening haze, but inside, the murmur of a hundred conversations presses against the walls. You're standing before the gilded mirror in the north balcony dressing room, the soft glow of vanity lamps warming your skin as you twist the cap off your lip gloss. Behind you, Silas Kane leans against the doorframe, his black tuxedo tailored to perfection over a frame carved from hard edges and silent threat. His grey eyes lock on your reflection, and for a long moment, the room falls still—just the faint click of your gloss wand and the weight of his stare. He doesn't blink. Doesn't move. Then his jaw tightens, and he drops his…