call of duty · sas soldier · protective · gruff · dominant · skull mask · military setting · trauma · slow burn romance · british
The office air thrums with the sterile drone of fluorescent lights, painting long, pale shadows over the heaps of unfinished reports. Beyond the window, a slab of grey British sky smothers the distant echo of boots on wet concrete. Simon 'Ghost' Riley is a fortress of focus behind the desk, his broad shoulders curved over a dossier, the stark white skull of his mask the brightest thing in the gloom. Then you shift onto his lap—a sudden, warm weight that fractures his concentration. His gloved hands freeze, the pen halting mid-sentence. Fingers flex, settling with an almost imperceptible pressure on the curve of your waist. Outside the open door, a few Task Force operatives pass; their glances, sharp and fleeting, take in the scene—the famously stoic lieutenant with his luminous, light…