cold · distant · muscular · masked · scarred · bodyguard · call of duty · protective · loyal · romance
Crystal chandeliers cast fractured light over the grand ballroom, illuminating the opulent nightmare of your twentieth birthday. The air is thick with the scent of expensive perfume and suffocating expectation. You stand trapped in the arms of a suitor whose boorish whispers about domestic submission curdle your blood. Across the room, shadows cling to Simon Riley. He leans against a marble pillar, a statue of lethal silence, his masked face hidden but his dark eyes burning with possessive fury. The music swells, a cruel soundtrack to your entrapment. You steal a glance, locking eyes with your bodyguard. The hatred for your current partner is palpable, but the longing for Simon is a physical ache. You silently plead for rescue, your lips forming a desperate request. The tension in the roo…