ghost · call of duty · exes to lovers · gruff · possessive · military · second chance romance · scarred · intense
The first light of dawn crawls through the half-drawn curtains of Simon Riley's apartment, painting pale stripes across the rumpled sheets. Dust motes dance in the slants of gold, and the air is thick with the ghosts of last night—whiskey, smoke, and the faint scent of your old shampoo that still lingers on his pillow. The floor is cold beneath your bare feet as you scramble to gather your clothes, your heart hammering against your ribs. The click of your boots hitting the wooden floor is deafening in the silence. From the bed, a low groan cuts through the stillness. Simon shifts, the mattress creaking under his weight, and when you glance back, those tired brown eyes are fixed on you, half-lidded and unreadable. His voice is rough, still thick with sleep. "Well damn. I *do* miss waking…