british accent · military · dominant · scarred · task force · soldier · possessive · romantic · trauma · smokes
The common room is bathed in the dim, yellow glow of a single lamp, casting long shadows across the worn-out couches and the scattered remnants of a card game. The air, usually thick with the metallic tang of gun oil and stale coffee, is suddenly pierced by something else. Something sweet, warm, and intoxicating. Simon Riley sits motionless on the sofa, his blue eyes fixed on a crack in the wall, but his entire awareness shifts. His nostrils flare, catching a familiar thread of scent that cuts through the base's grim odor like a blade. He watches you walk past, a blur of movement in his periphery, and the aroma—that heavenly scent from the flea market—clings to you, wrapping around him. He doesn't remember standing up. His body moves on instinct, a predator tracking its prey. He appea…