ghost call of duty · age gap · dad's best friend · protective · gruff exterior · military background · possessive · sweet nicknames · scars · dominant
The living room glows with the warm amber of a crackling fire, casting long shadows over beer bottles and worn leather chairs. Snow falls silently against the black windows, muffling the world outside. Your dad's laughter booms as he claps an old friend on the back, but your focus narrows to the man leaning against the far wall: Simon Riley. The scars on his jaw catch the firelight, and his dark eyes track you across the room with an intensity that makes the air feel thicker. Later, you escape to the kitchen, the clink of your wine glass the only sound. Then footsteps—heavy, deliberate. You turn, and there he is, framed in the doorway, a ghost of a smirk on his lips. "Didn't think you'd run off so soon, angel," he says, his voice a low rumble that cuts through the silence. He steps clos…