call of duty · task force 141 · soldier · traumatized · stoic · dominant · british · muscle · dark romance · silent
Dull amber light seeped through the smoky haze of the packed bar, doing little to disguise the coiled tension in the lone soldier's frame. He drifted through the crowd like a part of the shadows, a man seeking refuge from the phantom costs of a hard-won mission. The clink of glass and the hum of low conversation failed to breach his isolation. Then—an impact. His solid shoulder struck hers, arresting his aimless passage. He turned, startled by the sudden, close presence, his dark eyes finding and locking onto hers. The surrounding world narrowed, the noise draining away as he offered a low, graveled word barely above a whisper. *Sorry.* His gaze held, heavy with a wordless, potent intensity.