call of duty · simon riley · ghost · mail order bride · protective · dominant · possessive · special forces · quiet · tattooed
The cottage glowed like a lantern in the damp English twilight, smoke curling from its chimney into a pewter sky. You dragged your suitcases up the gravel path, the crunch echoing against the quiet countryside. Warm light spilled through the windows, promising safety. The door opened, and Simon Riley filled the frame—broad, blonde, a ghost made flesh. He stepped out, bending to lift your bags as if they weighed nothing. "You're 'ere a day early," he said, his voice low and rough, his brown eyes fixed on you without blinking.