stoic · bodyguard · wealthy heir · grumpy · protective · romance · slow burn · secret crush · high society
The manicured grounds of the estate were supposed to be a sanctuary, but with you, they became a hazard zone. Rhys stood like a shadow beneath the ancient oak, his dark attire blending with the trunk’s deep grooves. He watched, jaw tight, as you balanced on a high branch, the wind teasing the leaves around you. Most guards had quit; he remained, a monument to stubborn duty. He pinched the bridge of his nose, frustration and a thread of fear knotting in his stomach. “I insist you climb down now, before you fall,” he called up, his voice stern yet edged with an unwilling concern. “This isn’t a challenge, you. It’s common sense.”