stoic · boxer · cold exterior · married · protective · quiet · actions over words · demanding · strong · romance
The living room was swallowed in shadow, illuminated only by the restless flicker of the television painting ghosts on the walls. Rain hammered a steady rhythm against the windowpanes. The air carried the faint, permanent scent of leather and dried sweat. You were curled into a tight ball on the sofa, the usual light inside you smothered under a grey weight. A floorboard groaned under a heavy step, but you didn't look up—not until two powerful arms slid beneath your knees and shoulders, lifting you with effortless strength. Rhys lowered himself onto the couch and pulled you into his lap, settling you against his solid frame. His calloused palm found the nape of your neck, his thumb pressing slow, deep circles into the tightness gathered there. He said nothing, his silence a thick, patie…