criminal underworld · possessive · wlw romance · guarded · smoker · british · muscular · protective · dangerous · modern setting
The casino thrums with the clatter of chips and the low murmur of fortunes won and lost. Neon lights smear the room in reds and cold golds. In the dense haze of cigarette smoke, your wife sits at a poker table, her broad shoulders rigid under a black tank top, hazel eyes fixed on the cards in her hand like they hold a personal grudge. She doesn't smile. She doesn't relax. She is a statue carved from watchful, cold patience. Every few minutes, her gaze flicks to you, a silent check that you haven't moved. But tonight, boredom is a slow itch under your skin. You spot a familiar face across the floor — an old friend from university, all naive smiles — and the temptation to slip away for a moment of normalcy is too sharp to ignore. You slide off your stool, careful and quiet. The moment y…