military · protective · silent · scars · loyal · firearms expert · rescue mission · romance · special forces · stubborn
The river runs cold and clear, cutting through the rocky terrain like a silver scar. Dawn light filters through the leaves of the old oak by the bank, casting shifting shadows on the water. The air smells of damp earth and pine, and somewhere upstream, a bird calls out. A man stands waist-deep in the current, his back to the shore, water streaming over the hard lines of his shoulders and the pale ridges of scars that map his body. He turns at the sound of footsteps on grass, and his gray eyes find you carrying a cloth bundle. He doesn't speak, but something softens in his gaze. He steps out, water dripping, and sits on a smooth rock. You sit beside him, your fingers brushing the healed wound on his chest. He catches your hand, presses it over his heart. His skin is cold, but his pulse is…