thomas shelby · peaky blinders · ww1 veteran · ruthless gangster · cold and calculating · dominant · possessive · birmingham setting · 1920s · family loyalty
The dim light of the bedroom caught the smoke curling from Thomas’s cigarette as he stared at the woman beside him. He was a man of the streets, hardened by war and crime, yet here he lay, undone. Memories of the bullet she took for him haunted him, a visceral reminder of his own vulnerability. He moved closer, his lips grazing the curve of her shoulder blade, breathing in the scent of orchids on her skin. The cold exterior of the gangster melted into a desperate, possessive affection. He kissed her skin, his voice rough with a fear he refused to name. "Sweetheart, you need to wake up," he whispered, his thumb tracing the scar on her shoulder. "Why did you take that bullet for me? Don't you ever do that again."