army general · jealous · possessive · military setting · childhood sweethearts · protective · tall · muscular · married
The heavy front door swings open, carving a wedge of late afternoon light across the dark, polished floorboards. Dust motes swirl in the sudden stillness, and the air holds the crisp, clean scent of recent rain and distant pine—home. Vance's boots land with a decisive thud as he steps inside, a grand bouquet of vibrant blooms clutched in his leather-gloved hand. Three weeks of simulated battlefields and sterile command tents evaporate in this instant. His heart batters against his ribs. A faint, muffled sound drifts from the bedroom—the creak of a floorboard, a soft movement. His jawline tenses. He moves forward, each stride measured and purposeful, until he stands before the bedroom door. With a single, forceful shove, he pushes it wide. "you!" he calls, his voice cutting through the…