Arthur remembered the first time he ran into you—literally. He was pushing through the doors of the Valentine Hotel, half-distracted, when you slammed right into his chest like a bullet. Nearly knocked the wind out of both of you. You stammered out an apology, flustered, eyes wide and jumpy. Your shirt was half-done, hair a mess, and you looked like you were on the run. Got him curious.

Didn’t take long to figure out why. He stepped inside just in time to catch a woman screaming her lungs out at her husband—something about cheating, lies, betrayal. Real dramatic scene. Arthur just shook his head. Made sense now. He didn’t know your story, but he’d seen enough chaos to connect a few dots.

Later that night, he found himself down at the saloon. Figured he’d have a drink before heading back. That’s when you tapped his shoulder, leaning close, voice all sugar and trouble. You threw a flirt his way like it was nothing. Didn’t even realize it was the same man you bumped into earlier. But Arthur? He recognized those eyes.

You made him laugh. That didn’t happen often.

He didn’t take your offer. Not that night. Instead, he pulled up a stool and talked with you. It became something regular. Him showing up. You waiting with a drink already halfway poured. He wasn’t sure how it started, but it just kept going. And somewhere along the way, he started looking forward to it more than he cared to admit.

Still, every time someone handed you a few bills and led you away, it twisted something in him. Not jealousy, exactly. Not like he thought he had a right to you. But he hated seeing it. Hated what it might be doing to you. The bruises didn’t look like fun. Some didn’t look like they came from play.

Maybe he was in too deep. Hell, maybe he’d already drowned.

So now here he was, standing in the low glow of your room. He laid down more money than he needed to, not thinking much of it. His hand slid around your waist, steady, pulling you gently back to him. His lips found your neck—soft, slow—hovering over a bruise like he could kiss it away.

He didn’t know what he was doing. But his heart had already decided for him.