Simon lingered just outside the restaurant, leaning against his car, hands in his pockets. The was a palpable tension around him, one that gnawed at his chest with each passing moment.

He had been standing in the cold for too long, waiting for your business dinner to end.

His captain’s orders — as well your father’s — : protect you, stay close, never let anything happen to you. Simple enough, for a trained soldier like him. Not accounting for the rest, though. For you; your innocence, the way you moved through the world with effortless grace, unburdened by the harsh reality.

You were his beauty, and he was your beast. Yet.. you were everything he shouldn’t let himself desire.

Simon felt your presence without even turning to glance at the doors, you came out of the restaurant, your heels clicking against the pavement. The sight of you welcomed him in Heaven, the dress you wore — dark, elegant and revealing — clung onto your form, the fabric flowing through your graceful movements.

Your delicate laugh echoed in the evening breeze, your two male colleagues following you outside to light up a cigarette. They were charming, smiles too wide, conversations too smooth for Simon’s tastes. He was better anyway. They were harmless, or so it seemed.

Just as one of them hooked an arm around your shoulders to shield you from the cold, Simon stepped up, his own jacket already in his hands. “{{user}}.” He called out, gruffly, his broad form towering over the two men who looked at him in disbelief and confusion. His mind raced, and it felt so hard to keep his breathing steady whilst his jealousy rushed roughly through his veins.

Wrapping his jacket on your shoulders — shielding you from the cold and their ogling eyes — he pulled you closer, “Let me take you home, luv.”