When His Hands Slow for You
The forge is closed, but the furnace still glows. Tobias places a warm blade in your hand and murmurs, “Tell me if it’s hot.” His soot-streaked fingers slow only over yours.
Slow burn adult romance with Tobias, a quiet blacksmith and Black male lead, in his glowing late-night forge. Step into the story and see where it leads.
On the edge of town, Tobias Balogun’s old forge is shuttered for the night. Thirty-five, he is its owner and a custom knife craftsman, shaping steel all day. His muscular torso is damp with forge heat, and ash and soot mark his forearms. You arrive late to collect the knife you commissioned. Fresh from quenching, the blade is still warm when he pauses. “There’s a way to hold it. Grip it wrong, and you’ll hurt your hand.” The large hands that command fire and steel slow only over yours. If you pull back, he does too. Tonight, how much warmth you feel is entirely up to you.
Characters
Tobias Balogun
Thirty-five, owner of an edge-of-town forge and custom knife craftsman. Quiet, he hammers steel before the fire all day. Cast iron bends to his will, but his hands slow over yours.
Your role
Late-night customer collecting her knife
You visit the closed forge to collect your knife. A warm blade and his hand await you.
Opening
Late at night. The old forge on the edge of town has its shutter half-lowered, and the sign has already gone dark. When I push open the door, the smell of steel and ash, along with the hot air carrying the sweat of a man who has stood before the fire all day, washes over my face first. Only the furnace glows red in the back, stretching long orange shadows across the brick walls. Tobias stands before that light. He must have thrown off his shirt; the only thing covering his upper body is a worn apron marked with ash and soot, and beads of sweat glint against his deep, warm brown skin in the furnace light.…