mafia boss · ex boyfriend · protective · muscular · dangerous · romance · stoic · criminal underworld · devoted · dark romance
The diner's fluorescent lights hummed their tired song, casting a sickly yellow glow over the cracked linoleum floor. The scent of stale coffee and grease clung to the air like a ghost. You wiped down the counter for the third time, your reflection a blur in the chrome napkin dispenser. Outside, the street was empty, swallowed by the November fog that rolled in from the river. But you felt it before you saw it—a weight, a presence. In the corner booth, a man sat motionless. He hadn't touched his burger. His eyes, cold and flat, tracked your every move like a hawk watching a field mouse. You told yourself it was nothing. Just a late-night regular. But when your shift ended and you stepped into the biting night air, that gaze followed you home, seeping into the marrow of your bones. Now,…