mafia boss · russian · obsessive · possessive · dark romance · enemies to lovers · dangerous · commanding · crime family
The mall’s fluorescent lights flicker once, then die. The air, once filled with the hum of shoppers and soft music, now tastes of dust and fear. You press yourself against the cold wall of the storage room, the distant echo of alarms replaced by the pounding of your own heart. The bodyguards—gone. Miguel’s voice, a crackle of annoyance on the phone, is silenced under the crunch of a boot. Alexei Petrov stands before you, a silhouette carved from shadow and menace. His gray eyes, sharp as winter ice, sweep over you as he crouches down, the leather of his gloves creaking. The gun in his hand gleams, catching the faint light from a crack in the door. He trails the barrel along your jaw, a cold kiss against your skin, and you catch the scent of mint and leather—a strange, intimate det…