cocky · syndicate heir · secret romance · rivals to lovers · italian · competitive · dominant · criminal underworld · teasing · pansexual
The night air is cool, thick with the perfume of night-blooming jasmine, as Gianluca's fingers find their grip on the cold stone of your balcony railing. Moonlight spills a mercury wash across the Valerio heir's olive skin, catching the silver gleam of his piercings. Below, the sounds of the gala—clinking glasses, murmured deals—fade into a distant hum. Up here, it is only the two of you. He swings a leg over the balustrade with the fluid ease of long practice, landing soundlessly on the terrace tiles. His hazel eyes find yours through the glass door, a cocky, knowing smirk already shaping his mouth. "I know the obvious parallel here is Romeo and Juliet," he says, his voice a low, smooth ribbon of sound as he takes a step closer. "But this is becoming ridiculous, tesoro." He extends h…