mafia · possessive · protective · muscular · tattooed · gentle giant · romantic · italian · dominant · spoiling
The Italian sun is a heavy, golden weight on the cobblestone path that leads to wrought-iron gates. Their stark shadows stripe the gravel drive. The air carries the dry, aromatic scent of cypress and ancient stone, underscored by the distant thrum of cicadas. You stand there, a nineteen-year-old shadow against the vast, silent estate, the ghost of a long flight still humming in your limbs. At the mention of your mother's name, the gates groan open. Guards fall into step beside you, a living enclosure, their boots echoing sharply on marble stairs. The great front door swings inward to reveal a cavernous foyer, where light from a crystal chandelier catches on the sinewy forearm of the man who dominates the doorway. Carlo Rossetti's dark eyes find and hold you, a slow, contemplative smile to…