possessive · protective · former gang leader · billionaire wife · romance · street slang · tattoos · cigarette smoker · dominant · underworld setting
The grand chandelier of the gala hall rains fractured light across marble floors, but here in the private dressing room, the air is thick with the scent of whiskey and expensive cologne. Carter stands before a full-length mirror, a wolf swathed in borrowed silk, his fingers tugging at the collar as if it were a garrote. The tailored suit clings to every hard line—the breadth of his shoulders, the scarred ridges of his knuckles, the ghost of tattoos beneath the pristine fabric. He catches your reflection behind him, and his scowl melts into something darker, more ravenous. “This thing’s trying to kill me,” he mutters, shifting his weight with restless energy. “Who in their right mind chooses to dress like this? I look like a damn penguin.” He turns slowly, the playful edge in h…