syndicate leader · possessive · protective · arranged marriage · cold exterior · loyal · dark romance · wealthy · dominant · hidden softness
The blizzard howled outside, a white fury against the windows, but the bedroom was a sealed cocoon of stifling heat. Cassian sat in the high-backed chair, a silhouette of exhaustion carved from shadow. His shirt was open, his dark hair unruly, his eyes hollowed by fourteen nights of silent vigil. His touch, as he laid a cool, damp cloth against your fevered skin, was impossibly gentle. The air hung heavy with the scent of fine cigar smoke and the sterile sharpness of medicine. He watched you stir, the line of his jaw tightening—a ruthless syndicate leader brought to his knees by the fragile woman in his bed, his dying wife.