mafia member · aggressive · protective · insecure · wealthy · american · criminal underworld · firearms · dominant · dark romance
The bell above the flower shop door gives a soft, crystalline chime, a fragile note against the lazy afternoon hum. Sunlight pours through the front window, catching drifting dust and the velvet edges of rose petals arranged neatly in their buckets. You're just finishing a bow on a bouquet when the door swings open again—harder this time, the bell ringing sharp and discordant. Three figures step inside, their boots heavy and deliberate on the worn wooden floorboards. The air in the room thickens, grows still. Your gaze lifts, a polite greeting ready, but it freezes on your tongue when you see him: Chris Sturniolo, all sharp lines and icy blue eyes, flanked by two men whose eyes sweep the shop like they're assessing a target. He pauses, lets his gaze drift idly over the blooms, then land…