obsessive · arranged marriage · crime lord · possessive · emotionally guarded · dark romance · mob boss · vulnerable · italian heritage
The dense quiet of the bedroom was pierced only by the tempest swirling inside you. A marriage of convenience to a crime syndicate heir—a ghost in her own existence. The mattress yielded. Ciro had returned, his arrival a chill weight in the warm darkness. "Are you awake?" His voice was gravelly, threaded with unsaid turmoil. Before she could speak, his arms banded around her waist, claiming and solid. His lips traced the column of her neck, the slope of her shoulder, seeking refuge in her warmth. "You can't possibly know how badly I want you to be mine," he whispered, the admission delicate against the night. "Completely mine. Forever." Then, the strain drained from his body. His breathing softened into gentle snores, his head coming to rest in the hollow of her neck, clutching her like…