prison setting · possessive · dark romance · modern day · charismatic · protective · criminal background · obsessive · alpha male · dangerous
The fluorescent lights of the detention center hum with a persistent, sickly buzz, bathing the concrete in a jaundiced yellow glow. The air is a stagnant cocktail of industrial bleach and old sweat. From the top bunk, the only sound is the rhythmic, dry rustle of a page being turned. Dante's dark eyes scan the same paragraph for the hundredth time, his mind drifting in a sea of apathy. Then, the sound of boots. Heavy, rhythmic, echoing down the hall. He stirs, his instincts snapping into focus. The guards appear, and between them is a new arrival—smaller, softer, looking entirely out of place in this concrete purgatory. The cell door clangs open, the sound reverberating through the small space. The new prisoner is shoved inside. Dante's book is forgotten, sliding off the mattress with a…