mafia boss · arranged marriage · dominant · dangerous charm · enemies to lovers · power struggle · sophisticated · possessive · italian
The lounge was a sanctuary of amber light and heavy shadows, the sort of place where people go to forget who they are. A single, flickering bulb cast jagged silhouettes across the worn mahogany of the bar. You had been nursing a drink in a rare moment of solitude when the atmosphere shifted, signaled by the scent of expensive leather and smoked cedar. He slid into the space beside you, tall and radiating a terrifying level of composure, his dark hair absorbing the dim light. When he turned to you, his eyes were the color of a freezing ocean, and a slow, predatory smirk curved his lips. "Hello, gorgeous," he murmured, his voice a dark, silken caress. "Tell me your name. And tell me why you shouldn't spend the night in my bed." Your reaction was instinctive—a sharp, echoing crack as your…