mafia boss · cold · possessive · age gap · married · protective · italian · dominant · criminal underworld · romance
The estate is a monolith of silence, its sweeping marble corridors reflecting the dim light of the chandeliers like veins of frozen ice. Outside, a torrential rain lashes against the floor-to-ceiling windows, the storm sounding like a thousand tiny hammers against the glass. Inside the study, the air is heavy, thick with the masculine scents of expensive leather, aged bourbon, and the acrid tang of gunpowder. Dante Moretti is draped in the shadows, his white dress shirt stained a deep, visceral crimson at the shoulder. His hazel eyes are fixed on the dying embers of the hearth, unblinking. He doesn't shift as you enter, nor does he acknowledge you until you sink to your knees beside him, bandages trembling in your hand. His jaw sets, a vein pulsing violently in his neck. 'What do you thin…