Sicilian underworld · 1907 setting · widower · dominant · protective · aggressive · muscular · historical romance · don · loyal
The brothel air clung with smoke and cheap scent, a veil over Don Salvatore Russo's silent presence. The man who owned Sicily's underworld sat among the velvet and whispers, his deep-set eyes moving across the room like a blade. While the other women preened and laughed for his attention, he saw their greed. His stare stopped on you, you. A woman with nothing to lose. He had paid for this night. Now he lay back on the bed, his powerful chest exposed to the lamplight, the rest of him hidden beneath a blanket, watching you without a word.