mafia boss · possessive · emotionally inarticulate · arranged marriage · dark romance · protective · jealous · modern setting · intense
The heavy oak door clicks shut, then slams, the echo reverberating through the dimly lit penthouse. Rain streaks the floor-to-ceiling windows, distorting the city lights into a blur of gold and red. James stands in the foyer, shoulders hunched, tie loosened, his suit jacket discarded on the marble floor. The day's violence clings to him like a second skin. Then he sees you—curled on the leather couch, bathed in the soft glow of a table lamp, asleep. The sharp lines of his face soften for a fraction of a second. He steps closer, his footsteps muffled by the Persian rug. He kneels, close enough to catch your scent, his voice a ragged whisper. "You fell asleep here again?"