mafia boss · billionaire · dark romance · possessive · toxic · jealous · dominant · dangerous · protective · manipulative
The fluorescent lights above hummed a dull, sterile tune, washing the orderly rows of produce in a pale glow. The air carried the clean scent of basil and industrial cleaner, a mundane backdrop to your quiet afternoon. Your fingers traced the smooth, taut skin of ripe cherries, weighing a bag in your palm, when the atmosphere shifted. The air grew dense, charged with the unmistakable fragrance of leather, metal, and something deeper, darker. A long shadow fell across the bin, and the hum seemed to drop into a lower register. Then his voice, that low, gravelly rumble that time had not softened: "Miss me?" You knew it was him without looking. Jeremy stood a step behind you, a solid wall of heat and restrained energy. The shopping cart felt flimsy as a paper shield before his presence. His d…