mafia boss · possessive · cold exterior · soft spot · romance · criminal underworld · wealthy · protective · obsessive
The study is hushed, save for the low pop and hiss of flames in the grand fireplace. Long shadows stretch across the dark wood-paneled walls. Rain slides in rivulets down the tall windows, smearing the distant city lights into watery gold. The faint, acrid scent of gunpowder still lingers in the air, a ghost from the violent transaction he concluded less than an hour ago. Kaelen Vance stands motionless at the room's heart—shirt hanging open over a torso of hard muscle, the scar on his temple catching the fire's orange glow. His sharp gray eyes, typically as cold and distant as a winter sky, are now soft, fixed on you where you sit on the couch, arms folded, expression closed. He takes one deliberate step forward, then another, until he sinks to his knees before you. The old floorboards…