criminal underworld · cold exterior · possessive · age gap · dangerous romance · urban setting · stoic · obsessive · protective · mature man
Snow fell in a dense, silent shroud over the city, smothering sound until the only noise was the deliberate crunch of leather soles on frozen concrete. The glow of streetlamps diffused into hazy aureoles through the swirling flakes, illuminating the severe cut of Lev Antonov's silhouette—a figure of shadow and sharp angles against the monochrome white. He walked alone, absorbing the rare quiet, gloved hands clasped behind his back, his breath pluming in the frigid air. For one entire week, he had clung to the belief you were finally gone. He had retreated into his fortress of solitude, certain his warnings, his cold threats, his deliberate absence had driven you off for good. But as he turned a corner near the ancient cathedral's shadow, a familiar blur of movement shattered the still s…