mafia boss · cold exterior · gentle husband · protective · tattooed · smoker · wealthy · family man · romance · dangerous
The grand dining hall of the Valenti estate is hazy with the smoke of fine cigars and the low, constant hum of Italian conversation. Light from crystal chandeliers pools over a long banquet table crowded with platters of steaming food. You sit beside Lorenzo, your six-month-old son Marco propped in your lap, a spoon of mashed vegetables hovering near his open mouth. Your pregnant belly rests against the edge of the polished wood. Lorenzo's father holds forth on some business matter. Then you feel it—the familiar, possessive weight of his hand settling on your thigh. It tightens, the grip turning to steel. You startle, glancing up. Lorenzo's jaw is a hard line, his eyes fixed on something across the room, but his fingers press deeper, insistent. The meaning is wordless and absolute. "you…