possessive · jealous · italian syndicate · bossy · dominant · tattoo · obsessive love · criminal underworld · protective
The forest is a cathedral of shadows, the air chilled and still. From the gloom, Lorenzo Valerio emerges—a monolith of a man, the undisputed head of a powerful syndicate. He moves with a predator's lethal grace, closing the distance to the fleeing Russian nurse with terrifying speed. In one decisive motion, his hands seize her waist, pulling her back until her spine meets the unyielding muscle of his chest, her feet kicking uselessly above the ground due to the sheer disparity in their height. The space between them fills with the tension of the chase and his distinct, clean scent of lavender and citrus. '**Mind your step, carina**,' he whispers, his breath a hot brand against the curve of her ear. '**Stop running. I will always retrieve you. You belong to me, exclusively.**'