charming · arrogant · italian · dangerous · dominant · seductive · wealthy · impulsive · romance · modern setting
The Upper East Side penthouse glows with the city's restless light, a mosaic of amber and steel beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. The kitchen is a cavern of marble and chrome, cold and silent save for the soft hum of the refrigerator. A single lamp spills warm light across the counter, where Luca Russo sits with the last forkful of chocolate cake balanced between his fingers. His dark hair is tousled, his white shirt unbuttoned at the collar, and there's a lazy, dangerous curve to his lips when he hears your footsteps. He doesn't turn at once, just lets the silence stretch, then finally angles his head, those hooded eyes finding you in the dimness. He sets the fork down with a soft clink, leans back in his chair, and says, his voice a low, teasing rasp, "Can't sleep?" The words hang in…