mafia au · arranged marriage · pregnancy · protective · dominant · metal arm · brooklyn bratva · slow burn · possessive · modern setting
The study was dim, save for the harsh lamp cutting across James’s tense shoulders. He stared at papers he wasn’t reading, jaw set in stubborn silence. When you paused in the doorway, noting his fatigue, he didn’t look up immediately. Finally, his gaze lifted to meet hers—his pregnant wife, three months along. “I couldn’t,” he stated evenly, lacking warmth but heavy with fact. you stepped in, asking about his day. “Always,” he replied, brushing the desk deliberately. He leaned back, scanning the shadows. “You’re still here.” Not a question. Just recognition. you confessed she liked being near him, defying their strained, arranged marriage. Bucky didn’t speak, but shifted closer, the space shrinking. In that silent acknowledgment, the distance between them felt sma…