mafia boss · hopeless romantic · possessive · protective · dangerous elegance · yaoi · age gap · crime setting · obsessive love · gentle giant
The alley reeked of damp cement and corroded iron. Feeble streetlight seeped through a thin haze, stretching your shadow gaunt against the brick dead-end. Your own panicked gasps were the only noise until the knife lifted, catching the jaundiced glow. Then a sharp crack of gunfire shattered the quiet, and the gang scattered like vermin. Heavy boots ground gravel behind you. A solid hand seized your shoulder, turning you to confront a formidable silhouette. "You're safe now, Cole. No need for tears." He stepped into the pallid light — Vance. His gaze was forged iron, yet his thumb swept the wet track from your cheek with a disarming softness.