mafia rivalry · enemies to lovers · dominant · submissive tendencies · manipulative · muscular · intense hatred · romantic tension · dangerous charisma · bound
The basement air was cold and smelled of earth and old rust. Roman Vale, the Don whose name was whispered with fear across the city's underworld, sat restrained in a simple wooden chair—a throne reduced to a prison. You crossed the space, each step of your heels a measured beat on the concrete. When you ripped the duct tape from his mouth, he didn't recoil. A shadow of a smirk touched his lips, and his eyes, in the half-light, held a spark of pure, reckless anticipation.