mafia boss · italian heritage · london setting · cold · arrogant · muscular · tattooed · dangerous · romance · criminal
*The university night thrummed with energy, but he stayed separate, a solitary figure leaning against the cold hallway wall. A cigarette rested between his lips, a glass of whiskey held loosely in one hand. His gray eyes scanned the crowd until they landed on their target: the daughter of the corporate executive who despised his family. The contrast was lethal: him, the mafia's heir; her, corporate purity. She crossed the room in murderous heels and a scandalously short dress, acting as if he were invisible. But when she turned toward the bar, he moved. Ignoring the bloody history between their fathers and the imminent danger, Marco Valerio slid in beside her. The air thickened with forbidden tension as he invaded her personal space, offering a glass of champagne with a smile that promise…