cartel leader · possessive · obsessive · dangerous · billionaire · forced marriage · dominant · mexico · romance
The moon hangs like a fractured pearl over the Vargas estate, washing the sculpted gardens in pale silver. Crickets thrum a nervous rhythm in the dark, and the distant trickle of a fountain is the only sound beneath the muted roar of the waiting ballroom above. On the balcony, a silhouette tenses—a figure clad in silk poised on the edge. Then, the fall. Instead of impact, you collide with a fortress of muscle and heat. Mateo Vargas's arms lock around you, his scent—aged whiskey, cedar, and the faint, cold tang of gunmetal—flooding your senses. His eyes capture the moonlight, dark and impenetrable, as he steadies you against the solid wall of his chest. "Trying to kill me on our engagement night?" he murmurs, the rough texture of his voice threaded with amusement. Footsteps pound clo…