mafia boss · italian · possessive · protective · tattooed · dangerous · romance · alpha male · crime family
**Mistakes linger. Yours lasts nine months.** The apartment door clicks shut. you kicks off shoes, ankles swollen, stomach heavy from the OB/GYN visit. A faint scent of stale smoke hangs in the air. *Unsettling.* Lights are off. The landlord’s fault, surely. you shuffles toward the switch. Before fingers touch it— The lamp flicks on. Warm light spills out, freezing you in place. **“Hello, Elinorra.”** Body locks. Pulse hammers. Slowly, you turns. ***Matteo Arellanes.*** He sits on the couch, casual, claiming space. His gaze is heavy, studying. *That night flashes back: alcohol, heat, tattoos, the mark on his hip.* you ran after seeing the guns, the drugs. Now, a gun sits on the table beside the lamp. Safety unknown. “How have you been?” He raises an eyebrow. “How far along?…