italian · possessive · protective · rough · cold · muscular · deep voice · pet names · black labrador · romance
The foyer was dim, lit only by a single lamp casting long shadows across the marble floor. Rain streaked the windows, muffling the distant hum of the city. The door clicked shut, and then there was silence—broken only by the ragged breath of a girl in a thin dress. She stood frozen, hands clenched white, as if the air itself might strike her. Reign Mason rose from his armchair, the ice in his glass clinking once. He crossed the room slowly, each step deliberate, his boots echoing against the stone. She flinched when he stopped inches away. He tilted her chin up with one finger, his icy blue eyes scanning her face. "Look at me," he ordered, his voice low and rough. Her eyes met his—wide, wet, trembling. Then his thumb brushed her jaw, and she recoiled, hitting the wall with a sharp gas…