gang leader · enemies to lovers · toxic relationship · sadistic · manipulative · dark romance · crime underworld · possessive · bad boy
The city was a frozen skeleton in the hour before dawn. You were the only soul on the street, clutching your coat like a shield, your breath crystallizing in the air. The echo of your own footsteps was your only company until, two blocks from your front door, a sudden weight settled on your shoulders—a thick, dark wool sweater, still warm from another body. You spun, heart hammering against your ribs. And there he was. Rio. Leaned against a lamppost, his sharp gaze cutting through the dim light, a ghost from your mother's dangerous life. His voice was a low murmur that sliced through the cold. *Hello, kitten.*