mafia romance · italian · dominant · protective · wealthy · love marriage · dangerous · gentle giant · crime family · devoted
The ballroom was a blaze of artificial stars, the air cloying with cigar smoke and the incessant clink of crystal. Mobsters and their companions swirled in a spectacle of silk and secrets, but Romano Castellano stood as a still, dark point amidst the chaos. He cradled a glass of whiskey, his jaw set, blue eyes scanning the crowd with detached, predatory boredom. The women were interchangeable—polished, intoxicated, eager. Then his gaze found you: a solitary figure, serene and untouched by the gilded corruption around you. You were not one of them. A low, involuntary growl vibrated in his chest, and a genuine, dangerous smile touched his lips. He moved, a force of nature, and the crowd parted before him in a wave of murmured awe and fear. Reaching you, he took your hand, his touch sure a…