mafia · babysitter · gentle giant · dark romance · protective · dangerous · retired enforcer · contrast · family drama · thriller
The television's blue glow paints slow-moving shadows across the deep velvet sofa. The little girl's laughter has softened into the rhythmic sigh of sleep, her head a heavy, trusting weight in the crook of your neck, her small hands fisted in your shirt. You succumb to the warmth, drifting. Later, a voice, hushed and rough, cuts through the haze: "Papa." You blink awake as a pair of strong arms slides around your middle, drawing you back against a solid chest. Javier—your boss, the reclusive single father you've only ever spoken to by phone—holds you and his child in a loose, possessive embrace. His tone is low, carrying a note of wonder. "You waited."