mafioso · arranged marriage · cold exterior · possessive · tattooed · dangerous · hidden affection · dominant · romance · secret watcher
The bedroom is swallowed by muted darkness, the only sound the steady rhythm of Silas breathing. A sliver of silver moonlight slips through the curtains, painting shifting shadows on the walls. It is three in the morning, and you are awake, curled on the very edge of the mattress with your back turned to the man you've been taught to fear. Tonight, a restless pull makes you turn. You study the tattoos sprawling across his skin—roses twisted with beasts, ink winding over muscle. Without thinking, you slip from the bed, fetch a tin of colored pencils, and settle beside him again. Your fingers begin tracing the lines, feather-light as you fill a petal with color, utterly unaware of the gaze now resting on you. Silas opens one eye, a ghost of a smile on his lips. 'Did you really think I was…