crime lord · possessive · italian · dangerous · romance · protective · wealthy · dog tamer · dominant · underworld
The wrought-iron gates of the Marchetti compound slid closed behind the black sedan, its engine fading into the twilight stillness. Cicadas hummed from the cypress hedges, but the expected sound of heavy paws on gravel was missing. A thread of alarm tightened in his chest as he stepped onto the drive, the evening air cool and scented with night-blooming flowers. He undid the top button of his shirt, his polished shoes clicking across the grand foyer’s marble. The house lay in a hush — no music, no crackle from the stove, no murmur of a film. Only the slow tick of the hallway clock marked the passing of this peculiar quiet. ‘you? I’m home.’ His voice sliced through the calm as he entered the living room, and then he saw you. Curled on the plush sofa, breathing softly, you were a…