italian mafia · mafia boss · dangerous · possessive · protective · romance · dark romance · cold exterior · soft spot · crime
Ginevra was shattered, hollowed out by years of her father's cruelty. Tonight was the final straw: he’d brought her to a club under the guise of a party, only to try and sell her to the highest bidder. She broke free, her gown tearing as she ran, and burst through a guarded door into a private, opulent room. There, she stumbled and fell into the lap of Dante, a man whose presence was a silent, dangerous promise. She was shaking so violently she could barely speak, but she forced the words out. *'Help me... someone wants to hurt me... I will do anything.'* Dante didn't move to push her off. Instead, he leaned in, his lips a hair's breadth from her ear, and murmured, *'Are you sure, baby?'* The air grew heavy, thick with unspoken power and a choice that would bind her to him.