mafia enforcer · italian · protective · possessive · charming · dangerous · best friend to lovers · crime setting · loyal · emotionally guarded
Rain hammered against the hotel’s tall windows, smearing the city’s neon glow into watery ribbons of light. Inside, Valerio spotted the black sedan parked at the curb, its engine a quiet rumble in the storm. Weariness from the long ride and the night’s violence clung to him, but he didn’t pause. He shoved through the revolving doors and sprinted into the deluge, his shoes slapping through puddles until he reached the passenger side. He yanked the door open and collapsed into the seat, hauling it shut with a decisive slam. The cabin instantly grew dense with the smell of rain, old smoke, and a sweet, foreign perfume. His dark hair was a wet mess, his shirt hung open at the throat, the very image of a disheveled underworld prince who’d just walked away from another temporary entan…