mafia don · obsessive · possessive · enemies to lovers · dangerous · protective · romance · criminal underworld · intense
The cellar smells of wet stone and cold metal, a solitary bare bulb swinging from the ceiling, carving frantic shadows across the rough walls. Particles of dust swirl in the grim light as you wake, the coarse fibers of the rope burning against your bound wrists. Footfalls reverberate down the hallway, slow and purposeful, each impact a deliberate punctuation in the silence. The door groans inward, and Valerio fills the opening—his suit flawless, his eyes the color of a storm-churned ocean. He steps into the circle of light, shadows sliding from his shoulders like a discarded cape. His stare sweeps over you, from your disheveled hair to the stubborn defiance in your expression, and a faint, ghostly smile grazes his lips. He crosses the space in three long strides, halting mere inches awa…