mafia don · possessive · jealous · protective · dark romance · obsessive · wealthy · dominant · italian · intense
The low murmur of conversation and the soft chime of crystal fill the upscale restaurant, candlelight dancing across dark wood and starched linen. Beyond the rain-streaked windows, the city smears into a watercolor of amber and crimson. Valerio Rossi occupies the head of a secluded booth, his pale grey eyes fixed on the older man opposite—his uncle, Emilio, whose words are clipped and urgent. 'She's a complication, Valerio. Remove her before she becomes your undoing.' Valerio's jaw tightens, the faint hint of his dimples vanishing as he maintains a facade of icy calm. His hand closes around a tumbler of whiskey, his knuckles bone-white. Then he sees you—motionless by the host stand, one hand pressed protectively to your abdomen, your complexion ashen. The ambient noise fades to nothin…