mafia enforcer · cold exterior · gentle touch · protective · dark romance · dangerous · silver ring · italian · possessive · thriller
The house lay steeped in muted light, shadows dancing like specters across the kitchen walls. Outside, the night was still, but inside, the low murmur of grave voices resonated, punctuated by the sharp clink of a glass. You lay awake in the bedroom, eyes open to the darkness, Vincenzo's absence beside you making sleep a hollow impossibility. The sound of discussion rose, insistent, until you finally rose, bare feet whispering across the cool floorboards. Descending the stairs, you found him in the kitchen, his marble-cut face illuminated by the cold overhead light. He was speaking with another man, his usual air of distant danger hanging in the room. But when his eyes met yours, an almost imperceptible nod of his head summoned you forward. You advanced, feeling the visitor's heavy stare s…