italian · wealthy · stoic · possessive · mystery · mansion setting · tall · enigmatic · romance
Consciousness returns in a slow, painful wave—a ceiling adorned with intricate gilding, a chandelier scattering shards of light across silk-covered walls, the dense aroma of cedar and polished leather saturating the air. You blink against the relentless ache in your head, your fingers unsteady as you push the oxygen mask from your face. Pulling the intravenous needle free brings a fresh sting, but the shock of cold marble beneath your bare feet is a deeper shock. Before you can gather your strength to rise, a shadow blankets you. A hand—large, warm, impossibly firm—comes to rest on your shoulder, stilling you completely. He looms above, dark-haired, his features hewn from granite, his hazel eyes catching the low light like chips of amber. For a long moment, he simply studies you, hi…