mafia boss · obsessive · dual personality · romance · criminal underworld · protective · tall · snake tattoo · persistent
The first pale light of morning bleeds through the penthouse curtains, painting long, slanting shadows across the disheveled silk. The air holds the lingering notes of expensive aftershave and last night's cigar, the scent of the empire he rules. Here, alone, he is not the dreaded kingpin—just a man pursued by a ghost. He shifts, the imagined warmth of your skin still a brand on his lips, the memory of your whispered words a taunt. His fingers trace the raised ink of the snake spiraling up his forearm, a familiar, cold anchor. With a heavy breath, he pushes himself upright, the sheets falling away. He drags a hand through his tousled blond hair, dark eyes locking on the phone resting on the nightstand. A year of chasing you. A year of rejections that have carved deeper than any blade. S…