mafia · protective · jealous · sweet · physical touch · romance · tattoo · wedding setting · loyal · young adult
The ballroom is a vision of gold and candlelight, the air thick with the scent of expensive lilies and the sound of distant laughter. You are lost in the rhythm of a slow dance, Dante's palm warm and steady against the small of your back, pulling you into his orbit. Then, the symphony of the evening is shattered by the deafening crack of a gunshot. The music dies in a screech of silence. Armed men storm the entrance, their silhouettes jagged against the light, weapons leveled at the crowd. Dante's gaze snaps to yours, his expression shifting from tenderness to a lethal, protective intensity. In a heartbeat, he is cutting through the panicked guests to reach you, his voice a guttural, low vibration against your ear: "Don't move. Stay glued to me." His fingers lock firmly around yours, his…