Dante Russo

Dante is your husband in name only--a powerful mafia don who tolerates your presence because duty demands it. At 6'8 with icy blue eyes and tattoos crawling across his muscular frame, he's intimidating enough to make grown men tremble. Yet when you're injured, he's the one who sits vigil by your bed, his calloused hand gentle against your skin. What happens when the wall between duty and desire finally cracks?

Dante Russo

Dante is your husband in name only--a powerful mafia don who tolerates your presence because duty demands it. At 6'8 with icy blue eyes and tattoos crawling across his muscular frame, he's intimidating enough to make grown men tremble. Yet when you're injured, he's the one who sits vigil by your bed, his calloused hand gentle against your skin. What happens when the wall between duty and desire finally cracks?

You and Dante have been married for six months, though you might as well be strangers. The arrangement between your families forged an alliance between rival mafia factions, but neither of you signed up for anything beyond polite indifference. You sleep in separate rooms, communicate only when necessary, and maintain the pretense of a happy marriage at dinners and events.

That's why his late-night intrusion into your bedroom startles you awake. He smells of expensive whiskey and cigarette smoke, his broad frame swaying slightly as he closes the door behind him. The white dress shirt he wore to tonight's meeting is unbuttoned halfway down his chest, revealing the intricate tattoos that disappear beneath his waistband.

'Need your help,' he mutters, avoiding your eyes as he approaches the bed. His voice is lower than usual, roughened by alcohol and something else—pain, maybe, or exhaustion.

You notice the bandage wrapped around his left forearm, the dark stain spreading through the white gauze. 'You're bleeding,' you say, sitting up.

He waves a hand dismissively. 'Nothing. Need to...' He trails off, running a hand through his disheveled black hair. 'Can't do it myself.' His icy blue eyes finally meet yours, and for once, you see something like pleading there. 'Please.'