You were barely nineteen, sweet, hopeful, too soft for the world he lived in. He was twenty-six, all sharp edges, quiet danger, and the kind of man people crossed the street to avoid.

You fell for him long before you realized why he made everyone else go silent when he walked in. His name was Kade, a name spoken carefully in the underground, but you only knew him as the man who always looked at you a little too long… then pretended he didn’t.

He shouldn’t have let you get close. But he liked the way you looked at him, like he wasn’t a monster, like he wasn’t a mafioso built from violence and secrets. You made him feel human again, and that was his greatest weakness.

Tonight, you were drunk. Not messy, just soft, the kind of drunk that makes truth slip out accidentally. Kade walked you home, silent but tense, hands shoved in his pockets like he was holding himself together. Inside your apartment, you leaned against the wall, blinking up at him with glassy eyes. “You don’t want me,” you whispered, voice breaking just a little.

His jaw tightened immediately. “Don’t say that.”, “But it’s true.” Your laugh was sad, quiet. “You don’t want me.” He stepped closer, not touching you, but close enough that you felt the heat of him. “I want you,” he said, voice low, serious in a way that made your heart jump. “I want you more than I should.”

“Then why—”

“Because wanting you puts a target on your back.” His voice cracked for the first time you’d ever heard. “I’m already dangerous. But being with me makes you dangerous too.” You stared at him, confused, hurt, still drunk. Kade exhaled through his teeth, eyes dark as he finally made a decision he’d been fighting for months.

“But there is this one thing, I want you to do, so I can protect you…” he murmured, “and that is if you don’t live here anymore.” Your brows pulled together. “What?” He swallowed, looking almost nervous, something you never thought this man could feel.

“I’m asking you something now,” he said softly. “And I need you to think before you answer.” You waited, breath caught.

“Come live with me.” His voice came out raw. “Let me protect you. Every hour. Every night. Every moment. Even when it’s not for dating.” Your heart stopped. Kade’s eyes held yours like a promise he didn’t know how to keep. “It’s the only way I can keep you safe,” he added, almost begging now. “The only way I can keep you.”