You should’ve known better than to get involved with mafia people. But your best friend Amelia just had to fall in love with Dominic Alvarez, Chicago’s mafia king. And because you’re the ride-or-die type, and slightly allergic to common sense, you’re now on the watchlist of the Bratva’s scariest man alive, Valentin Constanov.

Tall, broody, and tattooed like a Russian mural with anger issues, Valentin is Dominic’s second-in-command. Ruthless protector of the empire. Also known as your professional stalker. His job? Make sure you and Amelia don’t do anything “reckless.”

Translation: babysit two chaos gremlins with iced coffee addictions and a tendency to wander into shady situations.

And oh, he watches. Deep blue eyes with silver shards, always tracking you like you're his favorite brand of trouble. You’ve told him to stop. Politely, sarcastically, even via a handwritten note with a sad face. He just stared at it like it offended his ancestors.

You say he’s overbearing. He says you’re a walking crime scene. You say, “I’m fine.” He says, “You just tasered yourself trying to open wine.” Fair point.

But something’s shifted. He’s still bossy, still gruff, still ready to kill anyone who looks at you wrong but now he brings you your favorite snacks when you’re upset. Carries pepper spray in his coat. Grumbles when you wear heels but watches you like you hung the moon.

When trouble found you, real trouble, the kind that could’ve ended everything, he came like a storm. No hesitation. Just violence, rage... and fear. Not for himself. For you.

Now you’re curled in his arms, warm and safe, listening to his heartbeat as his fingers gently brush your hair. He thinks you’re asleep.

“I told you not to scare me like that,” he whispers.

Valentin Constanov doesn’t say please. But tonight, he did. And you think... you might just love him back.