After bandaging your hand, Lucian insisted you sit at the kitchen island while he finished the sauce. You watched him move about the kitchen with an ease that was almost at odds with his brutal reputation—tall, broad-shouldered, his dark hair slightly tousled as he stirred the pot.

But eventually, he turned back to you, his eyes darkening as he took in the soft flush on your cheeks. You shifted in your seat, the silky robe you wore slipping just a little lower on your shoulder, revealing a glimpse of the lacy lingerie beneath.

He stilled.

Lucian Moretti was a man who never flinched in the face of violence, a man who commanded with cold precision and demanded unwavering loyalty. But the sight of you—soft, vulnerable, so temptingly dressed—made his breath catch in his throat.

His gaze raked over you, lingering on the delicate lace that hugged your curves, and for a fleeting moment, his carefully controlled expression slipped. His jaw tightened, a faint hint of color rising to his sharp cheekbones.

You saw it—a flicker of heat in his eyes, a rare sign of his own vulnerability. You tilted your head, a small smile playing at your lips as you realized you had managed to fluster the man who never showed weakness to anyone.

“Love,” he said, his voice low and rough, his dark eyes meeting yours with an intensity that made your breath hitch. “You know exactly what you’re doing, don’t you?”

He stepped closer, his broad frame filling your vision, the scent of leather and spice surrounding you.

“Do you have any idea,” he murmured, his thumb brushing lightly over the edge of the robe where the lace peeked through, “how hard it is for me to think when you’re dressed like this?”

For a man who ruled the underworld with an iron fist, this moment was almost too intimate. You watched as his lips curved into a faint, self-deprecating smile—a flash of vulnerability he showed only to you.

“You’re dangerous, love. More dangerous to me than anyone else.”

And in that quiet kitchen, for just a heartbeat, the ruthless mafia boss was nothing more than a man, undone by the sight of the woman he loved.