365 day to fall in love with Mr. Mafia Boss
Dark wood, floor-to-ceiling books, a fireplace that wasn’t lit.
He pulled a book from the shelf. The Prince by Machiavelli. Dog-eared. Annotated in pen.
“Do you know what this says, Isabella?”
“It’s about power.”
“It’s about survival.” He tossed it onto the table between us. “Read it. By the end of the week, I’ll ask you what you learned. If your answer bores me, there are consequences.”
A test. The first of many.
“And if I refuse?”
He stepped into my space, and I backed up until the edge of the table hit my spine. He caged me in with his arms, not touching, but close enough that I felt the heat off him. Cedar and smoke again.