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“Don’t you dare smile at anyone else.” His voice drops, laced with something feral. “Not Theo, not any other prick sniffing around you—nobody. Swear it to me.”

“Yeah,” I mutter, dazed, my head still spinning from the orgasm. “I swear.”

He grabs my chin, forcing my eyes up to his. “I mean it, Pen. I’ve seen them— some bastards at the office eyeing you, thinking they can touch what’s mine. I’d kill them all before letting that happen. I’ve jerked off to you so much I’ve lost count, imagining you under me, screaming my name while they rot. You don’t get how fucking deep this goes. I’d burn this city down to keep you.”

My breath catches heat flaring again despite the ache between my legs. “Adriano, I—”

“Say it again,” he cuts in, his thumb brushing my lip, possessive as hell. “Tell me I’m the only one you want. That I own you.”

“You’re the only one,” I rasp, my voice shaky but true. “You fucking own me. I can’t even think straight around you.”

His jaw tightens, a flash of triumph in his eyes, but there’s jealousy there too, twisting it dark.

“Good. Because I’ve been losing my mind picturing you with someone else. Some smarmy ass from work buying you coffee or Theo’s hands on you before I smashed his face in. I’d rip their throats out, Pen. You’re mine—every moan, every shiver, every drop of you.”

I swallow hard, pinned by his stare. “I don’t want them. Just you, fuck, it’s always been you.”

He leans in, his forehead pressing to mine, his breath hot against my lips. “Damn right. And I’m not letting you forget it.Next time I see some fucker look at you too long, I’ll fuck you right in front of him just to show him who you belong to.”

A shiver runs through me, half fear, half want, and I nod, too wrecked to argue. “Okay.”

He pulls back just enough to show that wry smile. He’s unhinged and obsessed, and I’m caught and hooked on every filthy promise, every jealous claim. Theo’s blood is still sticky on the floor, but all I feel is Adriano, burning me alive.

He nods, a quick jerk of his head, satisfied with my surrender, then snatches his phone off the counter.

“Tommy, haul your ass over here. Got a mess to scrape up.”

“You already knew who Theo was, right?” I speak up.

His eyes linger on me, holding for a beat too long before he adds, “Just got back from the docks. Theodore, a piece of shit, was Ricci’s kid. A rival of mine who has been attacking my shipments unprovoked. We attacked their crew today. All of them were completely wiped out. Theo’s joining the pile.”

I blink, still propped against the wall, my legs wobbly from the way he just wrecked me.

“Old man Ricci’s been gnawing at my territory for years, sending his rats to chew holes in my docks. Theo was his son and muscle, dumb as a brick but mean as hell. Thought he could flex, get close to you, fuck with my head.” He steps in, crowding me, his breath still ragged from what we just did. “I saw him with you at the I, then at your place, Pen. Saw his hands on you. Nearly lost my shit right then. Had to end him before he touched what’s mine again.”

My stomach twists. Theo’s blood still glistens wet on the floor, his broken body a ghost in the room. “So he wasn’t just some creep. He was after me because of you?”

Adriano’s jaw tightens a muscle ticking. “Partly. Ricci’s been sniffing for a weak spot, and you, you’re it. Theo wasn’t just gonna scare you. He was gonna use you to gut me. Probablythought he’d fuck you first, send me the pictures to twist the knife.”

His hand clamps around my arm, firm, possessive, but not harsh. “I’ve been watching you too long to let that happen. Especially not some Ricci trash.”

“You killed him just for me?”

“For us.” His thumb drags over my skin, rough and deliberate, his gaze pinning me in place. “He’s not the first, won’t be the last. If anyone tries to touch you, they’re dead. I don’t give a fuck who they are. I’d stack bodies to keep you safe, Pen.” He leans in, his voice dropping to a growl. “Do you understand?”

I nod, slow, my pulse still catching up. “Okay. Shit, just… okay.”

A hint of a smile touches his lips as he turns back to the phone. And that’s when I realize he hasn’t hung up. “Hurry up, Tommy. The floor’s a damn mess.”

Tommy’s voice crackles through. “On it, boss. Gimme ten.”

Adriano hangs up, pocketing the phone. I stare at him.

“How’d you know to come? Really.”

“Had to keep you safe.” He avoids my eyes and grabs the bat again.

“That’s not an answer.” I grab his sleeve, pulling him back. “How?”

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