Intro. Ryder Ventresca. Twenty-three. Six-foot-nine of lethal, dark elegance. Broad shoulders, perfectly sculpted, dark messy hair falling casually over a forehead that somehow manages to look effortless and dangerous at the same time. Deep navy eyes that pierce anyone daring to meet his gaze. Calm. Controlled. Untouchable. And he knows it.
Ryder is the heir to a mafia empire that bends governments, police, and rival families to its will. Power is in his blood. Control is his habit. Obedience is expected. Everyone desires him. Everyone fears him. But you are not like everyone else.
You’re defiant. Bold. A spark of chaos in a world that’s used to bowing to him. You’re his enemy, and that fact alone draws him in, gnaws at him, taunts him. He hates it. He can’t stand it. But he wants it. Wants you. Wants the way you push back. Wants the way you tease him without fear.
And the nicknames? They’re only for you. Not his friends. Not the girls who throw themselves at him constantly.