CLAIMED BY THE MAFIA KINGS 1st of the Mafia Queen Series

Lyra's POV

The house felt too quiet.

Not peaceful,suffocating.

The silence pressed in around me, thick and stifling, as if the very walls of this place were trying to swallow me whole. The absence of sound wasn't comforting;it was oppressive, the kind that settled in deep, making my skin itch, and my thoughts spiral.

My pulse still hadn't settled from last night's encounter with Leo in the kitchen. No matter how hard I tried to shake it off, his presence lingered. It was more than a memory,it was a brand. A mark he had left on me in ways I wasn't ready to admit.

Every time I let my guard slip, I felt him.

The weight of his hands gripping my hips. The rough scrape of his stubble against my skin. The heat of his breath fanning over my neck. The possessiveness in his kiss, like he had claimed me in a way that no amount of denial could erase.

And worst of all?

I had let him.

I had wanted it.

I had kissed him back

A sharp exhale tore from my lips as I forced myself to move, pacing the dimly lit hallway. My bare feet made no sound against the cool wooden floor, but the storm inside me raged on. I needed to get a grip.

This was spiraling out of control.

Leo was dangerous: more than just the man he presented himself to be. He had power, control, an empire at his feet. He was the kind of man who commanded the world with a glance, who had people cowering with a single word.

And I?

I was nothing more than a pawn standing in his shadow.

A foolish girl playing a game she didn't understand.

Then why did I want to step closer?

Why did his name settle in my chest like a whisper I couldn't ignore?

My fingers curled into fists at my sides, my body tense with the war waging inside me. Logic told me to stay away. Common sense screamed at me to run before I got caught in something I couldn't escape.

But my feet had a mind of their own.

Before I could think better of it, I came to a stop outside his office door.

The heavy wood loomed before me, an unspoken invitation. A threshold I knew I shouldn't cross.

I could walk away. Pretend last night never happened. Go back to keeping my distance.

But deep down, I knew the truth.

Leo wasn't only the dangerous one in this house.

because I was standing here, heart racing, pulse thrumming in anticipation.

My fingers hovered over the doorknob.

I should walk away.

I should pretend like last night never happened, like I wasn't standing here about to make another mistake.

But I didn't.

I turned the handle.

The door creaked as I pushed it open, revealing the dim interior of the office. The scent of leather and expensive whiskey filled the air, mingling with something distinctly him.

Leo stood by the window, staring out at the darkening sky. He didn't turn right away, but I knew he had sensed me the moment I walked in.

A slow, deliberate tension filled the space between us.

Then, finally

He turned.

His gaze settled on me, dark and unreadable.

The moment our eyes met, something shifted.

That invisible thread pulling me toward him tightened.

"I wasn't expecting you," Leo said, his voice smooth as silk, but there was something beneath it: something sharper, something hungry.

His eyes roamed over me in a slow, unhurried way, taking in every detail, like he was committing me to memory.

My breath caught.

I should say something.

I should demand answers.

But the only thing I could think about was the way my body remembered his touch.

"I need to understand something," I forced out, gripping the edge of my sleeves to keep my hands steady.

His smirk was slow, knowing. "Do you?"

I hated how easily he could see through me.

I lifted my chin, forcing strength into my voice. "I need to know what this is. Where this is going."

Leo moved.

Slow. Deliberate.

The space between us evaporated too quickly, and suddenly, he was there: so close, his presence wrapped around me, consuming the air between us.

"You already know where this is going," he murmured.

I swallowed hard. "You can't just-"

His fingers brushed my jaw.

A featherlight touch, but it felt like a command.

"Don't lie to me, Lyra," he said softly, his voice a dangerous caress against my senses. "You knew exactly what would happen when you walked in here."

My pulse skittered.

I wanted to deny it.

I wanted to tell him he was wrong, that I wasn't standing here because I wanted him to touch me again.

But we both knew the truth.

"I don't play games," I whispered, my throat tight.

Leo's lips twitched, the ghost of amusement flickering across his face. "Don't you?"

I opened my mouth: to argue, to fight back,but before I could say a word, he reached out, gripping my waist in a way that made my breath hitch.

Firm. Unrelenting.

Not enough to hurt.

Just enough to own.

My fingers curled into fists at my sides. "Leo-"

"You came here," he murmured, his breath warm against my skin. "You chose this."

His voice was hypnotic, pulling me deeper into the fire.

I should step back.

I should put distance between us.

But instead, I let him pull me closer.

Because God help me, I wanted him to.

"You act like you still have control," Leo said, his fingers tightening slightly on my waist. "Like you're not already mine."

A shiver rolled through me.

"You think I belong to you?" I whispered, hating how my voice trembled.

He exhaled slowly, his lips brushing dangerously close to my ear.

"No," he murmured. "I know you do."

Then his mouth was on mine.

Hard. Deep. Consuming.

I gasped against him, but he didn't let me pull away. His grip tightened, his body pressing against mine as he claimed me again, like last night hadn't been enough.

Like he was still starving for more.

I should resist.

I should shove him away.

But I didn't.

Instead, my fingers tangled in his hair, my body giving in, my lips parting beneath his.

Leo groaned, the sound vibrating through me, making my knees weak.

He lifted me, pushing me back against the desk in one swift motion, his hands spreading over my thighs, my waist, my back.

Heat coiled low in my stomach, winding tighter and tighter.

His mouth left mine, trailing down my throat, his teeth scraping just enough to make my breath catch.

"You feel that?" he rasped against my skin. "That pull? That need?"

I clenched my teeth, fighting the truth, but my body betrayed me-arching into him, craving more.

His smirk pressed against my neck.

"You can pretend you don't want this," he murmured, his lips grazing my collarbone. "But the way you melt for me tells a different story."

I hated him for being right.

For the way my breath stuttered when his hands slid beneath my shirt.

For the way my body burned for him.

"Leo," I whispered, pleading, warning, losing myself all at once.

But then, A knock.

Loud. Sharp.

We froze.

Reality crashed back in.

Leo's hands still gripped me, his forehead pressing against mine as he exhaled a shaky breath, his jaw clenching hard.

The knock came again.

More insistent this time.

"Not now," he muttered, his voice full of frustration as he slowly,reluctantly,set me back on my feet.

I was still breathless.

My legs felt weak as I adjusted my shirt, my hands trembling.

Leo's dark gaze stayed on me, still hungry, still possessive.

"This isn't over," he said, his voice like a promise. Like a warning.

And deep down, I knew it wasn't.

Because no matter how hard I tried to resist

I had already fallen.

And I didn't know if I even wanted to get back up.