possessive

"Kiya has always been alone in her world, hiding behind walls of attitude and silence. One ordinary day at the city mall changes everything. A glance, a collision, and two strangers—Yash and Vivek—enter her life, pulling her into chaos she never expected. Will she let them in, or stay locked in her safe, lonely world? A story of secrets, choices, and unexpected connections begins."

!MATURE THEMES! After her family is brutally murdered in front of her by the Vampire King, Zyren Blackthorn, for being hunters, Aria is left broken and devastated, desperate for death. Her world is shattered when Zyren, instead of killing her, claims her as his pet, dragging her away from her village into the heart of the central city. As a human slave, she is forced to endure his sadistic desires. Every night, he reminds her of her helplessness, but beneath his cruelty lies an obsession that burns with intensity. Despite her hatred and longing for revenge, Aria’s body betrays her, and she finds herself caught between a dark desire and her desperate need for revenge. Excerpt: Aria’s breath hitched as Zyren’s fingers traced the line of her jaw, his touch colder than ice, yet searing her skin with the promise of more. She should resist, should fight back, but her body betrayed her—shivering, craving the pleasure she knew he could give. “You thought I’d kill you,” Zyren murmured, his voice a dark purr. “But instead, you’ll belong to me. Every part of you will be mine.” Her lips parted to speak, but the words caught in her throat. The memory of her family’s blood staining her hands made her stomach churn as she glared hatefully at him. “Tell me,” he growled, his hands moving lower, pressing against the softness of her skin, “do you still wish to die?” She clenched her fists, tears threatening to spill, but her body trembled under his touch. “I wish for nothing but to be free of you,” she spat, but even as the words left her lips, she felt the hunger in her—a hunger she hated but couldn’t deny as she stared into his red eyes. A need to PRESENT herself to him and have him mount her…body and soul.

#Malepregnancy #omegaverse #Enigma #throuple According to an ancient law said to be created by the Moon Goddess, an Enigma must marry into the weakest pack in order to raise its status and keep balance among all packs. The law also allows him to take up to three other wives of his choosing, as long as one of them comes from the Alpha family of the weakest pack. However, BluePack, the weakest of all, complicates everything. The pack has no princess from its Alpha line. Instead, it has only a prince, one many people don't know about. His father, Alpha, hid him away for reasons that remain undisclosed. The court is firmly against the idea of the Enigma marrying a man, even if he is the only option available. To them, such a union is unthinkable. But... how could an ancient law be ignored?! What decision will Lord Jethro, the Enigma himself, make?

“Let me go Henry,” I said coldly. “I am not yours, not anymore.” Henry scoffed. “You will always be mine. I was your first mate.” “And yet you rejected me. I don’t need you anymore, I have-” “Who do you have, Nyssa? Him?” He laughed humorlessly. “You don’t even know who he is.” Rowan growled, a low warning sound. “Shut the fuck up!” “Why?” Henry shot back. “Tell her what you’re hiding, Rowan, let’s see if she still loves you after.” ********************* Nyssa was once the beloved of the pack—the Beta’s daughter, mated to the Alpha. But once her parents died, and she was unable to shift, her life began to crumble until she was finally rejected by her mate, Henry. It was hard enough that he left her for her best friend, but as the Beta’s daughter, she was forced to remain with him until an attack leaves their pack vulnerable and they have to seek help for the lycans. What was meant to be a diplomatic trip turned into chaos when Nyssa realizes she is mated to Rowan—the lycan king. Lycans and wolves don’t get along, and there is a lot of history between the three of them. To Nyssa, the angel she doesn’t know is better than the devil she knows, But what happens when that angel is just another devil in disguise? After all, Rowan is hiding some dark secrets of his own, the kind that threatens their already fragile bond. Would she be able to handle the pressure? Or will she go back to Henry who may have never gotten over her in the first place?

All the mishaps just began during the summer break for me, a girl from a family of five, since my parents have two older twin brothers named Milo and Miles who has my whole life mapped out for me. My parents are wealthy, overbearing, and strict who are always monitoring my activities, though I am not the only one in the family. One night before the start of the summer vacation, I asked my parents about my goal of taking up the job as an hacker in Pakistan during the summer vacation, and this led to an argument with my parents that ended with them grounding me for the entire summer vacation. I decided to sneak out that evening to Delilah's where the conversation turned to the return of the Mafia kings and the high rate of kidnapping and yes (Delilah is two years older than I am, and I, actually, am also a sophomore at University of Milan studying Criminology and also Milos' former girlfriend). I explained to her what happened and asked whether she has a job to offer, and then she suggested something about working as a maid to get information about Lucas "The Mafia Lord" regarding the cases of kidnapping and missing girls in her school. Although it sounded like a crazy idea, I offered my service-at least anything to get me away from home. Lilah made up a lie to my parents that I was going to spend the summer at her place, while they were going to spend their summer at Kuwait, as well as expand our mining business. A week later, I set out for Placid Mansion, where hundreds of girls line up to get this job, and a few were picked by his secretary-which I was among the lucky few. Well, I wouldn't say that if I knew the mess I was getting myself into.

Chu Yan died in a car crash on modern Earth, but when the underworld offered him forgetfulness, he refused. Reborn with his memories intact in the ZERG empire, he grows up as the beloved youngest prince in a species built for war, and quietly remakes it from the inside: names replace numbers, schooling replaces instinct, and the old hunger for humans is dragged into the light and ended. When the galaxy is exhausted after thousands of years of bloodshed, Chu Yan offers something unthinkable: peace. To prove it, he leaves everything that has ever protected him and enters the human empire as a treaty student at the Imperial Military Academy. There, admiration and hatred collide. Commoner cadets begin to accept him because they know what war costs, while old factions sharpen their knives behind slogans and “clubs” that only insiders recognize. As Chu Yan fights to be seen as more than a symbol, Feng Xu, the empire’s youngest general and a strict temporary instructor, is tasked to receive him and keep order—only to find his suspicion slowly turning into attention, then restraint, then something neither of them can afford. It becomes whether it can be lived, and what it will demand from the people brave enough to try.

CONTENT WARNING This story is intended for a mature audience and contains graphic, intense scenes that may be disturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is strongly advised. DON'T FUCK ME OR YOU D1E... Camilla Gray's loneliness ended when she found a family in the Harts—and a fierce, consuming love in their son, Bran. Their wedding day was soft and sunlit. The kind of day that makes you believe in forever. It shattered on their wedding night. He died inside her. Years later, Camilla isn't healing. She's surviving. She lives as a servant in her own home, enduring the venomous blame of Bran's family, who are convinced she killed him. She's starting to believe them. Then a stranger steps out of the rain. Lucian Thorne is a trillionaire whose calm is more terrifying than any rage. He holds a contract bearing Bran's signature—and hers. To settle an unimaginable debt, Bran sold her. Now Lucian has come to collect. Camilla faces an impossible choice: remain in a prison of grief and contempt, or walk into a gilded cage owned by a man who sees her not as a person—but as collateral. This is not a story about moving on. This is a story about what happens when the only way out is to sell yourself to the person who already owns you. Genres: Dark Romance | Psychological Thriller | New Adult | Tragedy WARNING: This story contains explicit content, non-consensual themes, and psychological trauma. Please do not read if you are under 18. DANGER ZONE. ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Everyone mourned the decorated police officer who died in a failed raid against the underworld. Everyone—except his younger brother. To the world, Yuren is just an innocent college boy with soft smiles and gentle eyes, quietly dating the city’s most untouchable man: Kairav Voss, the billionaire CEO rumored to freeze rooms with a glance. A man the media calls The Cold King. A man the underworld knows as its silent executioner. What no one knows is that Yuren stepped into Kairav’s arms with a single purpose: revenge. His brother didn’t die in a mission. He was executed. As Yuren sinks deeper into Kairav’s glass-and-blood empire, mafia partners begin to die—one by one—each death cleaner, quieter, more impossible than the last. No witnesses. No suspects. Only whispers of a ghost moving through the underworld. All the while, Kairav’s heart—long believed to be incapable of love—melts for the boy who feels like salvation. But obsession twists both ways. Kairav doesn’t see the monster growing beside him. Yuren doesn’t expect to fall so deeply into the arms of the very man he plans to destroy. Love turns into possession. Trust becomes a weapon. And the truth—when it finally surfaces—shatters everything they believe. Because the real villain was never hiding in the shadows. He was smiling sweetly in lecture halls. Sleeping beside the king of the underworld. Kissing him like a promise. In the final, unforgivable twist, the truth is revealed: the hand that killed the police officer… belongs to the one Kairav loves most. And for love—true, obsessive, ruinous love— the Cold King dies by his boyfriend’s hand. A story of betrayal disguised as devotion, of innocence that masks annihilation, and of a love so absolute it chooses destruction over mercy. Some hearts don’t break. They burn the world instead.

Beastmen / Reverse Harem/ Smut / Zombies When the world ends, Felicity expects to die quietly. Instead, she wakes to a ruined world crawling with monsters, beastmen, and dangers she was never meant to survive. Small, soft spoken, and terrified, Felicity has only one advantage: a strange power buried deep inside her that even she does not understand. Saved by Victor, a cold, powerful beastman with wings sharp enough to cut the sky, Felicity is pulled into a brutal new reality where strength decides everything and mercy is rare. Victor does not protect lightly, and once he chooses someone, he does not let go. As they travel through shattered cities and hostile territory, Felicity must learn to survive, to fight, and to claim her place in a world that no longer has room for weakness. Monsters lurk in the shadows, alliances are fragile, and desire burns just as fiercely as fear. In a beast ruled apocalypse, survival is not enough. To live, Felicity must become something more. The fire snapped, spitting sparks into the night. —————————- When Felicity blinked, Victor was closer. She had not seen him move. One moment he was across the clearing, watching the dark with those sharp, unreadable eyes, and the next he was right in front of her, his shadow swallowing hers. “You nearly died back there,” he said quietly. She tried to laugh, but it came out wrong. “It’s probably going to happen again. That seems to be my thing.” Victor’s gaze lingered on her face, then softened in a way she did not expect. He reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair from her cheek, his touch rough but careful, as if he were afraid of breaking her. “Not if I can help it,” he said. The fire crackled between them. Felicity’s heart raced as his thumb lingered at her cheek, warmth spreading through her chest at the smallest touch. The world seemed to narrow until there was only him, steady and solid, and the terrifying comfort of knowing she was no longer alone. For the first time since the world had ended, Felicity felt something dangerous bloom in her chest. Hope. hi this is my first book be gentle english is my first language art is my own

[Warning: R18+ Content] I thought I was going to die. So I chose to be remembered. One night. One drink. One sin I could never take back. But the men I met at the bar weren’t strangers. They were The Trident… three ruthless heirs of the Corvanni Dynasty, the most feared mafia bloodline alive. Draven. Silent, merciless, a predator cloaked in shadows. Lucian. Calculative, hauntingly beautiful, a devil with a silver tongue. And Azriel. Wild, reckless, dangerously addictive. They don’t ask. They take. And now they want me… completely. Their obsession burns hotter than their empire. Their touch is forbidden, but I can’t resist. Because the deeper I fall, the clearer it becomes… I’m not just their desire. I’m their ruin. Excerpt ********** “Run if you want, Jade.” The nickname rolled off Lucian’s tongue like a promise and a threat, one no one had ever dared call me before. My breath hitched, legs trembling, but before I could take a step, Draven’s hand closed around my wrist… iron, unyielding. “You think you can walk away after tasting us?” His voice was quiet, deadly, sending shivers straight to my core. Azriel leaned in from behind, his lips brushing the shell of my ear as his laughter burned through me. “Sweetheart, we don’t chase what’s already ours. And you, little Jade…” his teeth grazed my skin, “…you belong to the Trident now.” Azriel’s fingers tilted my chin up, his grin sinful, dangerous, carved just for me. “Tell me, Jade,” he purred, voice thick with lust, “what do you want?” Heat scorched my skin, my lips parting, but no words came. My body betrayed me, trembling against the wall of Draven’s chest while Lucian’s hand traced lazy circles on my thigh, teasing, tormenting. Azriel’s laugh was low, filthy. “No, sweetheart. Don’t just tremble for us. Say it.” His thumb brushed my lower lip, slow, taunting. “Say what you want. Say you want our hands, our mouths, our cocks… say it, and I’ll give you everything.” Draven’s breath was at my neck, steady, lethal. “Careful,” he murmured, “once you speak it aloud, there’s no going back.” Lucian’s whisper slid against my ear, silken poison. “And when you do, Jade, you’ll never remember what it felt like to be untouched.” My mouth opened before my brain could reason… “I want you,” I whispered. Draven’s hand tightened, Lucian’s eyes darkened, Azriel laughed as if the world had finally given him his prize. Three bodies pressed in, heat and danger wrapping me like a cage I couldn’t escape. Didn’t want to escape. My heart screamed to run, but my body whispered the truth. I wanted them… All of them. ********** Three men. One woman. A love story carved in blood and obsession.

In the quiet coastal town of Whitby, safety begins not with passion—but with firelight. Willow Smith, a guarded gothic chef-in-training from a working-class Japanese-British family, has spent her life learning how to survive raised voices and broken trust. Michael Jensen, a world-class chef carrying the invisible scars of wealth, neglect, and childhood abuse, arrives at her kitchen like a man who has mastered control but never known gentleness. Their connection does not explode into love. It settles. Through shared shifts, late-night walks along the pier, and the steady tending of a wood-fired oven, they build something rare: a relationship rooted in safety before desire. For Willow, Michael becomes the first man whose voice does not make her flinch. For Michael, Willow becomes the first place where he can rest without performing strength. But safety is fragile. Enter Samantha Shaw—wealthy, composed, and dangerously perceptive. She pulls Michael back into a world of power, manipulation, and inherited expectation. Under her influence, London becomes a place of isolation and addiction, where control disguises itself as care. As Samantha slowly rewrites Michael’s reality, Whitby begins to feel like a distant dream. Then comes the storm. A violent confrontation. A desperate drive through fog. A crash that fractures more than bone. Michael survives—but wakes without memory of the woman who loved him. What follows is not simply a battle for romance, but a battle for identity. As Samantha gaslights him into believing Whitby was a hallucination born of drug use and trauma, Willow refuses to surrender the truth. Because love, she believes, does not live only in memory. It lives in the body. When Michael returns to Whitby by chance, something stirs beneath the blankness. His hands remember heat. His instincts protect. His heart aches without knowing why. In the warmth of Fields of Waves and the quiet resilience of the woman he once chose, fragments begin to surface. Faded Memories is a slow-burning gothic romance about trauma, gaslighting, chosen family, and the radical power of gentleness. It asks a haunting question: If the mind forgets love— can the body still find its way home? And in the end, the answer is not remembering. It is choosing.

“Just how fucked up can life get?” On the night meant to celebrate her engagement, Nyra found out. She caught her fiancé in bed, not with another woman, but another man. The betrayal didn’t just shatter her heart. It exposed the lie she’d been living… and the family who cared more about appearances than her pain. Humiliated. Slapped. Blamed. That same night, drunk and unraveling, she made one reckless mistake. One wrong room. One stranger. One choice that changed everything. Disowned and cast out, Nyra vanished with nothing but her pride and a promise to never be powerless again. She rebuilt herself from ashes into something sharper... a woman no one could break twice. Years later, she returns. Just a wedding. Just closure. Just one visit. That’s what she tells herself. But some cities remember your sins. And some men never stop hunting what was once theirs. Especially the kind who can destroy you… and make you beg for it. ********** “Stay far away from me,” he said quietly. Not a warning... a promise. “My world isn’t made for someone like you, Nyra.” I stepped closer anyway. “Then maybe I’m done being safe.” His jaw tightened, something dark flashing in his eyes. “You have no idea what you’re asking for. Once you step into my world…” His voice dropped. “There’s no leaving it untouched.” I smiled, slow and reckless, looping my arm around his neck. “Then don’t let me leave untouched.” My lips brushed his, a whisper meant to tempt. “Take me, Kael,” I breathed. “I want to get ruined by you.

“You’re under me,” Raymond said coldly. “And whether you accept it or not, Candy Chucks—you’re mine now.” He said her full name slowly, deliberately. Candy’s heart slammed against her ribs as his gaze dropped to her lips, dark and unreadable. His hand came to the back of her head, fingers tightening—not to kiss her, but to remind her who held the power. “I’m nobody’s property,” she snapped, jerking away. “Not yours. Not anyone’s.” His lips curved into a dangerous smile. “We’ll see.” ____________ Candy Chucks’ life ends the day her father sells her to a ruthless mafia lord to settle a deadly debt. Raymond Monster is cold, feared, and unforgiving—and once he claims something, he never lets go. Trapped in his world of violence and power, Candy fights to keep her freedom… until she uncovers a devastating truth about her past—one that proves her entire life was built on lies. Was she ever meant to be free… or was she always his?

Han Seorin’s first life ended in betrayal and blood on the day she was meant to marry the crown prince. Reborn six years later, fully aware of the lies that stole her happiness, she returns stronger, sharper, and determined to protect her family and reclaim her life. With months to the day she once died, Seorin uncovers the cousin who betrayed her and carefully begins weaving a web of revenge. Every smile, every word, and every observation is part of her plan to expose the lies, manipulate the palace, and ensure that those who wronged her pay for their treachery. Her parents’ honor and her younger brother’s safety drive her every move, and nothing—not whispers, not deception, not betrayal—will go unnoticed. As her revenge unfolds, Seorin’s careful strategies lead to confrontations, revelations, and the gradual unraveling of those who plotted against her. She transforms from the naive girl of her first life into a force the palace cannot ignore, proving that even the deepest betrayal cannot break a will sharpened by death and rebirth. But even as she claims her victories, the past is only the beginning. Every step brings her closer to a destiny she has yet to understand—a fate written before birth that will challenge everything she thought she knew. A Fate Written Before Birth is a gripping tale of rebirth, revenge, and resilience, following one woman who refuses to be broken and will stop at nothing to protect those she loves and reclaim her life.

Anna came to her sister older house only to stay temporarily. Not to fall into the most dangerous kind of beauty she had ever seen. Alaric Devano—husband of Evelyn Seraphina and Lyanna Mirelle’s brother-in-law—was everything forbidden: handsome, cold, immensely wealthy, dominant… and he stared at Anna far too long for a man who was supposed to ignore her. At first, Anna thought it was mere courtesy. But it wasn’t. He noticed every detail about her. How she stood. How she feared. How she tried to keep her distance. And every time they were alone… he forgot that Anna was his sister-in-law. More dangerously? Anna did not resist. She kept coming back—as if something within her called out, demanded, and claimed her. “He’s my sister's husband. I must not fall into his embrace. But obsession always triumphs over reason. And Alaric… never loses.”

BOOK TWO OF THE HAMILTON SERIES WARNING: A Regency Era novel. Adult content with detailed smut…Read at you own risk⚠️⛔️ Genre: Historical Romance / Smut / Enemies-to-Lovers / Mystery / Comedy [Book Two of the Hamilton Series. Can be read as a standalone, but better enjoyed after Lady Ines’ Scandalous Hobby.] To the world, Duke Rowan Hamilton is the perfect gentleman. But in the bedroom, he is a man possessed. Rowan Hamilton has it all: a Ducal title, the face of a fallen angel, and a smile that makes debutantes faint. He is the "Golden Duke"—charming, responsible, and utterly adored by society. But it’s all a lie. Beneath the coats and polite manners, Rowan is a man haunted by a ghost. For three years, he has remained faithful to the memory of a masked woman who stole a kiss, bested him at a game of chance, and vanished into the night. He doesn't want any one as his wife; he wants her. When his domineering aunt tires of his bachelorhood, she hires London’s most notorious underground matchmaker to force the issue. Enter Miss Delaney Kingsley. She is sharp-tongued, infuriatingly competent, and entirely unimpressed by his title. Her mission? To drag Rowan to the altar with the season’s "Diamond," Lady Celine, within three months to collect the juicy payment Rowan’s aunt had to offer. Rowan intends to fire the meddlesome woman. But when Delaney looks at him with those hazel, intelligent eyes and orders him around like a young lad, he feels the first spark of life he’s felt in years. He decides to play her game. He will let her "coach" him on how to woo a lady. He will let her teach him how to dance, how to flirt, and how to seduce. But he has no intention of using those lessons on Lady Celine. "You were hired to find me a Duchess, Miss Kingsley. But the only person I want in my duchy and in my bed... is you." As the lessons turn into forbidden nights and the bickering turns into scorching passion, Rowan begins to suspect that his matchmaker is hiding a secret of her own. She moves like a shadow, handles a rifle like a soldier, and tastes exactly like the ghost he’s been hunting for three years. What to Expect: * The Golden Retriever Duke: Who turns into a possessive Alpha behind closed doors. * The Matchmaker Trope: She’s trying to marry him off; he’s trying to take her clothes off. * High Heat: Slow burn that explodes into intense smut. * Competence Kink: He falls harder every time she bosses him around. * Cameos: Featuring the chaotic domestic life of Duchess Ines and Duke Carcel (and their baby Harry!). Excerpt: "Your Grace, please focus," Delaney snapped, adjusting his cravat with efficient, gloved hands. "Lady Celine is waiting in the ballroom. You must look at her as if she is the only woman in the world." Rowan caught her wrist, stopping her movements. He stepped into her space, backing her against the heavy oak door of the study, his "Golden Boy" mask slipping to reveal the hunger beneath. "And how, exactly, does one do that, Miss Kingsley?" he whispered, his voice rough. "Show me." "I—I cannot show you, I am merely the coach—" "Then teach me," he growled, lowering his head until his lips brushed the sensitive skin of her neck. "Teach me how to pretend I am not burning alive every time you walk into a room."

Sunshine Reyes has been obsessed with K-pop superstar Kael Devereaux for over a year. His music saved her during her darkest moments, and she never imagined she'd get close to him—until she's hired as his personal assistant at KDX Entertainment. But the Kael she meets isn't the charismatic idol from the stage. He's cold, guarded, and battling demons no one talks about. Diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), haunted by a traumatic past involving a boy named Kim Jae-won, and notorious for pushing everyone away, Kael is barely holding himself together. Sunshine refuses to give up on him. Where others see a difficult celebrity, she sees a man who desperately needs someone to stay. As she breaks through his walls, their professional relationship blurs into something deeper, more dangerous, and utterly forbidden. But loving Kael means navigating his mental health struggles, the relentless media scrutiny, his controlling father, and the dark secret from his past that could destroy everything. Can Sunshine's light reach Kael's darkness? Or will his trauma and the forces working against them tear them apart?

Selene Jameson has always been the family stain, unwanted daughter, shadow to the golden children. The night her mother dies saving her life, Selene loses the only person who ever loved her. When Atlas D'Angelo, the boy she gave everything to, betrays her in the cruelest way possible, she vows never to beg for love again. But fate has darker plans. On the night Selene finally tastes freedom, fame, money, a future of her own her family sells her to a supernatural auction. She's thrust into a hidden world ruled by lycans who see humans as nothing more than commodity. Then he buys her. Mikhail Morozov, Wintercrest Alpha and High Alpha of the Onyx Concord. Feared across Nocturna, Lycan Realm. With a shattered past, a missing sister, and a throne built on blood and betrayal, the last thing he needs is a defiant human girl with a sharp tongue and darker humor than his sins. But Selene isn't human. She bears the Crescent, a mark of ancient power that could save the Nocturna or destroy it. When Kustav Volkov, a rival ruthless Alpha, is revealed to be Selene's father, he lays his claim on her. Mikhail offers Selene a choice: marry him in a blood-bound pact that grants her protection under lycan law. But this marriage of convenience will be anything but convenient. *** "And you smell good," I interrupted, words tumbling out before I could stop them. "Really good. Like winter but not the terrifying kind. The beautiful kind. With snow and—" I scrunched my nose, grasping for the description. "Those delicate frost patterns that appear on glass." Mikhail produced a sound deep in his chest that could've been a growl or a chuckle or something caught between. "Why are there two staircases?" I blurted suddenly, fixating on the duplicated grand stairway looming before us. "Is this intentional? Seems ridiculously excessive." "There's only one staircase, moya." "Are you certain? Because I'm definitely seeing two. Perhaps you require vision correction. Do lycans need glasses? That would be hilarious. Tiny spectacles perched on a massive terrifying wolf—" "Selene." His voice emerged strained, taut in a manner that penetrated even through my fog. "You need to stop talking." I peered up at him, hurt piercing through the pleasant haze. "Why? Am I irritating you? I'm sorry. I'll stay quiet." "No." The word escaped sharp, nearly anguished. "You're not irritating me. You're—" He severed the sentence, jaw clenching so viciously I witnessed the muscle twitch. "Just... rest." But I didn't want rest. I wanted to comprehend why his expression appeared like that—all rigid and ravenous and something else I couldn't identify. "Are you alright?" I asked, raising my hand toward his jaw. He intercepted my wrist before contact, his hold gentle yet unyielding. "Don't." "Why not?" "Because I'm barely maintaining control as it is, and if you touch me right now—" He halted abruptly, eyes compressing shut momentarily. "Just don't." That should've frightened me. The ferocity in his tone, the way his restraint appeared to unravel at the seams. But intoxicated-me simply smiled, inexplicably pleased. Then I caught the way his gaze dropped. Just for a fraction of a heartbeat. To my mouth. Heat bloomed through my chest, spreading like wildfire. "You want to kiss me," I breathed, the revelation making me giddy. His eyes snapped back to mine, glacial blue turned predatory. "Kissing," he said slowly, voice dropping an octave, "doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what I want to do to you." The air left my lungs. His grip on my wrist shifted, thumb finding my pulse point. Pressing there. Feeling the frantic rhythm he'd caused. "Kissing is gentle," he continued, leaning in just enough that his breath ghosted across my lips. Close enough to take. Close enough to claim. But he didn't. "Kissing is sweet. What I want?" His eyes dragged down my face, my throat, lower then back up with deliberate slowness. "There's nothing gentle about it."

TRIGGER WARNING! This story contains graphic depictions of gun violence and murder, mafia-related threats and organized crime elements, sexual content, kidnapping, alcohol use, betrayal and emotional manipulation. Reader discretion is advised. — “Is there no other way?” I asked, totally subdued by the fact that this nightmare marriage was the only solution. “No, there isn’t,” he said coldly. “I can’t afford to lose my son and have you turned into a sex slave by the Romanovs.” “Your son?” I scoffed, the memory of him taking my virginity and vanishing without a trace slicing my heart. “You seem to have forgotten that you never intended on taking things further with me. God, you’re no different from the Romanovs!” He assessed me coolly with those dark eyes and then said with a note of finality, “He’s my son, Niamh, and you’ll have to become my wife.” My father was killed. My uncle sold me to the Russian mafia syndicate. And now, the man I hid my son from for five years—Massimo Valentino—is forcing me to be his wife. My survival and the safety of Matteo depend on this hated forced marriage. But the situation is worse than I thought: I am the key to a hidden vault that the Texas underworld is willing to kill for. With the war raging outside and a major betrayal brewing inside the Italian mafia syndicate, my safety depends entirely on Massimo. I have to forgive and trust the man who ruined me, or lose everything. This is the first installment in The Valentino Princes Series.

She saved his life. Now her future belongs to his world. Dr. Emilia Conti is a brilliant trauma surgeon drowning in debt and grief. One violent night, she breaks every rule to save a dying man with a gunshot wound—never expecting to see him again. Until she does. Alessio Lombardi is the ruthless heir to a powerful crime dynasty, a man who survives by control and calculation. Owing Emilia a life debt he refuses to release, he draws her into his dangerous world with an offer she cannot walk away from: protection, freedom from her debts, and safety… in exchange for becoming his wife. What begins as survival becomes a battle of wills. As secrets surface and betrayal closes in, Emilia is forced to choose between blood and loyalty, morality and devotion. In a world ruled by power, love is never gentle—and trust can be fatal.