She was promised to a man she could never love. But fate had other plans-plans with a deadly name. Ava Marino is everything good in a world gone dark. Sweet, innocent, and selfless, she's spent her life playing by the rules-until the day she's forced to marry Antonio Gatti, a powerful man twice her age with secrets buried deeper than the grave. Enter Lorenzo DeLuca-Antonio's nephew, and the ruthless head of the Italian mafia. Cold, calculated, and lethal, Lorenzo doesn't believe in love. He doesn't believe in innocence. And he definitely doesn't believe in letting anyone close. But when Ava steps into his world, she's like a sunbeam slicing through smoke. She shouldn't matter to him. She's off-limits, a pawn in someone else's game. Until he starts to want her. Now, in a world of blood-stained loyalty and deadly consequences, Ava and Lorenzo must navigate forbidden desire, family betrayal, and a war neither of them saw coming. In a world ruled by power and violence, what chance does love have?

After one devastating mistake, Anastasia Miller is expelled from her old school - a decision that still haunts her. Now forced to start over at the elite, twisted Ravenscroft Academy, she's determined to keep her head down, stay out of trouble, and avoid any distractions - especially the romantic kind. Celibate, silent, and set on survival. That was the plan. Strong-willed, sharp-tongued, and dead set on staying under the radar, Anastasia has no interest in making friends - or enemies. That all crashes when her path crosses with Noah Kingsley - the school's too-good-looking-for-his-own-good soccer captain. Cold, rude, and arrogant, he checks off every trait on her stay-the-hell-away list. So when he accidentally hits her in the head with a soccer ball, Anastasia doesn't just let it slide - she shoves a dead rat into his locker and calls it fair game. Because if he wants to act like an asshole, she's not afraid to match the energy. What starts as petty revenge turns into tension, banter, and something neither of them is ready for. But in a school where appearances are everything and everyone is hiding something, Anastasia's past is a ticking time bomb - and it's only a matter of time before it all explodes. Because at Ravenscroft, the pretty ones are damaged, the rich ones are ruthless, and even the deepest secrets don't stay buried forever.

She's a wild, free spirit who sees the good in everyone, and he's the hardened, bad-tempered loner who wants nothing to do with her-yet no matter how hard he tries to push her away, she's the one temptation he can't escape. *** He's never met someone with such a bubbly personality. Not to mention the wildness and odd phrases she says every five minutes. He hates it. He hates how he can't stay away from it. He hates what she does to him; it's not like him to chase after some girl. She gets under his skin like no other. She's never met someone with such a bad attitude. He's ill-mannered and menacing. The glare never seems to leave his face. Considering it all, she can't help but feel the attraction toward him. Dangerous attraction toward a seemingly dangerous man. Maybe it's the tattoos on his arm that gets her attention. Or maybe it's because she can tell there's hope for good under his rough exterior. And she's about to find it, whether he likes it or not. It's no secret that the two of them are complete and total opposites. *** "You like being called Sugar, don't you?" I tease, placing my toothbrush back after finishing. He does the same and gives me a side-eyed scowl. He grips my chin harshly and kisses me. My body temperature raises a good ten degrees and my right leg goes all wiggly. He pulls away. "You like it when I kiss you, don't you?" He teases the same way I did to him and I'm left blubbering. "I think both of our questions are rhetorical," I lower my voice up at him. His lip curls up into a smirk. *** #1 in Young Adult #9 in Badboy #1 in Cold #3 in Goodgirl #1 in Sweetheart #14 in Love *** *Warning* This story contains mature themes (language, scenes)