"Harder, Leilani," Brianna prompted, barely moving as she took the hits. I grit my teeth, my eyes focusing on the pads again, I hit once more, feeling a lump in my throat form up. She takes a step closer, making me take one back. "Launch back," She commands. I jab once more, feeling my knuckles heat up under the wraps. "You're holding back. Stop thinking. Strike." With a frustrated growl, I threw a roundhouse kick aimed at the pad, but I put too much weight into it, my anger making me sloppy. I was ready for the pain of hitting the floor, but it never came. My eyes snapped open, meeting Brianna as she tightly holds my waist. I was panting, my breath coming in jagged hitches, and I struggled to tell if the hammering in my chest was from the exertion or from the dangerous darkness swirling in her green eyes. "What's distracting you?" She asks, her minty breath kissing my skin, "Fuck you," I whisper, the words fueled by exhaustion and a desperate need to get away from her heat. I watch the corners of her lips curl into a slow, predatory smirk, "We can do that," She murmured, her voice dripping with a slyness that made my knees go weak. ********** Logic was the only thing keeping Dr. Leilani's past at bay, until the night a wounded Mafia boss broke into her home and dragged her into the shadows. Their paths cross by chance... or fate. One escapes. The other never forgets. A year and a half later, fate returns with chains and a desperate deal that forces Leilani into a high-stakes mission in Italy. Caught between her survival and a growing, volatile connection to her captor, Leilani must decide how much of her soul she is willing to trade for the safety of those she loves.