The heatwave of 1955 didn't just bring cracked roads and heavy air to Maple Hill, it brought Kitty O'Callaghan. Instead of the quiet start she hoped for with her mother, Kitty finds herself trapped under the roof of her stepbrother Johnny - a brooding mechanic who sees in her every trace of the woman he resents. What begins as aggression soon turns to desire. Johnny soon wants more than her fear. He wants her softness, her trust, her heart. And nothing will stand in his way. Not her tears. Not her defiance. Not even her hate. ~ He lowered himself to the edge of the bed, the quilt dipping beneath the weight of his knee. His hand lifted, brushing the stray curl aside, fingertips grazing the smooth line of her cheek. Then he leaned in, his breath warm at her ear. "Kitten..." His voice slipped through the quiet. "Wake up." At first she only stirred, a small sound catching in her throat as her brow drew tight. "C'mon now. Look at me." His hand lingered near her face. Fingertips brushing her cheek once more in a slow movement. Her lashes fluttered once, twice. Then her eyes opened, heavy with sleep. For a second she only stared, unseeing, then the blur sharpened landing seeing his face so close to hers. Her whole body jolted, shoulders driving into the pillow as if to put distance where there was none. Her legs kicked under the blanket, the sheets twisting around her ankles. Her mouth opened, dragging in a sharp, startled breath as a scream began to claw its way up from her chest. But it never made it out, he was ready. His hand clamped down hard over her mouth. Her eyes filled with instant panic. She froze. Then fought.

When 𝐊𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬, 22, drops out of college after her father is sentenced to prison for a crime he swears he didn't commit, her life collapses fast...eviction notices, unpaid tuition, a mother barely holding it together. Then 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐭 𝐕𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐧 appears. Late 40s. Private wealth. No digital footprint. He offers her a monthly allowance for companionship only. No sex. No exclusivity clause. No explanations. What unsettles Kailani isn't the money. It's how little she needs to explain herself because he already knows.

When Ayanna is forced into a job working for her parents' trusted college friend, she expects structure-not the quiet pull of a man who sees her more clearly than anyone ever has. Langston, a forty-three-year-old record label owner and divorcé, lives by rules that don't allow desire, especially not for his employee or the daughter of people he respects. As long hours and industry chaos draw them closer, attraction turns into something dangerous neither of them is willing to name. With her parents tightening their grip and her dreams of an artistic life slipping further away, Ayanna must choose between approval and authenticity. For Langston, loving her could cost him his reputation, his principles, and the one line he's sworn never to cross.

Tyler "Tank" Carter, a 22 year old truck driver crosses paths with Kayla Knight, an 18 year old girl who's running away home as he is enroute to drop off a load from Augusta, Georgia to Bangor, Maine.

In these streets you either thought 2 steps ahead or got left behind in a body bag. Love was filled with nothing but false hopes and dreams. I could never have that. I could never let myself experience that. It's a rough world we live in, filled with hunger and survival. I am willing to survive, no matter the cost, no matter the outcome. Next in line to run the streets, Chance.. A cold lethal killer who made the world bleed, who didn't believe in love.. That's until he met her. But The Streets claimed him first.

"i'll love you forever & always mama..."

𝐄·𝐥𝐲·𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧; 𝐚𝐝𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞. ______ "𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝟐𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐛𝐮𝐭, 𝐈'𝐦 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰... 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭." 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝: 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝: 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓