People have spent years turning Zakai into some kind of monster. Scarred by a tragic apartment fire that took place when he was only eleven years old, Zakai has lived most of his life hiding from the world. With rumors surrounding his name and judgment following him everywhere he goes, isolation became safer than being seen. Meanwhile, Kinsley never expected a simple errand job to lead her to him. What starts as grocery store runs and brief interactions slowly becomes something neither of them saw coming. Because beneath Zakai's cold and distant exterior is a man struggling with years of guilt, grief, and loneliness. And the closer Kinsley gets, the harder it becomes to walk away. Some scars never fade, people just teach you how to live with them.

Legally, nothing about their relationship was wrong. Morally? That was a different story. She was eleven years older than him, his professor-and yet, she couldn't resist. Kamron, with his irresistible brown eyes, his honeyed voice laced with a hint of southern charm, and a smile that could stop you in your tracks, had her completely ensnared. Robin had seen the way he captivated everyone around him, and now, fate seemed to toy with her: the boy who embodied temptation living just beside her as her next door neighbor, his bedroom window staring straight into hers. Two forbidden hearts. One impossible desire. Window to window.

"𝖨𝖿 𝖨 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝖾𝗏𝖾, 𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝖽 𝖻𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋𝖻𝗂𝖽𝖽𝖾𝗇 𝖿𝗋𝗎𝗂𝗍 - 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗍 𝗌𝖾𝖾𝗆𝗌 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝖨'𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝖺𝗄𝖾𝗇 𝖺 𝖻𝗂𝗍𝖾." Jayda was your average preachers daughter. Bible study, properly dressed, spoiled. It wasn't until she met King Von, otherwise known as Dayvon-that her life was flipped upside down. Usually, the preachers daughter changed, but it seemed like her good aura rubbed off on Von, who couldn't help but get his act together for the sensitive girl...and it all started with attending...church.

When an injured Alpha Kaden comes to my office, I do what any doctor would do and tend to his wounds. Somewhere along the light touches and eye contact, I ended flat on my back. We agreed to be friends-with-benefits. No attachments or drama, just pleasure. It should've been easy, but Alphas are greedy. Kaden got a taste of me and wants more.

𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝; 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘯. 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. © 𝐣𝐜𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 ┊ the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own. 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 ≠ 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘳 𝘪 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘴𝘴. ㋡

𝙀𝙉𝘼𝙈𝙊𝙍𝙀𝘿 ; 𝘼𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚, 𝙖𝙙𝙢𝙞𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.

"I really want to meet you, but I'm kind of scared."

"I'll play you." Kross challenged with a serious expression on his face, smoothly twirling the basketball on his pointer finger. "For what?" Amiko sighed heavily, a bored look on her face, crossing her arms over her chest, tapping her foot repeatedly on the ground. "𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭."

"You no tell this girl that I said, I want no relations with a darkie?" She spat to me, making my eyes go wide. What? I thought to myself and Gio tried pulling me away but I snatched away from him, knowing I heard right this time. "Wait, what?" I spoke out loud and Gi grabbed me roughly, trying to pull me away again. "Why you saying these things? She's beautiful." I heard his abuelita sticking up for me as she stood to her feet and all the guys began to as well, telling their mom that she was wrong for what she was doing. "That puta heard me." She spat, pointing her finger at me. "You're too dark." She held up a brown paper bag that she was drinking her beer out of. "You no match this bag or lighter, you're too dark." "You look too much like his father. I no want you around me." She shooed me off, instantly breaking my heart into a billion pieces as I looked up at Giovanni who was looking down at me with hurt in his eyes. "Baby, please." He begged and I shook my head at him in disgust before putting my attention back onto her. "Get that darkness out of here, Giovanni. She's a demon." "Only demons have her color." She kept on going and I felt sick to my stomach in this moment as I stood there in complete shock.