I opened my mouth maybe to say it was okay, maybe to ask something but the words died when he suddenly leaned across the console, cupping my face between his large, calloused hands. "I missed you," he murmured, almost like he hated admitting it. Then his mouth crashed onto mine. I gasped, his lips fierce and claiming, his body crowding into mine as if he needed to consume me. His kiss wasn't soft it was hungry, demanding everything I had to give. . . . Issa Andrews is beyond excited to start her first semester at Redwood University. Naïve, bright-eyed, and full of hope, that's how most would describe her. She has dreams of her own, goals she's determined to chase. But when a certain boxer crosses her path, will everything she's worked for come crashing down?

BOOK 4 "Fuck, Carmen," I growl, gripping her locs tight, forcing her down until her nose presses into my abdomen. "Choke on that d-k, filthy a** slut. You love being my little cock-hungry bitch, don't you?"

I dragged my nails lightly over his chest, slow, my eyes locked on his. "You told me I was in control, remember?" My voice dipped lower, sultry, daring. I leaned close enough that my lips brushed his ear. "Then say it, baby. Say you're my bitch." A dark laugh rumbled from his lips, low and sinful, the kind that made my stomach flip. His eyes didn't waver, didn't blink. "I'm your bitch," he said...calm, but hot as fuck. The words rolled off his tongue like he'd been waiting to say them, and God, the way he said it almost made me melt right there.

Aaliyah Johnson is in her final year at Magnolia State University, where she's balancing a scholarship, an art degree, and the pressure of not knowing what comes next. Elias Carter, the university's baseball captain, seems to have everything figured out, except his own heart. When mutual friends and a poetry club bring them together, sparks ignite in the most unexpected ways. She's brilliant and blunt; he's disciplined and mysterious. But between classes, practices, and the expectations of everyone around them, connection becomes the one thing they can't plan for. From strangers to friends to something far deeper, their story grows with every season, rooted beneath a magnolia tree that sees it all. Autumn brings sparks: "I'm curious about you, but I don't even know why yet." Winter, closeness: "You calm me when I didn't realise I needed calming." Spring, love: "I've known for a while... I just didn't want to ruin it." Summer, uncertainty: "Even if everything changes, you've changed me already." Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the images used both on the cover and throughout the story.