"My world is your oyster." She's a top model chasing chaos and cameras. He's untouchable, powerful, and dangerous. One night. One viral photo. One attraction no one can ignore. In a world where every move is public, some scandals burn too bright to hide.

They were just kids when they pinky promised under the monkey bars: "Best friends forever." Now? Forever feels a lot more complicated. Arielle Thompson has always been the quiet, bubbly girl with a heart too soft and eyes only for one person; her childhood best friend, Easton James. He's everything she's not: tall, tatted, effortlessly popular, and dangerous in all the ways that make her heart race. But no matter how many girls want him, Easton has always been hers... just not like that. Until now. Senior year hits different. Arielle's feelings are getting harder to hide, her crush turning into something deeper, needier. And Easton? He's starting to look at her like she's more than just his ride-or-die. More than the shy girl who always wore his hoodies and made him laugh since third grade. Maybe it's the way her body's changed. Softer, fuller, and way too distracting for his own good. Maybe it's the way she blushes when he calls her baby girl. Or maybe... he's finally seeing her the way she's always seen him. But crossing that line could change everything. And if they fall? There's no going back to just friends. Expect steamy tension, late-night confessions, possessive energy, and a slow burn that explodes into heat. Because sometimes, the boy next door grows into the man you can't stop wanting.

LIMERENCE (n.) the state of being infatuated with another person.

I let out a quiet breath as my back hit against the wall, but I didn't move. His sharp light blue ones never left mine, his jaw tightening as he stared at me. And like always, his face gave away nothing. Completely unreadable. For a second, his gaze flickered past me, landing on the guy standing a few feet behind me. Then it returned to mine. He took another step forward until there was barely any space left between us. His hand came up, fingers settling firmly around my neck, not enough to hurt, but enough to make my breath catch. I hated how much I liked it. How the warmth of his hand against my neck made me feel things down there. "I feel like you playing with me, Amara." His voice was low and calm, somehow making the words sound more threatening. "How, Sebastian?" I used his full name on purpose. His jaw ticked again. "Kissing another man tonight?" he asked quietly, his eyes dropping to my glossed lips, lingering there for a second before lifting back to mine. "You serious, Sarai?" A small grin pulled at my lips. "So now you care?" His fingers tightened ever so slightly. "I asked you a question." "And I asked you one first." Silence. The kind that somehow said more than words ever could. Neither of us looked away. I tilted my head, pretending his hand wasn't doing something to me. "I thought we wasn't together." His tongue pressed against the inside of his cheek. "We not." "So why you mad and in my business about who I lay my lips on?" His eyes searched mine, his gaze dropping to my lips again. Then he leaned in. Not enough to kiss me. Just enough that his voice brushed against my skin when he spoke. "Don't test me, Amara." His voice was barely above a whisper. My pulse stumbled. I hated that he could do that. Hated it even more because I was almost sure he knew. And for the first time since I'd met Sebastian Moretti, I couldn't tell if I'd won or if I'd just pushed him a little too far.

Cassandra Clover has always existed in the quiet spaces between introversion and extroversion-soft-spoken, thoughtful, her rare beauty inherited from dark-skinned parents who raised her to lead with kindness. She's the friend everyone wants but few truly know, someone who overthinks every word yet still gives herself away too freely. She's learned to protect her vulnerabilities, building walls just high enough to feel safe. Then she meets Cardan Wilson. There's something about him that stops her cold. His eyes that he covers with a hood, which she never should have seen-deep and swirling, as if crafted with deliberate care-seem to hold secrets she desperately wants to uncover. He hides beneath hoods and silence, his voice a low, peculiar cadence that makes her want to confess things she's never told anyone. He's magnetic in his mystery, unsettling in his distance, and she can't look away. Cassie has never felt this pull before-this need to understand someone who seems determined to remain unknown. Cardan is a puzzle she didn't ask for but can't ignore, and the more she reaches for him, the more she realizes he might be reaching back. In a story about two people who see something in each other the world has overlooked, Cassie will learn that sometimes the most dangerous thing you can do is let someone in-and sometimes, it's the only way to truly live.

Tasha Clarke is twenty-seven and stuck. What was meant to be a temporary job at a golf club has stretched into years of serving drinks, forcing smiles, and enduring the leers of men twice her age. With her best friend Nyla's wedding on the horizon, Tasha can't help but feel left behind. Nyla has love, stability, and a future. Tasha has routine and a gnawing hunger for something more-something dangerous enough to make her feel alive again. Across the ocean, 30 year-old, Ignacio Montoya prepares to step into Seattle for the first time in years. His empire stretches across continents, claiming cities like New York, Chicago, Miami, and Los Angeles in blood and power. But Seattle remains unscarred-a weakness he intends to remedy. On the surface, Ignacio comes as a best man, to toast the wedding of his oldest friend. Beneath the tailored suit, however, lies a predator's intent. He sees Seattle not as a city of celebration, but as prey. Ignacio Montoya is a storm-silent until he breaks, relentless once he does. While Tasha aches for change and Ignacio charts his conquest, fate coils their paths together. What begins as a wedding celebration will unravel into something far more dangerous: a collision of hunger and power, yearning and control. When the storm finally reaches her, Tasha Clarke's life-and Seattle itself-will never be the same.

Meeting by chance through letters is a serendipitous connection sparked by unexpected correspondence. Whether through a misplaced letter or accidental exchange, the written word can unexpectedly bring strangers together, creating lasting bonds and connections that feel both intimate and fateful.

My hair whips across my face. Someone is watching me; I felt it. My mother had always told me to check my surroundings, but clearly I hadn't. Every day I felt him, always watching me. No matter if I was with my parents or even lying in my bed. His footsteps grow closer, but I've yet to realize from which direction. "Irina," I hear a whisper. My body shivers, and my heart rate speeds up instantly. I fumble with the zipper in my purse. "Leave me alone! I have pepper spray, and I am not afraid to use it." My voice was unsteady and harsh. A low chuckle escapes his lips. Stopping and turning around, waving my pepper spray around. "I'm serious!" I say, hoping that I sounded confident. The hairs on the back of my neck rise; his hot mouth fawns over my neck. "Oh, my dear Irina. You can never escape me. Wherever you are, I'm ten steps behind." "You will be mine." His voice, his presence, and the heat he radiated off of him almost made me fall on my knees. He's so close, but yet so far. "The next man that touches you will disappear. And that's not a threat; it's a promise." __________ Irina was thirteen when she started piano lessons with the infamous Flora Vitello. Twice a week at five pm sharp, she'd knock, waiting patiently. As always, he opened the door, silent, letting her pass. He'd watch quietly, absorbing the music. This went on until Flora retired, and their paths went separate ways. But he wouldn't stop until he had her, even if it meant watching from a distance. Once he set his eyes on something or someone, he took it, consequences be damned. Malachi Vitello watched whenever he could, and now that she was back in sight, he wouldn't dare to let go.

Vitiligo is a skin disease that causes discoloration in blotches. 17-year-old Vinnie Robyns has had it since birth, and since she's started school, she's been bullied because of it. 18-year-old Kiyan Silver, a boy new to the school, sees Vinnie for the first time and is automatically intrigued by not only her condition, but her herself. Just how close will Vinnie let him get?

𝑀𝐼 𝒞𝐼𝐸𝐿𝒪 ♡ (𝘯) 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯