She's sick. He's heartbroken. They put a ring on it. The line between deals and promises is beginning to blur. * What starts out as a deal between two friends, becomes more than either of them could've ever have imagined. Between the fake kisses that seem to be turning a little too real, Jake Henry is starting to realize that he has only a limited amount of time to make his "marriage" to Katherine Kenny count. A story in which she teaches him how to live, and he teaches her how to love. (BOOK 2 IN THE 'MIAMI MAVERICK SERIES') { #1 in kidneyfailure} ~ 4/16/23 { #35 in sickness } ~ 3/16/23 { #135 in hockey } ~ 3/16/23 { #426 in maturethemes } ~ 3/16/23 { #754 in friendstolovers } ~ 4/16/23 { #96 in nhl } ~ 3/16/23 { #8 in hairstylist } ~ 3/16/23 { #25 in nhlhockey } ~ 3/16/23 { #573 in sportsromance } ~ 3/16/23 { #187 in fakemarriage } ~ 4/16/23

A professional hockey player nearing retirement falls hard for his best friend's much younger and seemingly uninterested sister, but things change when she needs a place to stay and he offers up his home and his bed. *** After one too many drinks and a little too much chemistry, Bryce Roehm wakes up next to Maria Evans-and nothing has ever felt more wrong... or more right. Bryce, a seasoned defenseman for the New York Empires, is in his final season before retirement. Known for his bad-boy reputation and commitment to bachelorhood, he's the last person who should be hooking up with his best friend's little sister. Especially when Maria is eight years younger, working hard to finish college, and nannying for one of his teammates. They agree to keep their one-night stand a secret. No harm, no foul. But secrets never stay buried for long. Maria's finally building a life she's proud of-free from her controlling father and determined to stand on her own two feet. She's not looking for complications. And Bryce? He's as complicated as they come. So when circumstances force them to live under the same roof, one thing becomes clear: How are they supposed to keep their hands-and hearts-to themselves?

Everyone has heard of the Godfathers the definitive representation of what it is to be an Italian Mafioso, from the dusty mountainside of Sicily to the posh New York avenues. Some choose to leave the fatherland for greener pastures; some turn the dust into gold dust. Lombardi and Romano family are the prime example of this. They did not do anything to be proud of; they started off from small-time smuggling and proceeded to assassinations and drug deals. Name any illegal activity in Italy and some or the other way you can trace its initiation to these two. This might lead to a bitter rivalry between the two, right? Wrong! Instead of being at each other's throat, the two families decided to work together and increase the profits. They have been friends for decades and do not let any other group break their monopoly over the European underworld. When the young generation come together, will the friendship between Aurora Lombardi and Giovanni Romano remain the same, or will there be rivalry? They both are poles apart: one is sunshine, and the other is darkness. Will this friendship persist in the near future or some dark unknown and supremely powerful entity, way above their reach tears it to pieces? Let's find out together.......

(Book 1 of the Mafia standalone series) "Do you need anything?" I ask, turning to Jeremy even though my voice trembles. Jeremy throws his head back against the cushions and smiles. "Keep speaking," he says, eyes half-lidded but glowing. I blink. "What do you want me to say?" "I'm so happy I was shot" he murmurs, grinning up at the ceiling like a lunatic. My mouth drops open. "If I'd known hearing that gorgeous voice would require a few bullets" he adds, "I would've taken them sooner. Happily." Heat crawls up my neck. "Keep talking, or I'll pass out" he threatens lightly, waving a limp hand in my direction. I roll my eyes, but I can't help smiling. "Jeremy Romano, don't pass out on me." His eyes fly open as if someone electrocuted him. "Say that again" he says, suddenly wide awake. "Don't pass out on me?" I repeat cautiously. "No" he breathes. "The two words before that." I frown. "Jeremy Romano?" His reaction is immediate, his smile brightens until it practically lights the whole room. "Say it again" he whispers. "Jeremy Romano." He lets out a dreamy groan. "I'll die a happy man." I slap his arm. Harder than I should've. He winces and I instantly panic. "I'm so sorry!" "Kiss it. I'll feel better," he says, smirking.

She witnessed horror... and became one. After surviving a harrowing near-rape and watching her best friend brutally assaulted and murdered before her eyes, Aurora vanished-emotionally. What rose from the ashes was someone unrecognizable: Cold. Fearless. Savage. Untouchable. She trusts no one. Loves no one. And as far as she's concerned, no man alive could ever break through her fortress of ice. Love? Dead. Her rules? Simple. No emotions. No attachments. No second chances. But her new college? A battlefield. And him? Leonard Grande - the kind of trouble she didn't prepare for. Wounded. Rebellious. Addictive. Dangerous. A walking paradox with a face carved by gods and a soul damaged by demons. A notorious playboy who takes pleasure in breaking girls, shredding hearts like paper-because he believes every girl is a liar in disguise. Until Aurora. She doesn't look at him like he matters. She doesn't fall. She doesn't even flinch. And that pisses him off. Now it's war. A toxic game of destruction and seduction. She wants to erase him. He wants to ruin her. But when secrets from the past start surfacing, both realize they've been walking in the dark... and maybe-just maybe-they were destined to collide. How deep do their scars go? And who's really pulling the strings in this web of pain and passion. Dive into a dark college romance where love is a weapon, trust is deadly, and only the strongest survive. When bad meets baddest... there are no rules. Trigger Warning: This story contains themes of sexual violence, emotional trauma, murder, psychological manipulation, and abusive behavior. Reader discretion is strongly advised. Some scenes may be distressing or triggering to survivors. ©2025

TW This story is under EXTREME EDITING!!! Dark, cold, emotionless, Ruthless, is what you'd expect from Killian Lorenzo. With one look you can be six feet underground, he hates most people he comes into contact with letting them know straight off the bat. ruthless self doesn't let him get close to anyone... But meeting a certain girl who abruptly comes into his life, he can't seem to phantom the thought that she has more to her than what she leads on, a darkness behind her Eyes possibly darker than his. His once serious strict rules of not becoming close to anyone immediately breaks in the hands of her. He finds himself annoyed and frustrated with everything she does. But they somehow keep coming into each others lives, and maybe just maybe she is as broken as him-possibly more Unedited ---------

What happens when you're in the wrong place at the wrong time? She is just at the beginning of her year-long world travels when she falls into the hands of him - an Italian mafia Don driven by the thirst for answers and revenge. When there is something else thrown into the mix - obsession. But is it the healthy kind? -- "I can see it, you know," he continues, his voice as smooth and dangerous as the edge of a blade. "The fear you're trying so hard to hide. The way your hands tremble ever so slightly, the way your breath catches in your throat when I'm close like this." My hands instinctively curl into fists at my sides, nails digging into my palms as I struggle to maintain control. He tilts his head, studying me like a predator sizing up its prey, his proximity suffocating. "You should be scared," he says, the words laced with an unsettling certainty. "Because when I'm done with you, there won't be anything left of that defiance you're so proud of." A shiver runs down my spine. "I've faced worse than you," I manage to grit out, though my voice is barely above a whisper. "And I'm still standing." His lips curve into a sinister smile, a glint of something dark and twisted flashing in his eyes. "We'll see how long that lasts." "Let's go." "No." --

Eva Graham is a guarded, no-nonsense social science major who studies human behavior to understand why people leave-and how to make sure she never lets the wrong ones in. She keeps to herself, avoids drama, and especially avoids campus athletes, whom she considers walking red flags. Cole Grayson is a third-year psychology major, a cocky ice hockey star with a grin that disarms and a fanbase full of puck bunnies. While everyone sees him coasting, Cole's under constant pressure-trying to go pro, balancing school, and keeping up a charming front to hide just how much he's cracking underneath. When Cole starts slipping in class, he's assigned a tutor: Eva. Neither is thrilled. She thinks he's a loud, lazy distraction. He calls her "Teach" just to get under her skin-she responds by calling him "Skates," with just the right amount of disdain. What begins as bickering soon turns into banter... then something softer. The nicknames stick, becoming a quiet thread that ties them together as friends-and maybe more. Cole falls first. Hard. Eva, scared of being hurt and shaped by people who've left before, fights it. Still, she agrees to go to one of his games-just once. But seeing him on the ice, in his world, adored yet somehow still alone, shifts everything. Then the bet surfaces. A stupid, careless thing made before he really knew her-and it threatens to destroy everything they've built. Surrounded by puck bunnies stirring drama, teammates with their own loyalties, and a past Eva isn't ready to share, the fragile trust between them begins to crack. Between jealousy, late-night confessions, and moments where one look says everything, Eva and Cole must decide: is love worth risking it all-even if it started with a bet, a nickname, and everything going wrong?

"𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩, 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚." Olivia groaned and crossed her arms, standing her ground. "Don't tell me what to do. You're not my dad." Amusement filled Santino's gaze as he stood up, abandoning the papers he desperately needed to read and sign. Yet, all that was forgotten as her bewitching lips protruded. "I might not be your dad but," a midnight lock of hair was pinned behind her ear, "I can be your papi." Shuddering, her body drew closer to him, betraying her mind. "You're sick." Taking the nape of her neck, Santino leaned down, his lips brushing against her ear. "Yet you still dream about my touch, don't you, principessa?" ❦ When Santino Adriano discovers that the Bratva has betrayed their neutrality by secretly working with his family's enemies, he's determined to send a brutal message that cannot be ignored. His target? The Bratva kingpin's sister, Olivia Morozov-a sheltered girl who knows little to nothing about the dark underworld her family controls, having been shielded from the darker truths of her family's empire her entire life. Fresh out of boarding school and blissfully oblivious to the power struggle boiling beneath her feet, Olivia is suddenly whisked away from everything she's ever known and thrust into a world where loyalty is weaponised and power is the ultimate prize. As secrets and long-buried lies unravel around her, she realises she's caught in a game where the unrelenting fight for power holds more value than human lives-including her own. Santino is cold, calculating, and relentless - everything Olivia should fear. Yet, she is intrigued by by his deadly nature. The line between fear and attraction is thin, and like a moth to a flame, she seeks him out, unafraid of the burn it may cause. She's never known anyone like him-an older, dangerous man who makes her question everything she thought she knew about desire. Olivia just didn't expect her captor to be so handsome.

"You want to act reckless? Fine. But don't think for a second you're not being watched. This city is full of men who'd love to carve a message into you just to make a point." "And what message would you carve?" I whispered. He reached out. Brushed the back of his knuckles down my jaw, rough and slow. "Mine." It wasn't sweet. It wasn't romantic. It was a brand. And then he dropped his hand. "You have ten minutes to get out of here before I make a fucking scene." ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ Massimo Bianchi is ruthless, the kind of man who leaves blood in his wake and never looks back. At 29, he's the trusted enforcer for one of the most feared mafia bosses in America - my father, Lorenzo DeLuca, the ghost I never knew but can never escape. I, Francesca DeLuca, have spent my life in the shadows of wealth, too blind to see the truth behind my family's fortune. But when I confront the mysterious man who's been following me, I'm thrown into a world of blood and betrayal, where loyalty is bought and sold like a commodity. Massimo is everything I should fear - cold, dangerous, and bound by an oath to my father. But there's something in the way he looks at me, a dark hunger he refuses to acknowledge. I should hate him, push him away, but the deeper I fall into my family's twisted legacy, the harder it is to resist the pull. But loving a man like Massimo is a risk, and in our world, mistakes are paid for in blood. So the question is - will I be his downfall, or will he be mine?