Avery's senior year is turned upside down when a kiss with her older brothers' best friend ignites a forbidden relationship tangled in danger, heartbreak, and family secrets that could destroy everything. *** "Aiden..." I shake my head, eyes fixed anywhere but the gorgeous man next to me. His hand grips my chin tightly, just enough to make me avert my eyes to his. "You know you want this as much as I fucking do. I want you to be mine. I want to be the one to hold you and kiss you the one you go to whenever you're happy or fucking sad. But let it be me, let me fucking show you that it should be me." He glares, jaw tensing. ...... ©hessaherophinelove

Olivia is soft hearted innocent soul that has been dealt a dirty hand in life. Her father is a rich business man that would rather spoil his wife and stepdaughter and treat her like an outcast. She is beautiful inside-out. Regardless what they throw her way she always comes out ahead. She morphed from a defenseless woman into a true protector of the people whom she loves. Domenico, boss of the Italian Mafia. Doesn't believe in relationships and love, but his world is turned upside down from he laid eyes on her. He knew he had to have her and protect her, but in the end she was the one protecting him. Showing him to what extent she was willing to go. * If you are reading books for the story behind the book, then this is the book for you. * This book does not contain detailed sex scenes or smut.

-MATURE CONTENT- After problems go down in her hometown of Brooklyn, she is sent to Italy by her mobster don father. Unknown to her, she wasn't simply going for protection. She was being handed over like a piece of paper to the biggest crime family in Italy. Unknown to her, the don was someone that her 17-year-old self shouldn't have indulged in. But neither one of them could pull away from each other.

Lavender faced the ultimate betrayal after discovering that her fiancé, the man she loved most, had been using her all along. He had only dated her to seek revenge against her father and to claim everything her late mother had left her as a gift to his real fiancee. Devastated, Lavender lost everything she owned to him, and her family was plunged into dire poverty as a result. Heartbroken, she fled her past, running away from her disowned father and the agonizing pain. She dedicated her life to caring for the "blessings" her ex-fiancé had left behind. But just when Lavender thought she had found a measure of peace, everything starts falling apart again. Forced to reconcile with her ex, Lavender is torn-he is a changed man now, but to her, he remains an enemy. As her bottled-up emotions resurface, past cases reopening, and his persistent efforts to win back her affection intensify, how long can Lavender's hatred last? --- This story is significantly different from the original version. It maintains the key plot while changing the outline, fixing as much plot holes as possible, adding new characters, depths, and chapters. I wrote this to better suit the sequel, <It Started With A Kiss>

Picture this. Your husband comes home one night and tells you, that his ex-wife, the mother of his child, your stepson, is moving in with you for six months. And you don't have a say in the matter. What do you do? Stay and try to tough it out after she's been openly hostile towards you throughout your relationship? Or do you leave and find someone who really, genuinely cares for you? Read on and find out.