"Morning, Mr. Serious," I say now, setting his usual cup on the table. I add two sugar packets because I can't help myself. He never uses them. He never even looks at them. But I like the idea of them sitting there, taunting him with sweetness. His eyes flick up to mine - stormy gray, the kind that make you feel like you're under interrogation for a crime you don't remember committing. "You should stop doing that." His voice is low, accented, like gravel dragged across velvet. Russian maybe? Or Italian. Or both. Either way, it does unholy things to my stomach. "Doing what?" I ask innocently, sliding the sugar closer to his hand. "That." His gaze drops to the packets. "I don't take sugar." I grin, all sunshine and sass. "You don't know that. Maybe one day you'll wake up and realize life's better with a little sweetness." ●・○・●・○・● Rafael Volkov doesn't do small talk. Or smiles. Or sugar in his coffee. As the mafia's underboss, he's built a reputation on silence, sharp suits, and an expression that could curdle milk. So of course, Lila Parker makes it her mission to crack him. The sunny diner waitress insists on slipping him extra sugar packets, calling him "Mr. Serious" behind the counter, and treating him like a normal guy instead of a walking red flag. He tells her to stop. She doesn't. He growls. She grins. And suddenly, his late-night coffee runs feel less like routine and more like... something he shouldn't want. The problem? In his world, affection is dangerous. Smiles get noticed. Weaknesses get used. And if Lila isn't careful, her little act of kindness might just paint a target on her back. Rafael swore he didn't have a sweet tooth. Turns out he was wrong. ●・○・●・○・● Word Count: 37,478

"𝙄𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙤𝙨, 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙚."

𝐢 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝗺𝐲 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝗺𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭... 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝗼𝗺𝐞 𝐭𝗼 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐫𝗼𝐰 !

" nothing lasts forever , but at least we got all these memories "

Rayne smirked, exhaling smoke. "Not like this, huh? What's that mean, mama?" I rolled my eyes, grabbing a pillow to throw at her. "Stop calling me that." "You don't want me to?" she asked, leaning forward, grin sharp. I froze, lips parting. "...I didn't say that." Her laugh filled the room, low and warm.

Life is unexpected

Being too deep means nothing stays untouched not even love.

Sa'Lani Monee Jeffries has always been the thick girl who gets overlooked or played. At 27, she's done with love, focused on stacking her money as a nail tech and minding her business. But when a fine, chocolate, six-foot-three gangsta with a low voice and dangerous reputation starts showing up at her job, all of that changes. Kaizer "Kai" Rashaad Wynn isn't the type of man she ever wanted. He's quiet, mean to everybody but her, and runs the streets with a heavy hand. Yet when he looks at her like she's the only woman in the world, Sa'Lani finds herself letting her guard down piece by piece. What starts as playful flirting turns into late-night phone calls, expensive gifts, and nights that leave her body aching for more. But falling for a man like Kai means stepping into a world of hood politics, jealous exes, and enemies who will use anything-including her-to get to him. When street drama hits too close to home, Sa'Lani is forced to decide if she can love a man who lives by a code that could get him killed... or if loving him will be the very thing that breaks her heart. Because Kai doesn't just want her body-he wants all of her. And when a real gangsta falls in love with a thick girl, he ain't letting go, no matter who has to get out of the way.

Janeisha "Neisha" Bambi has always survived by keeping a low profile. She don't get caught up in the kind of business that comes with bodies, secrets, and street names that echo. But all it takes is one night-one favor for her best friend-to slide her straight into the orbit of Seven "Saint" Carter. Saint is discipline wrapped in menace. A man the streets don't just respect,they fear. The type Neisha promised herself she'd never look at twice. He doesn't chase, beg, or explain. Yet somehow, he does all of this for her. And when that calm, unreadable gaze settles on Neisha, her careful world starts to crack. Now Saint's patience is running out, Neisha's defenses are falling apart and the pull between them is starting to feel less like a choice and more like fate. He's trying to shield her from the life he lives. She's trying to decide if loving him is salvation or self-destruction.

𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟕𝐭𝐡-𝐀𝐮𝐠 𝟏𝟐𝐭𝐡, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 ©𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐡𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲