"Tell me." He whispered, voice husky with amusement. "If I take this dress off of you and touch you here." His thumb traced slow circles over the tightening nub, rubbing gently, deliberately making it harder. "Would you be wet, Олонок?" Heat surged through me like wildfire. My breath hitched before I could stop it. My lips parted, and instinctively, I bit down on my lower lip, tasting my own flesh. His thumb continued its torturous dance over the areola, small circles that became firmer, coaxing every nerve to attention. I could feel the skin puckering under his touch, my body betraying me in slow, shuddering responses. I wanted to pull away, to stand, to breathe but the grip of his gaze held me captive. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Elara Sinclair came to Maryville to disappear. After fleeing the engagement her father arranged, one that would have chained her to a life she didn't choose. She only wants quiet, classes, anonymity, and a future of her own making. But quiet shatters the moment she enrolls in Russian during her third year. Her professor, Draven Volkov, is everything she should avoid. Commanding Magnetic Impossible to ignore. His dark eyes promise more than language lessons, and his words curl around her like silk. But behind the sharp suits and the accent is a man with secrets far more dangerous than she realizes. Because Draven Volkov isn't just a professor. He's Lucius Romanov, heir to a ruthless Russian mafia dynasty, hiding in plain sight. As Elara struggles to outrun her past, she finds herself entangled in his. Desire wars with fear, attraction with survival, and every step closer to him pulls her deeper into a world of power, deception, and sin. In Maryville, falling for the wrong man doesn't just break hearts. It can cost lives.

𝐕𝐄𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐑𝐀𝐉𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈- Once a strict and calm professor, Vedant has faced many challenges. Raised without family's love, he built his life on his own. His past is haunted by the loss of his mother, a pain caused by betrayal within his own family. To the world, he's strong and unbreakable, but inside, he carries deep wounds that few can see. "𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥" 𝐀𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐊𝐀 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐊𝐔𝐑-She was his student. quiet, insecure who secretly loved him but kept her feelings hidden. Situations kept them apart. Situations changed her as tough and closed off, refusing to let herself fall in love again. "𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 ,𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦" Will they accept this 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲'𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭..