A story of heartbreak, healing, and the love you never saw coming. Zarra Reynolds had it all figured out-until the man she trusted most shattered her world. After eight years together, James wasn't just her partner-he was her friend, her lover, her future. But when he suggested opening their relationship, Zarra's heart whispered no... and her instincts were right. One night changed everything. Blindsided by betrayal, Zarra stumbles-literally-into a stranger in a stairwell while trying to escape the wreckage of her love life. He's sharp-tongued, stoic, and unexpected. But behind that steel gaze lies someone who sees her in a way James never did. Now, on the verge of her 50th birthday, Zarra is forced to start over. Between therapy sessions, painful memories, and quiet mornings alone with her coffee, she never expected to feel anything for anyone again. But that stranger? He keeps showing up-in her thoughts, in her life, and maybe, just maybe, in her heart. What if the love that heals you comes after the one that broke you? For fans of second chances, slow burns, and fierce women who choose themselves first.

Three couples. Three fleeting nights. One unforgettable collection. From tropical layovers to hidden identities and secret styling gigs, After Hours explores the sparks that fly when passion arrives unannounced - and when strangers leave the deepest mark. ✨ Volume 1 features three standalone AMBW short stories. ✦ Steamy connections ✦ Emotional tension ✦ Unpredictable chemistry Which stranger will you fall for first? ➡️ Contains mature themes and sexual content. 18+ recommended.🔞 The After Hours series has it's own Spotify playlist (you can also search it on Spotify or its under my username VibesWithLex): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0UeQmmrb5tEYYfVAnvsDB6?si=SUWIPfzFRA2bgkmfbqsWww&pi=p9WSAti1SA-Fz

I froze. A man was slumped against the graffiti-covered brick wall, blood blooming across his side. His white shirt was soaked through, and there was a gun just inches from his open hand. My heart slammed against my ribs. Run, Skye. You should run. But I didn't. Instead, I dropped my bag and took a cautious step closer. His head lifted. Piercing, icy blue eyes met mine, sharp even through the haze of pain. His face was all sharp edges and shadowed scruff, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. His accent was thick and rough, like broken glass. "Leave." I shook my head slowly. "You're bleeding. Bad." "Not your concern." His voice was lethal, but he flinched hard when he tried to move. "You're gonna die out here," I whispered, kneeling beside him. My hands trembled as I pressed a napkin from my apron against his side. "I'm studying to be a nurse. Let me help." He stared at me like I was something he couldn't comprehend. A stranger. A softness he didn't trust. Then his hand, heavy and warm, clamped around my wrist-not rough, but firm. "What's your name?" he rasped. "...Skye." A beat passed. Then another. "I am Mikhail." His eyes darkened. "And you shouldn't have found me."

What do you do when you hold the highest office in the United States of America, a widower with two teenage children, a politician who is entering his second term as President of the United States, and a man who is slowly crumbling inside under the strain and pressure of his demanding and the most closely scrutinized job in the world? What do you do when your most trusted Secret Service Agent retires and he is replaced by a man so deliciously beautiful, but yet so unapologetically controlling that he awakens that secret, hidden part of your sexuality that you have kept dormant within you? You know that secret part of yourself that you've spent a lifetime repressing to become who your parents have expected you to be. Someone please explain, how are you suppose to hide these intense feelings of attraction? How do you tamper down the mind altering lust, and ignore this basic primal need for this intrusive Alpha male when all you want to do is strip naked, and offer yourself to the man like you're some kind of pagan sacrifice? Even I, the elected leader of the free world can honestly say that I have no answers to any of those questions. There isn't an advisory council created who can handle this issue, and I didn't have the courage to even attempt to create one. The true question is, will I be able to throw all caution into the winds and chase my own happiness, or will the needs of my country, my family, and my office once again come before my heart? Read on to find out.

Book Cover By: @writermarie__ Five years after a night of forbidden passion, a powerful mafia Don's violent pursuit of a debt leads him back to the enigmatic dancer unaware that she holds a secret that could shatter his empire: his heir. ••••••• Tristian Perry, the undisputed kingpin of New York's underworld, lives by a strict code: power, respect, and ruthless efficiency. A chance encounter five years ago with a young stripper named Lyric Raven resulted in a single night of intense passion, a night he barely remembers amidst the chaos of his life. Lyric, on the other hand, never forgot Tristian. That night left her with Trevor , a son she's fiercely protected, keeping his paternity a secret. Now, five years later, their worlds collide again with explosive force. Tristian, enraged by a dealer's betrayal, traces him to his apartment, only to find Lyric and Trevor living there with him. He kidnaps them both, intending to use them as leverage against her brother until his debt is paid. Lyric, hardened by five years of single motherhood but still possessing the spark that initially captivated him, ignites a dangerous desire he thought he'd buried. Tristian is torn between his ruthless nature, his growing affection for Trevor, and his re-emerging obsession with Lyric.

"She served him a meal. He served her a life sentence." Laila Carter, a hard-working college student with dreams bigger than her wallet, takes a waitressing job to help pay for school. She's sharp-tongued, stunning, and uninterested in the men who fawn over her at work. But one night, the mysterious and powerful Demetri Vescari walks into the restaurant she works at-not as a customer, but as the silent owner and ruthless mafia leader hiding in plain sight. Demetri becomes obsessed with Laila's voice, her goddess-like locs, and the fire in her eyes. She resists him at every turn, sensing the danger he conceals behind his charm. But when Demetri blackmails her estranged father into agreeing to a marriage neither she nor her heart agreed to, Laila is thrust into a deadly world of secrets, power, and passion. And there's no walking away from a man who's decided you're his.

When a world-renowned Black surgeon Dr. Amara Blake finds a bruised, shivering four-year-old boy abandoned behind a dumpster, her instinct is immediate-save him. She has no idea that the quiet, broken child she's nursing back to life is the missing heir of Sergei Mikhailov, a ruthless Russian mafia don with a blood-soaked past and billions at his command. As Amara and little Nikolai form an unbreakable bond, Sergei's desperate search leads him straight to her door-and to a woman whose strength, warmth, and unapologetic grace challenge everything he thought he knew about power and love. But the past is never far behind. As danger creeps closer and secrets unravel, Amara and Sergei must confront the darkness threatening their fragile new world. What begins as protection becomes devotion, and what starts in survival ignites into something neither of them expected: a love powerful enough to rewrite their futures. Beneath Her Grace is a gripping, slow-burn romantic drama about healing, redemption, and the kind of love that makes even the most dangerous men kneel. #1 in Russian

|EDITED| I should've left. I knew I should've turned the hell around. Shut the door. Pretended I didn't see a damn thing. But I didn't. I stood there, frozen. Mesmerized. Cursed. She let the towel fall away. My breath caught when her breasts spilled free-round, medium-sized, her nipples already stiff. She palmed them, moaning low in her throat, her hips shifting against her fingers. Her waist was so damn small, and those thighs... Fuck. Those thick thighs spread wide, holding nothing back. Her clit swollen, her moans growing louder, filling every inch of space in the house. And all I could think was I want to be the one making her sound like that. I wanted to drop to my knees. Slide my mouth up her thighs. Bury my face in that sweet pussy until she screamed my name. God, she was so beautiful, so uninhibited. So fucking close. Amina and Mason have been friends forever. But not even forever prepares them for this. They've shared everything-secrets, laughs, and late-night talks-but never touched the spark simmering just beneath the surface. So when they decide to explore their sexual chemistry under a strict set of rules, it's supposed to be simple. No drama. No emotions. Just heat. But rules don't stand a chance when the lines blur between friendship and something far more dangerous. Because once they cross that line... there's no going back This book was inspired by the song. (That Way by Tate McRae ) !!WARNING!! THIS BOOK CONTAINS A LOT OF DETAILED SEXUAL CONTENT|

Some secrets should never be touched. Especially not your brother's ex. Nico Kingsley isn't looking for love. He's not even looking to be found. After taking a step back from the family empire to heal from the year that nearly broke him, he's been keeping things simple: low profile, low pressure, no attachments. But when a chance encounter leads to something physical with the one woman who should be off-limits... everything changes. She's smart. Stunning. Stronger than anyone knows. And she's hiding a few secrets of her own. What started as late-night silence and bodies tangled in sheets is turning into something too real to ignore. But how long can you hide a love you never planned - especially in a family where nothing stays buried for long?

Tiana James has been Julian Kingsley's best friend since college. She knows every version of him-Golden Boy of the Kingsley empire, corporate smooth-talker, late-night secret keeper. And for years, she's been the one person he could always count on. But she's also the one person he's never touched. Now, with Kingsley International under pressure and Julian leading the rebrand, he needs someone he trusts at his side-and that someone is Tiana. Long nights. Shared hotel rooms. Old memories stirred up like dust. They promised never to cross the line. But the line's getting blurry. And the truth? Julian's been in love with her for years. Tiana's finally ready to admit she might feel the same-but risking the friendship they've built could ruin everything. Especially when someone inside the company isn't finished trying to burn it all down. They've always been each other's peace. Now they'll have to survive the storm.