On a board filled with traps, two sides wage a dangerous battle beneath the façade of a public alliance between nations. On one side stands Tim Bradford, the newest recruit of the U.S. Intelligence Department, though nothing about him screams rookie. At forty years old, he's been a cadet, a squad leader, a police officer, and a sergeant. Now, a hardened spy, thrown into a world where one wrong move means death. On the other, Lucy Chen - the trusted right hand of the most powerful Russian crime syndicate. A girl whose past everyone judges to know. And Tim's mission. There is no loyalty strong enough. No lie safe enough. Only one can survive. And falling in love might be the deadliest move of all. Buckle up. The game is about to begin. | i also post this on AO3 |

Tim was a cop. Lucy was a criminal. Their love was forbidden, but it happened anyways. ⚠️ sexual scenes, slight emetephobia, eating disorder mentions ⚠️

An undercover operation forces Lucy and Tim to play a convincing couple, even though they can barely stand each other. The fighting is real. The tension is worse. And the longer the mission lasts, the harder it becomes to tell what's fake and what isn't.

"Lucy Chen didn't move to Moscow for romance. She moved for distance from her mother, from expectations, from the version of herself everyone assumes she'll become. Tim Bradford didn't move to Moscow for complications. As a billionaire CEO expanding his empire overseas, he prefers control, precision, and deals that stay strictly professional. Unfortunately for both of them, Moscow has other plans. A chance encounter at two in the morning turns into something neither of them asked for and definitely didn't agree to. Suddenly, public appearances are required. Personal space becomes optional. And keeping their distance proves harder than either of them expected. He calls her "trouble." She calls him insufferable. The tension? Unavoidable. With forced proximity, razor-sharp banter, and a mother who may or may not be pulling invisible strings behind the scenes, what starts as a temporary arrangement quickly blurs into something far more complicated. Set against the icy glamour of Russia's elite circles, Cold Contracts & Colder Hearts is a slow-burn, high-tension romance filled with power plays, lingering stares, almost-touches, and the dangerous realization that sometimes the most binding contracts are the ones you never meant to sign. And in a city this cold, sparks don't just fly. They burn."

The man in the corner-the guard assigned by our families to ensure the union is 'properly consummated' watches us with dispassionate eyes. It makes my skin crawl, but then Tim shifts his hips, and a sharp gasp tears from my throat, drowning out everything else. I bury my face in the crook of his neck to hide from the guard, inhaling the scent of sandalwood and expensive whiskey. My fingers dig into his shoulders as the rhythm builds. "Tell me something about you," he murmurs against my hair, his voice ragged but clear despite the exertion. "What?" I moan, confused and dizzy, pressing my lips to the damp skin of his neck in a desperate attempt to anchor myself. He slows his pace just enough to force me to focus, pulling back slightly so he can look me in the eye, even as his body remains connected to mine. "I want to get to know my wife."

Tim Bradford doesn't believe in distractions - which is exactly why Sergeant Lucy Chen is becoming one. She transfers in polished, composed, and entirely unimpressed by his reputation, meeting every dry remark with a steadier one of her own. He doesn't go easy on people, but he doesn't go hard on her either, and that line between professional and personal starts to blur in the quiet moments - shared patrol cars, lingering eye contact, the kind of teasing that sounds harmless until it isn't. She carries herself like someone who has more waiting for her than just the job, and Tim tells himself he doesn't need to know what that is. He just needs to remember she's his partner - and nothing else.

One year ago, Tim Bradford broke Lucy Chen's heart and walked away without explanation. Now Sergeant Lucy Chen is stronger, promoted, and determined to never let him close again. Until she's assigned to a four-month undercover operation. Living in a van. Posing as a couple. Driving from Los Angeles down the coast to Baja, Mexico. With her ex. Every touch is "for the cover." Every kiss is supposed to be fake. But the longer they're trapped together, the harder it is to ignore the tension, the memories... and the questions Lucy never got answers to. Because Tim didn't just leave. He hid something. And somewhere between fake love and real danger, Lucy is about to find out the truth - The real reason he walked away.

Walking home from a friend's house one night, Lucy Chen is kidnapped to pay off her father's debt to the Italian mafia. Tim Bradford, the cold and feared head of a powerful crime family, offers her only one way out-marriage with a deal attached. Trapped in a world of violence and control, Lucy expects cruelty, not the dangerous pull between them. !this book WILL contain smut so this is your warning!

This is a fake scenario about 'The Rookie', Lucy is about to be married to Chris Stanford, finally making her family proud of her but is this really what she want's and what does she do when the love of her life objects at her wedding?

"Lucy Chen is a fearless, relentless journalist who thrives on exposing the truth. She's never believed in love after her ex-fiancé betrayed her, leaving her heart shattered and wary of anyone who gets too close. When she begins investigating a powerful gang, she doesn't know she's about to enter a world far darker than anything she's ever written about. Tim Bradford is the head of the city's most feared mafia family. Hardened by tragedy, responsibility, and loss, he's never known love. His father's death thrust him into a role he never wanted, leaving no room for romance or vulnerability until he sees Lucy. Her courage, intelligence, and fiery independence stir something inside him that he cannot ignore. When Lucy is kidnapped during an investigation gone wrong, Tim swoops in to rescue her. That moment, when he whispers, "Who did this to you?", becomes the turning point. It is the first time Lucy feels his heart behind the dangerous façade, and the first time she realizes she may have already fallen for him. As danger escalates, secrets unravel, and their hearts collide, Tim and Lucy must navigate a world where trust is fragile, betrayal is lethal, and love could be the most dangerous risk of all."