When Aria-cautious, composed, and done with playing safe-agrees to a blind date in a shadow-drenched downtown bar, she expects small talk and an easy exit. What she doesn't expect is Rafe: devastatingly magnetic, emotionally guarded, and carrying a storm behind his eyes. Their chemistry? Immediate. Volatile. Dangerous. One glance sparks a current that refuses to fizzle. But behind Rafe's charm is something fractured-something that bites when touched. And the deeper Aria falls, the more she risks burning. As secrets unravel and obsession takes hold, Aria is drawn into a world where every kiss is a dare, every touch a test. Rafe might be the escape she's craved... Or the fire that consumes her. Velvet Heat is a slow-burn erotic romance laced with suspense, dark desire, and emotional reckoning-where lust becomes survival, and surrender may be the only way out.