𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝. 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐭. . . . . . . . . . . Living in The Colony was all Josie knew. To the outside world it was a cult of brainwashed victims all under the spell of Kade Rogers, but to her it was home. That was up until a series of events that led up to her escape. If only fate wasn't so cruel as to lead her away from one monster and put her directly into the hands of another. Now, with a new sense of determination, Josie explores the world outside of The Colony and learns the hard way that trust is a dangerous weapon of destruction. Trying to lead a normal life starting college proves to be impossible after meeting Nico Blaine. He was everything she was suppose to stay away from. But when Josie lay's eyes on the tattooed beauty, she can't help it. What starts out as a innocent infatuation turns into a twisted tale of betrayal. .. . . . . . . . . . - Dark romance - Explicit sexual content - Mature themes - Criminal - Villain - Anti-hero #1 goodgirlxbadboy #1 darklove

Maya applied pressure to my wound. I hissed from the pain. "Stop fucking around." She rolled her eyes at me. Maya finished tending my wound, wrapping it with a bandage. As she got up to put the first aid away, I stopped her. My thumb rubbed against the cool skin of her hand. I pulled her to sit on my lap. My fingers ran through her hair. "You're doing it again." I ignored her, sinking my chin into her shoulder. "I have no idea what you're talking about." I placed small pecks on neck. Her breathing turning heavy. "Stop. Someone could walk in." "And? You think they want to watch? Shit, I would." _____________________________________ ~Maya Castillo~ Escaping her traumatic past, Maya and her brother, Santiago, run to New York. In hopes to run her family business one day along side with her brother, she takes a college program at NYU. But when a anonymous person threatens her, Santiago turns to a past trusted friend. His price for protection? Her. ~Noah Slade~ In Manhattan, Noah is feared around the entire city. New York bows to his feet. He works in multiple businesses and is known in the mafia world as well. When a old friend from high school comes to him for protection, he comes face to face with his friend's sister once again, knowing exactly what he wants in exchange. ~ H I G H E S T R A N K S ~ #6- badass 8/24/2022 #8- ongoing 10/31/2022 #6- maya 5/3/2025 #1- maya 5/4/2025 #5- enemiestolovers 5/8/2025 #5- interesting 5/14/2025

"I want you so much it's driving me insane," he said quietly, his voice rougher now, stripped of control. "Every time you walk into a room, I feel it. Every time you look at me with those eyes..." His jaw tightened. "You have no idea how badly I want to lose control with you." A shiver ran down my spine. "Then why are you fighting it?" I asked softly, stepping closer. He stepped back immediately, as if my presence burned him. "You don't understand," he muttered. "I understand enough," I said, my voice shaking slightly. "You want me. I want you. So what's the problem?" His dark gaze snapped to mine. For a moment, something dangerous flickered in his eyes, something raw and almost frightening. "The problem," he said slowly, "is that men like me ruin women like you." The words hung heavy in the air. I frowned. "You don't get to decide that." He laughed once, but there was no humor in it. "If you knew the things I've done... the things I'm capable of..." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "You wouldn't be standing this close to me." "I'm still here," I said quietly. That seemed to affect him more than anything else I'd said. His eyes softened for the briefest second before the wall came back up. "That's exactly the problem." Silence fell between us. Thick. Heavy. Electric. Finally, he turned away from me as if the sight of me physically hurt him. "I'm not the man for you, Jessica." My chest tightened painfully. "And you don't get to decide that either," I replied, my voice steadier than I felt. He didn't answer. He just walked away.