Rumi "Rue" Monroe was a girl who grew up too quick and too soon. When her parents died, all she had left was herself, her overworked aunt, and bills they could never quite outrun. Fresh out of a relationship after catching her man in bed with another woman, Rue is exhausted working herself to the bone, drowning in responsibilities, and done with men altogether. She keeps her head down, minding her business, praying life gives her something better than struggle and disappointment. She isn't looking for love, danger, or anything that can break her again. Until she meets him. Nazir "Naz" Creed is the coldest man in the city a quiet storm with a reputation that speaks louder than he ever needs to. Running the streets with his brothers built him an empire people fear and respect in equal measure. Naz moves with precision, loyalty, and violence when necessary, and he's never cared about much outside money, power, and keeping his circle alive. But then he sees Rue. What starts as a chance encounter turns into a collision neither of them can walk away from. Rue's sweetness clashes with Naz's darkness, her broken hope meets his guarded heart, and suddenly the city's coldest man finds himself warming to the one girl who wasn't looking for him in the first place. And the streets? The streets don't like when the wrong people start caring about each other.

"Our love was a case we both lost." When a brilliant lawyer and her ruthless prosecutor husband turn their marriage into the most brutal case they've ever fought, love becomes the one verdict neither of them can win-or walk away from. *** Naomi Carter is a fiercely intelligent lawyer with a near-perfect winning streak of 97% cases won. The only times she ever loses is to her husband. She's sharp, controlled, and commanding in the courtroom, but behind closed doors, she hides a woman who's never truly learned how to love. Nathaniel Carter is a ruthless prosecutor, relentless in his pursuit of justice, and impossible to read. Driven by a fierce need for control, he struggles to keep his own life from unraveling. He's the one man who knows his wife's weaknesses and exploits them with a quiet intensity, stirring both her frustration and desire. Their marriage is a constant battleground, scarred by a shared tragedy neither can overcome. Join these two broken souls as they fight to protect themselves while craving the one thing they fear most: each other. *** #1 in bwwm #1 in eroticromance #1 in blackwoman #1 in enemies #1 in grief #1 in childloss #1 in pregnancy #1 in brokenmarriage #1 in loverstoenemies #1 in darkromance #2 in mentalhealth #2 in enemiestolovers #1 in romance