I held the gun to his head. "Why do you hate me?" he asks, while looking deep into my eyes. My eyes tear up as I truthfully answer, "Because you make me feel things that I swore I would never feel for anyone ever again." ༺♡༻ Meet Emma, a highly skilled assassin whose haunted past remains concealed beneath a veil of secrecy. Working under the umbrella of her organization, she finds herself assigned to assist the powerful mafia leader, Diego Ramirez, with his nefarious missions. With an intense mutual disdain and undeniable chemistry, their deadly game quickly evolves into a twisted dance of love and hate. Bound by duty and a growing attraction neither can deny, they become captives of their own desires. But as their dangerous missions escalate, the lines between right and wrong blur, and they must navigate their treacherous path while guarding their own sins and secrets. With the fate of their intertwined worlds hanging in the balance, they must make unthinkable choices that will forever change their lives. Will they find redemption in each other's arms or be consumed by the darkness that surrounds them?

SECOND BOOK OF THE VELVET & VOWS SERIES 🩶⛓️ ≻───── ⋆✩⋆ ─────≺ Vincenzo Russo The most feared man in the country-the ruthless Don of the Las Vegas Mafia. He attends a wedding with one goal: to provoke the other families and remind them who holds power. What he doesn't expect... is her. Liliana Aurora Moretti. Milan's mafia princess. Raised in luxury, born into danger. After her uncle's death, her family returns to New York-where Liliana finds herself at Vogue Fashion College and rises into the spotlight as a supermodel. ≻───── ⋆✩⋆ ─────≺ Preview... I was steadying my hands when the door suddenly shot open. Vincenzo stepped inside and locked the door behind him with a quiet click that sounded final. "This is the women's bathroom," I snapped. He shrugged, walking closer. "I don't give a shit." I tried to push past him, but he stepped in front of me, blocking the path like a wall that had learned how to breathe. "I don't like your fucking attitude," he said, irritation sharpening his voice. "What are you going to do about it?" I challenged, refusing to blink. He didn't answer. He just moved. One step. Then another. Slow, predatory patience in every shift of his weight, until my back hit the wall behind me. He lowered himself slightly, eyes locking onto mine again, his voice dropping to a whisper. "You want danger, principessa?" he murmured. "Keep talking to me like that... and I'll make sure you choke on the consequences you're begging for." A cold wave washed through me, sharper than fear, deeper than anger. My breath locked again, pulse hammering in my ears as his smirk returned, thin and satisfied. He didn't touch me. He didn't need to. He already had. #1 lasvegas 01/25/2026

"Please," I whisper, my voice trembling as tears prick the corners of my eyes. "Please don't hurt me." The words barely escape my throat, fragile and desperate. He studies me for a moment, tilting his head slightly, almost as if he's amused by my plea. Then he scoffs, the sound sharp and mocking. "Why would I want to do that?" he murmurs, his voice smooth but carrying a dark undertone that chills me. He takes a step forward, and instinctively, I step back. "I've just found you..." He pauses, his gaze dragging over my face like a predator sizing up its prey. "And now you're mine." Aurora Evans leads a life of simplicity. Eat, work, sleep-her unchanging regimen is her sanctuary, and she has no intention of altering it. But what unfolds when a shadowy figure, lurking beyond her windows, takes an insidious interest in her? One glance at her in a café ensnares him, rendering him captivated, his singular ambition becoming clear: to claim her as his own. Aurora's attempts to escape his shadowy games are futile, especially in the cloak of night when he emerges, weaving his spell under the cover of darkness. He teases, entices, and pushes her perilously close to her breaking point. Her resolve is to distance herself as much as possible. Yet, fate has a cruel sense of irony. When she is abruptly dismissed from her previous job, she unwittingly lands a position working for him-as his assistant-entangling her in a web she can no longer evade. *A STALKER ROMANCE* #1 in "assistant" 12/23/24 #1 in "criminal" 3/8/25