He was completely and utterly oblivious to everything that he had caused and she absolutely hated him for that. [UNEDITED] [DUAL POV] TW: eating disorder recovery [NO SMUT]

"The Underground Fighter and His Childhood Best Friend" ❦ Sasha "Kayo" Sokolov is a Russian fighter who was sent to America at a young age. One day, he met a young girl by the name of Everleigh Wilson, who taught him how to speak English, and helped him with his studies. They bonded so easily and became the best of friends. Years passed, and Sasha disappeared. Everleigh had to go on with life without her best friend. Until one lonely night when she saw the one man she loved more than anything beating another man to death. - "What happened to the boy I used to know?" she questioned, shutting her eyes at the feel of his hand traveling up her dress. He was so close to her throbbing core, and she hated how much she wanted him to touch her, enter her, ruin her. Sasha smirked sadistically. "He's gone, kitten. And he's never coming back." ❦ 𝐁𝐖𝐖𝐌, 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤, 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.

Aria thought she had it all figured out when she ran away from home with nothing but a promise of a bright future alongside her high school sweetheart. The small-town girl, eager for escape saw only a horizon full of hope and love. But the dream quickly turned to dust after they married. The man she thought she knew became someone unrecognizable, and the life they built together turned into a nightmare. Trapped and suffocated by a world of deceit and danger, Aria found herself fleeing for her life, heartbroken and desperate. With nowhere else to turn, she made her way back to the only place she thought might offer some kind of safety-her father's motorcycle gang. The very gang she had sworn to leave behind when she left home all those years ago. But things were different now. The world she once knew had changed, and so had she. As she returned to the grimy, gritty world of her father's ruthless empire, Aria found herself face-to-face with the one man who could make everything even more complicated: Reaper. Reaper's cold, lethal eyes seemed to pierce through her, seeing past the carefully constructed facade she'd built to escape her past. It was as if he knew every secret she was running from, every lie she'd told herself to survive. Aria couldn't shake the feeling that he was not just a threat, but something far more dangerous. Was she merely prey in his eyes, another piece of the puzzle he was piecing together, or was there something more? Something darker, more captivating, that drew her into his orbit. With each encounter, the tension between them grows, and Aria begins to wonder if the price of safety might come with a far greater cost-one that could pull her deeper into a world of violence, power, and secrets she's not sure she's ready to face. But as the lines blur between hunter and hunted, Aria's past may just catch up with her in ways she never imagined, and Reaper could be the only one who truly understands the darkness she's trying to escape.

Rebecca Lee never planned on coming back to her small Texas hometown. After years of building a name for herself as a world-renowned animal doctor in New York, she thought she had left the past-and everyone in it-far behind. But when an old mentor retires, she finds herself back where it all started, taking over the local clinic and facing the life she once ran from. What she didn't expect? Jason Carter. Her brother's best friend. The boy who used to tease her endlessly. The man who now works the ranch like he owns the place-rugged, confident, and entirely off-limits. She told herself it was just a childhood crush. That seeing him again wouldn't change anything. But the more time they spend together, the harder it is to ignore the way he looks at her... or the way she wants to break every rule to have him. She knows the risks. Knows her brother would never approve. But some temptations are impossible to resist. And Jason Carter? He's always been her greatest one.

She only meant to run. Run from the bruises, the lies, the life that was slowly swallowing her. At eighteen, with nothing but a torn backpack and a heartbeat full of fear, she crosses a dusty stretch of nowhere and stumbles onto a secluded ranch hidden deep in the rural wilds. And that's where she meets him. Cole Harlan. A man carved from silence and shadow - mid-thirties, broad-shouldered, sun-browned, and carrying the kind of past no one dares ask about. He lives alone, works alone, and prefers it that way... until the trembling girl on his porch forces something in him awake. Something protective. Something dangerous. He offers her shelter. But safety with Cole has a price. His rules are simple. His eyes see too much. And his presence... consumes her. As days blur into nights, the ranch becomes a world of its own - quiet mornings, shared glances, unspoken tension thick enough to touch. She learns his routines. He learns her secrets. And in the heat of the countryside, their connection turns from forbidden curiosity into something darker, deeper, and impossible to resist. But Cole isn't just a rugged stranger. He's a man with enemies. A man with blood on his hands and ghosts in his past. A man who will do anything - anything - to keep what he claims. And she may be the first thing he's ever wanted enough to break his own rules for. A haunting, sensual tale of danger, desire, and the kind of love that feels more like possession. Where safety is an illusion... and surrender may be her only way out.

Jackson Wilder was the golden ticket out of Whispering Pines. He had an NFL career and a legacy ahead of him, but the "long distance" promise he made to Nora St. Claire dissolved into unanswered calls and a cold silence six months into college. While Jackson chased glory, Nora fought a quiet battle-finishing vet school with a newborn in her arms, a secret she kept to protect a rising star. Ten years later, a career-ending injury brings a broken Jackson home to a ruined ranch. He's a stranger in his own house, living down the hall from Jax Reed, the rugged lead hand who's been running the ranch-and dating Nora. But the real shadow in the pines is the nine-year-old boy with Jackson's eyes and a throwing arm that's the talk of the town. Nora has guarded her son for a decade, but as Jackson returns, the silence is finally about to break. Dedication: To the decade it took to say, 'I'm sorry' and the moment it took to say 'Dad.' For Nora and Jackson: high school sweethearts who survived the storm. To the man who guarded the ranch while the star was away, and the son who finally got his teammate. The pines don't forget, and neither does the heart.

In a town that never forgets, Lily Fields is the quiet girl everyone thinks they know - kind, steady, and safe. Rowan Cross is the monster they all fear. The boy blamed for a death ten years ago. The man who returned richer, darker, and more dangerous than ever. When Rowan sets his sights on Lily, the town warns her to run. They slash tires, spread rumors, and try everything to tear them apart. But the more they push, the closer she gets. Because Lily isn't as innocent as they believe. Beneath her sweet smile lies a darkness that matches Rowan's - one that craves his rough hands, his possessive grip, and the way he makes her feel completely owned. As the town schemes to destroy them, Lily and Rowan choose each other again and again. In the end, the whispers fade, the threats stop, and all that remains is the house on the hill where she finally moves in with the man the town tried - and failed - to take away from her. A dark, obsessive small-town romance about choosing the monster... and discovering you were never the innocent heroine after all.

In the mist-soaked town of Coastal Hollow, everyone knows everyone-or at least they think they do. Cal Bennett is a ghost in a tailored suit. By day, he's a corporate security consultant with a penthouse view and a bank account to match. By night, he trades cufflinks for leather and vanishes down winding coastal roads on a matte-black motorcycle no one knows he owns. He's a man with two lives-and no room for error. Elizabeth "Elle" Jameson is everything soft in a town worn down by storms. The 21-year-old nursing student pours lattes by day and studies by night, dreaming of escape but clinging to the comfort of routine. Then the biker starts showing up. Quiet. Watchful. Kind in small ways. And he keeps coming back. What Elle doesn't know is that she's already met him-twice. Once behind the safety of her coffee counter, and once behind the polished façade of his professional world. Cal swore he'd never let the two lives meet. In a town where secrets don't stay buried, obsession always demands a reckoning.

Damiano Vale, 19. Rich, infamous, untouchable. He's the school's golden boy with a temper problem. Playboy reputation, expensive cars, and a crowd that parts when he walks. Maya David, 18 transfers in. Senior year. New town, zero interest in the social ladder. She's confident, whip-smart, ACEs every class, and dresses for herself. She talks her mind, doesn't tolerate bullies, and has long brunette hair. She moved after her own family fell apart, so she's got walls up and no patience for fake. _______________ He groans hard, pushing it deeper. With my legs now wide open for him. Only for him. A moan leaves my mouth unexpectedly as I arch my back. "Oh my...goodness. that feels so good." I praise My eyes roll to the back of my head as he continues thrusting into me. "Say my name." He orders, with a thrust I open my eyes, looking at him. There's barely light in the car but I can see the desire in his eyes. Pure and real. "Damiano..." His name flows out of my tongue like water "Good girl." He leans closer and clash his mouth on mine with a loud groan. My fingers get entangled in his hair and my legs wrap around his waist. His scent is all over me now, intoxicating me. "F...fuck!" I yell in between our kiss.....

When Emily applies for a position as a caregiver for Daniel, a boy with a permanent spinal cord injury, she never thought she'd also be dealing with his brash fighter of a brother, Lucas. Emily soon becomes involved in the world of fighting that seems to constantly surround Lucas as he attempts to find retribution for his brother. Can Emily help heal the relationship between the two brothers while also caring for the seemingly brute professional fighter? Will Lucas lower his barriers enough for Emily to do so?