"But you're scared." He finished, running his fingers down her neck and to her collar bone, following the chain of her necklace, making her shiver, "So responsive." He murmured to himself. "Yes." She whispered, lips parted, eyes locked with his. She felt dirty for letting him be so close to her and touch her in a way that seemed so foreign and inappropriate- Yet exhilarating... "Maybe scared isn't the right word." His deep baritone voice rumbled, his fingers setting her skin on fire as he reached the opening of her top, the only thing dividing them, "Maybe, confused? Intimidated? But you're not scared of me, right, pet?" "I- I don't know." She answered, her heart pounding against her ribcage, making her shake nervously. "You're scared of this-" his hand lifted back up to circle around her throat and he applied slight pressure, but nowhere near enough to hinder her ability to breathe, "or this." He bent down so she could feel his hot breath skim across her cheek making her face flush. His rough lips, ran across the base of her jaw until he reached her ear, "But you're not scared of me." ~•~•~ 19-year-old Vera Reed is out on her own for the first time, leaving small town Tabor, Iowa for Lincoln, Nebraska to attend college at UNL in her old red Subaru. One night she is pulled over for a burnt-out headlight by 28-year-old slight alcoholic officer Axel Davis. Infatuated by her innocence and complete confusion of the outside world, something in him says to help her. Unfortunately, the life of an LPD officer isn't perfect and is full of danger. Danger he won't be able to hide her from forever. Danger she might be the center of. Dominant and toxic male lead and submissive female lead. Warning: sexual content, language, substance abuse Started~ 11/22/19 Finished~ 9/16/22 #1- Innocence #3- Badboy #1- murdermystery #2- obsession #2- police officer

BOOK 1 in the Drowning/Bully Standalone Series. WARNING: This book contains intense bullying, explicit scenes, triggering language, violence, and psychological content. I told Caden to cancel his stupid party. He told me, with that infuriating smirk, "Why? Planning to be my snack tonight?" Caden has made my life hell for four years, ever since our parents got married. He's gorgeous, arrogant, and the kind of boy Stanford girls trip over themselves for. Me? I'm the only one who sees right through him. He's a blatant bully, the devil who turned me into a surreptitious one. And now we're stuck sharing the same off-campus apartment for our entire freshman year. Living together means new rules, no boundaries... and a tension I never expected. The closer we get, the harder it becomes to remember why we ever hated each other in the first place- and nothing threatens our pride more than that. *** Step into an adventure of passion, forgiveness, and second chances. This is Caden and Madison's story.