"𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙. 𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖 𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙚𝙡 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙤𝙧."

"You can't see the future. I might have a chance. You don't know for sure." He mumbled, making her expression soften. "M-my mom used to tell me t-that birds still sing even after a storm. Why shouldn't people feel as free t-to delight in whatever sunlight remains to them?" Samir stopped talking for a moment to regather himself so that he didn't stutter, but Nina froze completely. "You don't have to settle with him Nina. It's been five years an-and you're not a-as happy as you should be. You smile differently with me.. and you cry a lot with him. I just think that you deserve to enjoy your time with someone other than h-him for a minute because there's still sunlight out there for you too, even if you can't see it yet." How did he become her source of 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 so 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐲? A short story.

Lauren Greenwood looks like the perfect pastor's wife pretty, polished, always sitting in the front row like she was born to be there. But behind closed doors, her husband James is everything he preaches against... and she's been protecting his dirt for years. When Lauren finally gets tired of saving a man who won't save himself, she makes one decision that changes everything and a new man steps into her life at the worst possible time. Now Lauren's stuck between the devil she married... and the temptation she never saw coming.

When a young data scientist unexpectedly steals the heart of a highly sought after executive, the passion between them could lead her into a whole new world of sexual expression. Standalone in the Professional Restraint series *** After a string of one-sided relationships left her feeling unfulfilled and unsatisfied, Ella put her love life on the back burner to focus on her career. But when she is called in last minute to give a huge presentation for her business partner, she not only lands the sought after account, but catches the eye of the handsome COO, Liam. Most attention from men just sets the shy Ella on edge, but somehow Liam is the exception-the magnetic pull between them not only enlivens Ella, but he makes her feel safe. Liam is focused, driven, and extremely controlled in his professional and personal lives. Both his perfectionism and his particular tastes demand it. An experienced Dominant, Liam has rarely considered or found fulfillment in relationships with women outside of the lifestyle, but innocent, guileless Ella sets a passionate fire like nothing else raging within him. Not only is she brilliant and gorgeous, but, in her, he can sense a natural submissive despite her lack of experience. As Ella struggles with having been burned so many times before, Liam wonders if he'd ever be able to reveal the truth and be accepted. Will she be able to trust him, and even if she does, will all of him be too much to handle?

At Texas Southern University, everyone knows Kyana Reed, Jordan Miles, and Amir Lawson. Kyana is the girl who does everything in student government and the community. Jordan, her longtime boyfriend, leads a major campus organization and always looks the part. Together, they are the couple everyone expects to last. But things are starting to fall apart. Jordan's priorities have changed, and Kyana realizes she has been carrying the relationship alone. Then Amir Lawson enters the picture. He is calm, grounded, and their professional connection turns into late-night conversations that make Kyana question what real love feels like. When Jordan's betrayal finally comes to light, Kyana must choose between keeping up the image everyone believes in or choosing her own peace, even if it hurts.

After watching her father, Kacey King, get murdered during the grand opening of his newest business, Nicki King's world falls apart. The police call it a random act of violence. Nicki knows better. Haunted by grief, hallucinations, and unanswered questions, Nicki becomes obsessed with finding the truth behind her father's death. Her search leads her to three men: Coop Brown, Chris Gates, and Dave East. One by one, she gets closer to the people she believes destroyed her life. But when revenge leads her to Dave East, the man she's convinced is responsible, Nicki finds herself caught between the truth she wants and the love she never expected. Because sometimes the person you're trying to destroy becomes the person you can't live without.

When platinum-selling rapper Psalm St. James meets Allure Lux and Solar Brownie at his thirtieth birthday party, the attraction is instant-and completely unexpected. Allure, a sought-after video vixen, and Solar, one of the industry's highest-paid dancers, have been best friends for years. They've never shared a man, never wanted the same man, and never imagined the one person who could change that would be Psalm. But instead of forcing a choice, the three of them discover a love none of them saw coming. Their relationship remains a secret until a private tape leaks online, turning them into the internet's biggest scandal overnight. Suddenly, fans, blogs, and gossip pages are convinced someone is being cheated on, someone is secretly jealous, and their love is doomed to fail. But while the world judges what it saw on camera, only Psalm, Allure, and Solar know the truth behind the lens.

𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐇- Sage Monroe finally opened Sweet Tooth, the bakery she and her late grandmother always dreamed of-only to find herself next door to loud bass, loud weed, and an even louder man who owns the dispensary beside her. Cash Vaughn owns the whole strip, but Sage doesn't care about his money, power, or reputation. All she knows is he's bad for business... and somehow impossible to ignore. Cash doesn't trust anybody outside his bloodline, but Sage gets under his skin in ways nobody ever has. What starts as tension turns into something neither of them saw coming-until betrayal, kidnapping, and a deadly street war threatens to tear it all apart. And when the smoke clears, Cash has to decide if love is worth bleeding for... and Sage has to decide if she can survive loving a man built for war.

After a brutal breakup with her daughter's father, Keisha swears off men and messy emotions. So when her girls drag her to her first-ever professional basketball game, she expects nothing more than a night out, loud music, and overpriced popcorn. What she doesn't expect is Glock, the league's most electrifying rising star - fresh off a comeback after beating two murder charges that nearly destroyed his career. When their worlds collide court-side, there's an instant pull neither of them can deny. Glock is larger than life, disciplined on the court, reckless with his heart, and battling demons the cameras never catch. Keisha is guarded, focused on protecting her daughter, and terrified of falling for a man whose life is always in the spotlight. Just as their connection deepens, tragedy strikes - ripping open old wounds and dragging Glock into a dark spiral. A corrupt detective, obsessed with bringing him down, twists every death and every coincidence into a case against him, threatening to take his freedom, his career, and everything he's rebuilt. Caught between love and chaos, Keisha feels the pressure closing in. Glock's world is danger, grief, and constant attack. Her world is stability, motherhood, and safety. And for the first time, she doesn't know whether to stand beside the man who's captured her heart... or walk away for the sake of her child. From the Court is a gripping tale of love, loyalty, redemption, and the impossible choices we make when life refuses to play fair.

Aurora Fletcher thought she had seen it all. As a psychiatric nurse, she's spent years helping people navigate trauma, addiction, grief, and the darkest moments of their lives. Then David Blackwell is admitted to her unit under a fake name. A man haunted by nightmares he refuses to talk about and a past he can't escape. Aurora knows he's hiding something. What she doesn't know is that David Blackwell is one of the most powerful and feared men in the city-and four years ago, he lost everything when his three-year-old daughter, Dove, was killed. Now he's left carrying a grief that never healed, memories that won't let him sleep, and a guilt he can't outrun. The closer Aurora gets to him, the harder it becomes to ignore the man beneath the reputation. But David has enemies. Aurora has boundaries. And some secrets are dangerous enough to destroy them both. He was supposed to be her patient. She was never supposed to become his reason to keep living.