COMPLETE Let me make this crystal clear, because you don't seem to understand," he said, his voice deceptively calm, but laced with venom. "I paid for you to be my wife. That means you do what I say. You're mine now." He flicked a check toward me, and it fluttered to the ground between us. I couldn't look away from him, though my chest tightened in panic. My hands shook as I fought back tears, refusing to let him see me break. But he wasn't finished. "What did you expect?" he scoffed, eyes narrowing. "This is what gold diggers like you get. Money has a price, and now you're paying yours. Enjoy it, wife." Without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving me standing in the massive, empty living room-speechless, breathless, and drowning in disbelief. I never expected this. © MaryRose 2018. All rights reserved. Content Disclaimer: This story contains scenes of physical and verbal abuse. Reader discretion is advised. My intention is not to romanticize or condone abusive behavior but to present a fictional story for entertainment purposes only. If themes of violence, toxic relationships, or power imbalances are triggering, please proceed with caution or choose a different story. This is a work of fiction and should not be taken as a guide to real-life relationships. Offensive or disruptive comments will be removed to maintain a positive reading experience for all.

17-year-old or nearly 18-year-old Alessia Giovanni, also known as Alessia Ricci, never asked to live within the shadow of Italy's most feared and powerful man. Yet from the moment Carlo Ricci carried her into his manor as a child, she became his-his ward, his responsibility, his carefully protected secret. Now, on the edge of womanhood, Alessia blooms into beauty, fire in her spirit and butterflies in her chest. Everywhere she turns, men begin to notice her. But Carlo notices first. Carlo Ricci-thirty-four, ruthless in business, feared by rivals, untouchable by law-has always ruled with discipline. To the world, Alessia is his foster daughter, the innocent girl raised beneath his name. But to his guarded heart, she has become something far more dangerous: temptation itself. Every smile tests his restraint. Every laugh with another man ignites a possessive fury he cannot control. What begins as protection spirals into obsession? What feels like paternal guardianship burns into forbidden desire? Between them lies an age gap of nearly two decades, a moral wall that should never be breached. Yet behind the closed doors of Ricci Manor, fire and butterflies collide-consuming them both in a storm of longing, anger, and unbearable attraction. Is there a love destined to destroy-or to redefine everything they thought sacred? A story of shadows and desire, of innocence challenged by obsession, Fire and Butterfly dares to ask: how far would you go when the one person you cannot have is the only one your soul burns for? #5th in Mafia (29/12/2025) out of 170K stories 💥⭐⚡🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 #3rd in Developments (17/12/2025) out of 19.9K stories 💥⭐⚡🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 **********Books 2 of the Bound in Shadows Series*************** Content Warning: This novel contains themes of a significant age gap and a relationship dynamic between a guardian and their ward. Also, their love transition and POVs are longer and slower, which may be frustrating

Jade Alarose doesn't believe in love-not anymore. After too many heartbreaks and one too many second chances wasted, she's built walls lined with sarcasm, iced-over glances, and books she can hide behind. Then there's Kayden West. Star of the hockey team. Reputation? Dangerous. Smile? Trouble. Heart? Unavailable... until her. When the golden boy with a past meets the girl who refuses to fall, everything changes. Slowly. Softly. With tension, banter, unexpected late-night talks, stolen glances, and a love that neither of them saw coming. He was the last person she wanted. She was the only person he couldn't walk away from. But with graduation looming, old wounds resurfacing, and one shot at forever on the line-will love be enough? A slow-burn, swoon-worthy college romance full of healing, soft angst, and heart-melting firsts. Highest rankings: #3 college 08-28-2025 #4 slowburn 08-31-2025 #1 dualpov 09-03-2025 #2 protective 09-10-2025 #1 swoonworthy 9-1-2025

'𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭'. - an enemies to lovers, childhood best friend, college romance - ~~~~~~~~ She then speaks up, "Alora." I look up at her and I feel everyone's gaze on me, "Truth or dare." This won't be good but fuck it. "Dare." her eyes widen as if she didn't expect that answer. "I dare you to give someone a lap dance." she smirks and gasps fill the room. I look at Stone and his eyes darken. "Don't make me choose. Name someone," I look back at her and she shrugs. "What about Stone?" a random girl asks. Everyone laughs. "She won't fucking do that. They're friends." a boy says. "Yeah that would be fucking weird if my sister gave my best friend a lap dance." Aiden laughs. I look at Stone and smirk. "Look away then, brother." ~~~~~~~~ Alora Winters has all she's wanted: her two girl-friends and figure-skating. But what happens when they have to return to the place they grew up in? The place that caused them so much hurt? Their male ex-best-friends await there and all the memories and pain come flooding back. Especially the ones that involve him. A BOOK IN THE RUIN ME SERIES [CAN BE READ AS A STANDALONE] BEST RANKINGS: #1 in enemieswithbenefits #1 in friendgroup #1 in badboybadgirl #1 in enough #1 in americanfootball #1 in roommates #1 in friendswithbenefits #1 in desperation

18+ only #1 in Marriage of Convenience [July 2024] "The fewer people that know the truth the better. And if this all goes smoothly, you two will be able to get divorced before the hockey season ends." "I have the places where you both will sign," His eyes lifted and scanned both of us. "But only of course, if you both agree to this." "I'll do it," I said honestly. Minnow sighed outwardly and bit her bottom lip. "If you need more time-" "No," she swallowed, staring at the thick packet in front of us. "I feel like this goes without saying but...no sex. Of any kind. It only complicates things." My cheeks flushed with heat, probably turning pink and Minnow choked. "We won't..." I shook my head, clenching my jaw. Shivers crossed my back. "You don't have to worry about that," Minnow said obviously. "Trust me." ***************************************** Minnow Noel is known for two things: being a hot head and an amazing figure skater. Running from a dark relationship and a past version of herself, she ends up where her skating career all started. Norwegian native Søren Skejeggstad's only focus in life is hockey. With no time for women or a personal life, his only goal is to become the top NHL all-star. But when a major problem arises, he's at risk of losing his dreams if he doesn't figure something out. They were once friends in a past life but now things are cold as ice between them. Just the thought of Søren alone makes Minnow's blood run cold and he'd rather avoid her at all costs. But now an opportunity presents itself and wait...can they get along for a little while or will they end up killing each other before their agreement is through? Started: September 2023 Completed: June 2024

CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH SOME EDITING WHEN IT HURTS TO LET GO Book 6 - The Hurt Series ⚠️ BEFORE YOU READ ⚠️ This story is 18+ and contains mature content including: explicit sexual scenes, underage drinking, substance use, strong language, and emotionally intense situations. 🚨 ❌❌PLEASE NOTE: This book contains infidelity/cheating. If this is a trigger for you, please protect your peace and skip this one. 🖤It also deals with a toxic dynamics between the two main characters so if that is a trigger for you please skip this one. We are talking Blair and Chuck level from GG. ❤️🫶❌❌ 🔥 MARCUS Marcus Reid doesn't do feelings. He does parties. Football. Shots that burn and girls who don't stay. 🥃 Fuckboy extraordinaire. The guy your mother warned you about. 😏 Never the same girl twice. Never anything that could actually hurt. Until her. Harper Davies was supposed to be just another hookup. One night. One mistake. One more girl he'd forget by Monday. Except she felt like everything. 💫 So he did what Marcus Reid does best. He ran. 🏃 Now she's moved on. Happy. Glowing. With someone who isn't him. And Marcus? He's totally fine. Isn't he? 💔 ----- 💔 HARPER Harper Davies is done. ✋ Done waiting. Done hoping. Done being the girl who thought she saw something real. She gave him everything. And he threw it away before the sheets were even cold. Classic Marcus. 🙄 So she moved on. Found someone safe. Someone who actually shows up. She's happy now. She is. 💕 So why does her heart still skip when he walks into a room? Doesn't matter. Marcus Reid already broke her once. And Harper Davies doesn't do second chances. Does she? 💔 ----- 🖤 Some people are meant to be. Some are just meant to wreck each other. ----- 📚 CAN BE READ AS A STANDALONE *(But reading the Hurt Series in order lets you watch the world grow, the friendships deepen, and the heartbreaks connect.)*

One day you're happy, and the next, a freak accident exposes your boyfriend's dirty little secrets in the worst possible way. I lost the man I loved, my trust in people, and my home in less than one afternoon. At least I know that I've pushed past unimaginable pain before, and I can do it again. Elijah didn't break me, just my heart. 💔🔨 So, the LAST thing I needed was to run into my ex's best friend, Gray on the street. Who cares if he's hotter than lava? Gray's a cocky jerk who seems to get a misguided kick out of making my blood boil. And did I mention the guy's got a chip on his tattooed shoulder even bigger than his inflated ego? Unfortunately, I just found out that I accidentally hired him to work on the BIGGEST campaign of my career!💀 But when Gray's prismatic eyes fill with heartfelt apologies, I don't know how to feel. It's messing with my mind, my career, my new friendships, and worst of all, it's hurting what's left of my ruined heart. I thought Gray hated me, but I was wrong...There is something much, much stronger that binds our fate. 🥊💕 This book contains adult themes (aka sexy stuff and trigger content) as well as Oxford commas and the occasional grammatical error. 🥊💕 **This is a complete story that I am currently in the process of editing, so feedback, notes, and helpful comments are always welcome. Bullying and harassing others for their comments as well as shameless self-promotion of things not related to the content will be deleted.** Highest Ranks: 🥊💕 #6 in #mature 😍😆🙏 🥊💕 #15 in #adultromance 😍🥰 🥊💕 #69 in #unrequited 😋😛😝 🥊💕 #92 in #tattoos 🥊💕 #18 in #badboylovestory 🥊💕 #1 & #2 in #adultthemes li

➪ 𝖢𝗁𝗋𝗂𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗇𝖺 𝖽𝖾𝖼𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝖺 𝗍𝗋𝗂𝗉 𝗍𝗈 𝖨𝗍𝖺𝗅𝗒 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖿𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝖺𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖺 𝖻𝖺𝖽 𝖻𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗄𝗎𝗉 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝖻𝗎𝗌𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝖾𝗑 𝖻𝖿． 𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗉𝖾𝗇𝗌 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝖾𝖾𝗍𝗌 𝖺 𝟨'𝟦 𝖨𝗍𝖺𝗂𝗅𝗂𝖺𝗇 𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝖬𝖺𝗋𝖼𝖾𝗅𝗅𝗈 𝖣𝖾𝗅𝗀𝖺𝖽𝗈．𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗌𝗍 𝗉𝗈𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖿𝗎𝗅 𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍𝗋𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗈𝗇 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗋𝗂𝗉？ 𝖧𝗈𝗐 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖼𝗍 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝗂𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗐𝗁𝗈 𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝗂𝗌？ { 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓 } 𝖥𝗎𝗁𝗁𝗓𝗓 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟦． 𝖠𝖫𝖫 𝖱𝖨𝖦𝖧𝖳𝖲 𝖱𝖤𝖲𝖤𝖱𝖵𝖤𝖣． #𝐌𝐀𝐅𝐈𝐀 #𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐀𝐍 #𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐀𝐍 #𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 ✰✰✰✰✰

Luken Hunt is a virgin. A 23 year-old, NHL-playing, star-forward virgin. He's spent years dodging the post-game parties, the groupies, the endless opportunities that come with being a pro athlete. He's too focused on hockey, too awkward, too... completely out of his depth when it comes to women. Then Brooklyn Launder walks into his life. Sharp, stunning, and absolutely off-limits, she's the sports reporter who's seen it all-cocky athletes, bad pickup lines, and men who think they can charm their way into her life. But Luken? He's different. And when a flustered interview of his goes viral, turning the league's most unapproachable player into everyone's favorite bashful hockey heartthrob, Brooklyn finds herself just as intrigued as the rest of the internet. So when he confesses he's never even been kissed properly, Brooklyn makes a proposition-a few lessons. Just to help him out. A kiss here, a little guidance there. Nothing serious. Until the first lesson turns into two. Then three. And suddenly, Luken is learning fast-not just how to kiss, but how to touch, tease, and drive Brooklyn absolutely insane. But with the media watching, a locker room full of relentless teammates, and a career that demands all of him, Luken has to decide if he's ready to risk it all-for the one thing he's never had. A slow-burn, forbidden, scorching-hot hockey romance where the shy, virgin hockey star gets the ultimate education-and the woman he never saw coming. 𓅷 [SMUT Warning] [18+ Mature Audiences] Don't copy my work I will find you 🔪 4/14/25 1 in #sports 1 in friendswithbenefits 1 in hockey 1 in badgirlgoodboy 1 in nhlhockey 1 in nhlfanficton

Mia: I had one chance to run, So I took it. Drifting from one town to the next, never staying long enough to exchange a simple hello. That's how I've stayed alive this long. Until my ex finally has me back in his clutches. I think it's all over when he dumps my broken body inside an old trunk. I wait for the eternal darkness to greet me; instead I'm greeted by a devastatingly handsome angel. Only this angel has no desire to set me free. Levi: Watching my brother find the woman who was made for him has me anxiously awaiting the arrival of my own. However, finding her stuffed inside of an abandoned trunk isn't exactly what I had in mind. I don't mind rescuing her though, because she's mine. I'll save her from anyone, including herself. She belongs to me now. Mine to love, mine to cherish, and mine to rescue. She'll soon learn she's right where she's meant to be. This is part of a series. The first book can be found on my page (Protecting Her). Each book is a standalone with interconnecting couples. This series follows the Brooks brothers as they each find their destined soulmates. Each book is a different couple. WARNING: This book contains an over the top, possessive, alphahole. This is an insta-love story. For readers 18+ ONLY.