Drew remembered the little girl who befriended him when no one else would. He remembered her long braids and her cocoa butter scent. And when he found her again, he swore to never let go. He made a silent promise; that no matter where he went or what he was doing, he'd always come back to her.

BOOK ON HOLD-- writers block 😔 𝗜𝗩𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗝𝗘𝗡𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗦 is the perfect little ballerina - soft-spoken, obedient, and untouched by the world that sold her. To everyone else, she's just a quiet girl with lowered eyes and pointed toes. But 𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗔𝗘𝗟 𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗢 knows better. He sees the way her hands tremble. The way her smile doesn't reach her eyes. The way she obeys like she's afraid not to. And it pulls him in. She was promised to him-a contract sealed in blood, not love-and now she belongs to a man as cold as he is calculated and controlling. Rafael doesn't crave her affection. He isn't looking to be wanted. What he wants is to unravel her. To possess every piece of the girl the world calls delicate. But Ivory isn't fragile. She's fractured. And the closer he gets, the more she falls apart for him. In a world of shadows, power, and pain, their connection becomes something twisted. Addictive. Dangerous. Because when you give yourself to a monster... you don't get to choose what parts of you he keeps. And when control slips... Desire takes its place. And Rafael never loses. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒂𝒍𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ・❥・ "Careful, Ivory. I play rougher when someone thinks they can outmatch me." ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ・❥・ { 18+ | Dark Mafia Romance } 𝖢𝖮𝖯𝖸𝖶𝖱𝖨𝖳𝖤 𝟤𝟢𝟤5 @𝗐𝗋𝗍𝖾𝗇𝗂𝗆

Anthony stops at my bare shoulder and leans down to press a hot kiss onto the skin. "You can't say things like that.." He delivers another, this one to my collarbone and making my words grow weak, unconvincing ... even as they come from my own mouth. "We're supposed to be ... friends." Anthony is quiet at first, the only response I get being his free hand drifting over to cage my body into the small space between us. "I know .." He trails off. It goes dead silent for a second. "But I ... don't think that's enough for me, B." There's a sharp breath from me at the words and a flush of heat to my cheeks when Anthony pushes my hair over my shoulder. His actions expose me to him, showing off my bare shoulders in a way that's downright indecent as the straps pulled down now hang loosely off my arms. "I don't want .. to be just a friend to you." And then, there's another kiss to pair. Although it isn't a simple peck this time. It's an actual kiss now, slow and softly pressed onto my neck. Beatrix thought she'd never trust another guy again. After being burned, both physically and emotionally by her ex-boyfriend Rudy in her senior year of high school, Beatrix's trust in people is low. That is, until she transfers to the esteemed, private Highland University. It's a fresh start to give the girl what she wants most: A shot at normalcy. The plan is simple .. just keep her head down, study her ass off, try to become a functional person once again and hopefully make one friend or two. Everything was supposed to start over that year. She'd had high hopes of starting anew and faithfully prepared to blend in to the background. And the day goes well. Until she sits down in Spanish, where she meets Anthony Gamaro. After a slight misunderstanding, Beatrix finds herself in an odd friendship with the 20 year old football player. One that slowly helps her regain the confidence she'd long lost before.

DISCLAIMER: This book contains explicit content and mature themes intended for readers aged 18 and over. It is not a traditional romance, but rather a deeply complex and dark exploration of a toxic relationship. The characters' dynamics involve intense emotional manipulation, power struggles, and actions that may be triggering to some readers. Please be advised that this story delves into themes that are explicit, emotionally charged, and may not be suitable for all audiences. Proceed with caution. "Tell me again how you don't want me," he whispers, dragging his lips down her neck. "Say it under oath, and I might even believe you." Jasmine Taylor doesn't lose. Not in the courtroom, not in life. At just twenty-six, she's built an ironclad reputation: fierce, brilliant, and unshakably professional. But when she's assigned the biggest case of her career-defending Dimitri Alekseev, a dangerously alluring Russian immigrant accused of murder-her world begins to crack. Dimitri isn't just a suspect. He's a problem. Tall, tattooed, and terrifyingly unreadable, with ties to a powerful family the law doesn't dare touch. The evidence against him is overwhelming. The press wants him buried. And deep down, Jasmine suspects the whispers are true. But the more time she spends with him, the harder it becomes to separate fact from instinct. Because beneath his cold exterior is something intoxicating. Calculated charm. Raw heat. And secrets whispered in the dark. As the trial barrels forward, Jasmine finds herself pulled into his world-one filled with shadows, blood ties, and undeniable temptation. The closer she gets to the truth, the more she risks not just her career, but her safety... and her soul. What happens when the woman who always plays by the rules falls for the man who was born to break them?

there's a bar in the city, and it just happens to be ran by the Castillo Crime Family. *this story falls between Natalie Young and Sam Castillo, the son of Richie Castillo. This book has not been edited, so excuse any errors.

Anastasia Bailey and Mateo Russo share a passion, and while he spends his nights running and catching tosses down a football field, Anastasia is on the sidelines cheering for Cambridge University sports team. The two may have caught each other's attention since they stepped foot onto campus, but it isn't until junior year approaches that the sexual tension finally gets unleashed. *black female lead and latino male lead*

Recently moving to the west coast, Daniela Parker expected a shift when moving with her mother and brother to Los Angeles. Daniela didn't think she had anything to worry about since her brother is an A+ student, and she stayed out of people's business. But when a known gangster, Enrique González, put his eyes on her, she had trouble avoiding the charming brown-eyed man with a background of violence. *black female lead and latino male lead* #1 in the U.S 4/25/25

"This," he gestured to Vincent's corpse, "is what happens when you betray me," he hissed. He grabbed my chin and pressed his thumb painfully into my cheek again before continuing, "don't ever betray me." Without hesitation I said, "I won't." I didn't know what made me so sure. Was it my love for him or my fear of him? But as his face broke out into a wide smile, his pearly white teeth a clean contrast to the blood all over him, I realised what the answer was. Daniel was sick. But I was sicker because I loved him more than ever. I could never fear him. He removed his hand from my face, no doubt smearing blood all over my brown skin as he patted my head like I was an obedient dog and he was my master. "Good girl." ***** Full synopsis inside. Highest Rank: #7 in adultromance

"Love for people like me, comes at a cost" in which a girls life is changed forever by a split-second decision to save a man's life. rated: MATURE | R | 18+ slow-burn BOOK ONE C O M P L E T E D