[COMPLETED, 18+) ''Let's get one thing straight.'' His tone was as stern as his grip. ''We don't make idle threats. No need to.'' The harsh stare slid down to her mouth. ''We take what we want.'' In the deteriorating Southeast district of Los Angeles, police struggle to control the ongoing success of a notorious crime family. One cop stands out among the rest, her integrity the defining line between law and corruption. But when passions flare, lines are often crossed . . . Lieutenant Virginia Robins has been waging war on organized crime for nearly ten years, hell-bent on shutting the Chilvati family down, one arrest at a time if necessary. Now the fight turns personal after her partner is killed in a suspicious fire and rumors spread about his possible link to the family. No longer willing to play by the rules, Virginia sets her sights on the man she believes is responsible, a man most people respectfully fear. Consumed by the need to clear her partner's name, solving his case is all she cares about--until the day her daughter is taken. Mark Spinelli is well-known for his quick temper and womanizing ways, although the true fame comes with the ruthless occupation. As underboss of the powerful Chilvati family, he trusts no one outside of the few loyal men sworn to protect him. Still, he can't help but admire the determination of the irate beauty who insists on sticking her investigative nose where it doesn't belong. And on the day she needs a hero, Mark shocks everybody, including himself, when he becomes one. Virginia finds herself captivated by the mysterious, intimidating man who won't talk about his past, and she puts her heart, career, and life at risk when she takes that next step, into his arms, into his dark world. WARNING: This story contains strong language, sexual content, and some mild violence. 2018 ABBA (Annual Bad Boy Awards) Winner Featured story on: @Romance @Dangerouslove @Action @Adultfiction @Crime @ProjectBadassGirls @ProjectBadBoys

Meredith Townsend is a wedding planner who loves to give other people their very own slice of "Happily Ever After". Married to the man of her dreams, with plans to buy a house and start their own family, and with a best friend who keeps her in a steady supply of freshly-baked cakes, life is perfect. But, as a handsome stranger will explain to her, all marriages end in tears, one way or another. For Meredith, they're tears of grief, when she becomes a widow at the age of thirty-two. Smothered by overbearing parents and a close-knit group of friends who try to wrap her up in cotton wool, Meredith struggles to cope with life after Rhys. She can't eat, she can't smile, and she can't bear being surrounded by excitable brides. She's drowning, and she needs someone to save her. Jude Jackson is going through a messy divorce. He's a cynical wedding photographer who catches Meredith's grief on camera. A virtual stranger, he sees her tears as inevitable, but beautiful. Their instant chemistry could be just the lifeline Meredith needs. But how soon is "too soon" to start dating again? For Meredith and for Jude? Does she really want this serious, complicated man in her life, or is she just desperate not to be alone?