She nodded solemnly. "With my girl charm and my pretty dress. But now I just feel like a hot pile of creamed corn." I dragged a hand over my face. "You need water. And sleep." "I need closure." "Sunshine..." "No," she said, standing straighter and stabbing a finger into my chest. "You don't get to look like that and make me feel feelings and then just go all mysterious and noble and disappear like a sexy hitman Batman." "Sexy hitman Batman?" "I had a lot of wine." "I noticed." ●・○・●・○・● She bakes cookies. He breaks bones. Everyone in the city fears mafia boss Dominic Moretti-everyone except Tessa Bloom, the relentlessly cheerful café owner next door to his front business. She calls him "Mr. Broody," brings him muffins he never asks for, and walks into his office like it's not occupied by a man who could have someone disappeared with a phone call. Dominic doesn't have time for distractions-especially not sweet, sunshine-eyed distractions with flour on their noses. But when Tessa finds herself tangled in the underworld he's spent a lifetime controlling, protecting her becomes more than a duty. It becomes personal. And suddenly, the most dangerous man in the city starts falling for the only woman who isn't afraid of him. ●・○・●・○・● Word count: 23,178 Top Rankings: 10.14.25 - #6 in Mafia

Scarlett Sovanna doesn't have time for nonsense-especially not the kind that wears a backwards cap and throws parties on Tuesday nights. As a dedicated ballerina at a top-tier arts college, her world revolves around perfect pirouettes, brutal rehearsals, and keeping her spot in the program. There's no room for distractions. Especially not him. Elliot Sinclair is college royalty-the star quarterback with a devil-may-care attitude and a line of admirers trailing behind him. He lives for the game, the thrill, and the spotlight. He and Scarlett couldn't be more different... except for one inconvenient truth: their families are practically intertwined. When Scarlett's dorm situation turns into a nightmare, the Sinclairs offer Elliot's guest room to her. Sharing a space with the person she finds most insufferable on campus? Not ideal. But as the walls come down, so do their assumptions about each other. What starts as chilly silence turns into heated banter. And somewhere between late-night talks and stolen glances, feelings develop. She's all discipline. He's all chaos. Together? They just might fall into something real.

On his planet, women don't choose, they're chosen. When a male claims a life partner, it is final. Permanent. Absolute. Belle, a university student, travels to this uncharted world for research. But she's unprepared for Thraxos, the towering, pale-blue warrior who rules with unchallenged strength and sees her as the one thing he's been missing. He's never chosen a life partner. Never needed one. Until her. But Thraxos doesn't love the way humans do. His affection is possession. His protection is control. And Belle's fire only draws him closer. Now, caught in a place where her voice means little and her body is his to claim, Belle must decide: resist the darkness, or surrender to the one male she was never meant to survive.

Julie Leong always does as she's told. Studies hard, works late shifts at the family restaurant, and carefully lays out a plan for a well paying career. But with an impossible-to-please dad and annoyingly perfect sister, Julie can't seem to ever catch a break. Everything changes one stormy night, when an awkward food delivery for Callen Sterling, mysterious and handsome CEO of Sterling Studios, leads to the offer of a lifetime, and her perfect plan goes out the window. What starts out as a harmless side gig quickly grows into so much more as they find themselves impossibly drawn to each other. She learns of anonymous threats Callen has been receiving - and they're only getting worse. But it takes a lot more than a few death threats to scare the determined (and stubborn) Julie away. Her life becomes more and more entangled with Callen's, until she ultimately finds herself torn between two paths. Misery in exchange for money and success, or risking it all for a chance at love and happiness.

She was invisible by choice. He was power incarnate. Their collision was inevitable-and ruinous. Lenora Williams has spent her life living in the quiet margins. Soft-spoken and self-contained, she finds solace in solitude, her small apartment a sanctuary from a world that once betrayed her. Haunted by a past she never speaks of, Lenora clings to routine like a lifeline-until the day she's offered a coveted position at the city's most powerful and enigmatic corporation. Ruthless, brilliant, and dangerously magnetic-Luca Maroni is the CEO of a billion-dollar empire, Luca controls everything he touches. He doesn't believe in love. He believes in ownership. Discipline. Obedience. But from the moment he meets Lenora-his new, quiet secretary with downcast eyes and secrets in her soul-his iron-clad world begins to crack. She's everything he isn't. Everything he doesn't understand. And everything he suddenly must possess. To Luca, Lenora is more than temptation-she's purity in a world of corruption. An obsession he can't shake. And as desire twists into obsession, his need to protect her begins to blur with his need to own her. But Lenora has demons of her own. And some shadows refuse to stay buried. As passion ignites and boundaries shatter, Lenora and Luca find themselves entangled in a dangerous dance of power, secrets, and surrender. But when the past returns with a vengeance and the darkness threatens to consume them both... Will love be their salvation-or their destruction?

Alessia has never spoken a single word in her life. Stolen as a child by a ruthless gang, she grew up in captivity, taught to believe that pain was a lesson and obedience was survival. Forced to work as a servant, she endured years of mistreatment, never questioning the twisted reality forced upon her. Despite the cruelty, she remains kind, her innocence untainted-but dangerously unaware of the true depths of evil in the world. Until the night she escaped. Lost in the dark streets of Naples, she collided into Matteo De Luca, the cold and merciless head of the most powerful mafia family. Matteo is a man feared by all, a king in the underworld where blood and loyalty rule. He has no patience for weakness. No room for softness in his life. But when he sees the mute, trembling girl looking up at him with wide, trusting eyes, completely unaware of who he is, something inside him snaps. She doesn't fear him. She doesn't know he's a monster. And for the first time in his life, Matteo feels the dangerous urge to protect instead of destruction.

BOOK 1 IN THE MORETTI SERIES A story about an oppressed young woman and a ruthless Mafia man arranged to be married in a world neither of them asked to be born in. *SLOWBURN ROMANCE* *Morally grey Male lead.* *Innocent Female lead.*

Colleen is the girl next door, literally. She loves my daughter almost as much as I do. She knows the hell I went through when my ex left me. She knows my weaknesses. I can trust her. But can I trust myself? It's only a matter of time until I hurt her. Until history repeats itself. So, I keep my distance. I hold it all back and draw a line in the sand I refuse to cross. The funny thing is, lines drawn in the sand don't tend to be very permanent. And I have a feeling I won't be strong enough to draw another one. *** A single dad, grumpy/sunshine romantic suspense told from the hero's point of view. Book 3 in the Not Another Hollywood Story series Book 1 Not Another Diva - Zack & Brianna Book 2 Not Another Player - Jacob & Char Book 3 Not Another Line - Clinton & Colleen

(SAMPLE) Available in Paperback and Kindle Unlimited. Cassie, a famous singer tossed into an arranged marriage with a powerful billionaire to save her reputation, finds herself developing an unexpectedly strong bond with her new husband and the child he's raising. ***** Cassie Castillo's reputation has seen better days. Through a series of misunderstandings and missteps, she's been labeled public enemy number one by every entertainment magazine in the country. So when she's offered a solution to her problems, she can't help but accept, even when it means tying herself to a handsome and mysterious stranger. Lucas Klein is a powerful billionaire who controls the nation's most influential media company, and he's willing to help her...if she becomes his wife. She thought that their marriage would be hell, but the longer she stays with him and his young nephew, the more she begins to question her feelings. Why does Lucas seem to understand her more than anyone else? And why does she feel such a strong connection to the child? Nothing is what Cassie thought it would be, but she'll quickly learn love can hide in the most unexpected places. ***** THE KLEINS SERIES BOOK #1 Content warning: Story contains references to parental abuse and eating disorders

It's a regular day at the hospital for Dr. Aysel Clark. Until it's not. With a critical, bleeding patient rolled into the hospital one evening-him being none other than the richest CEO of the country-and her having to assist in his surgery, her life slowly takes a drastic turn. She finds herself in the midst of the intimidating billionaire's world... and right in the face of her haunting past. Aiden Knight, the country's most attractive and successful businessman, is feared by all. He is dangerous, rude and arrogant with no regard for anyone's feelings. He is notorious for being heartless, murdering anyone in cold blood if they dared crossing him... or so people believed. But beneath his tough exterior and daunting stares is a trauma he hides from the world. He wears his pain as a shield, allowing no room for compassion. Hatred sprouts initially, sparks ignite and secrets uncover as their pasts collide and come around to haunt them, catapulting the callous CEO into the kind doctor's life. Will Aysel be able to tame the beast within Aiden? Will he be able to open up to her and finally relieve the weight he has been carrying for years? #43 in ROMANCE #1 in featured #1 in ceoxdoctor #1 in billionaire #1 in enemies #1 in morallygreyman #1 in trauma #1 in danger #1 in arrogant #1 in grumpy #1 in CEO #1 in slow burn #1 in dark past #1 in doctor #1 in rude #2 in possessive #2 in grumpyxsunshine #4 in enemiestolovers #4 in thriller #5 in texttospeech #6 in revenge #19 in dangerous #37 in hatetolove #74 in dark