𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 ♡

Memphis, 2002. Yasenia Martinez has never known peace-only noise, bills, and a family on the edge of breaking. Kendrick Barnes learned early that silence is the only armor that keeps you breathing. When their worlds collide on a dangerous night, neither expects the spark that follows. But in a city where loyalty is currency and survival comes first, love might be the most dangerous gamble of all.

New Orleans isn't just a city-it's a pulse. A rhythm. A hunger. And nobody knows that better than Arielle Washington, a tired single mother grinding just to make rent in the Desire Projects. Love left her a long time ago, replaced with diaper bags, house keys, and survival. That is, until a new housekeeping job drops her into the home-and world-of ICE the most dangerous man in the streets. ICE doesn't do mess. Doesn't do feelings. But there's something about Ari-her fire, her silence, her scars-that draws him in. And when business gets bloody and loyalties are tested, the line between protector and predator blurs. Because in the Dirty South, nothing comes clean... not even love.

"𝐈 𝐚𝐢𝐧'𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 '𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐈 𝐦𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮... 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐦 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥 '𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞."

Miles has always been able to keep his professional and personal life separate. Then he met Gianna Graye.

And I hate that you don't think I belong to you.

A man, a lover, a heartthrob, a prince A woman, a girl, a beauty, a slave Nothing short of a death sentence awaits the person who dares conceive of this union, talkless about speaking or engaging in it. But for the Prince of Amaris, this union is the only thing that has given him life and a reason to live. All that is left is to convince the owner of his heart that being together is what has been destined for them since the day they were born. "Addy, I have never and will never have sex with you. I only make love to you princess, there's a difference."

First time we fucked, we ain't really plan it.. But now I'll be making love to you through him...

The secret of a happy relationship is finding the right person.

[ 𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙆 𝙊𝙉𝙀 ] ᴏᴄᴛᴀᴠɪᴜꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴀɪʀᴏʙɪ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ ᴏᴘᴘᴏꜱɪᴛᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴏɴᴇ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ. ʜᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴀ ᴍᴇʀᴄɪʟᴇꜱꜱ ᴋɪʟʟᴇʀ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ʜᴏʟʟᴏᴡ ꜱᴏᴜʟ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ᴏɴᴇ ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜᴏᴜᴛ ʜɪꜱ ᴡʜᴏʟᴇ ʟɪꜰᴇ, ᴀɴɢᴇʀ. ꜱʜᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ɪɴɴᴏᴄᴇɴᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ɢᴇɴᴛʟᴇ ꜱᴏᴜʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴜʀᴇꜱᴛ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ ʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ꜱᴛᴜᴍʙʟᴇᴅ ᴀᴄʀᴏꜱꜱ ᴏɴ ᴀ ʀᴀɴᴅᴏᴍ ᴄʟᴜʙ ɴɪɢʜᴛ. ʜᴇʀ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇᴅ ʜɪᴍ ꜰᴏʀ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ꜱᴇᴇᴍᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ, ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ʜᴇʀ ʙɪɢɢᴇꜱᴛ ʀᴇɢʀᴇᴛ 𝖈𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖘 𝖇𝖗𝖔𝖜𝖓 x 𝖗𝖎𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖓𝖆 ᵃ ᶜʰʳⁱᵃⁿⁿᵃ ˡᵒᵛᵉ ˢᵗᵒʳʸ ❧ 𝙏𝙒: 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙪𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙭, 𝙜𝙧𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 & 𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚, 𝙥𝙝𝙮𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙚, 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙥𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙪𝙢𝙖, 𝙨𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙨, 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 cover by author.