Malik Archer is used to being watched. On the court, off the court, it doesn't matter. Discipline, faith, and routine keep him grounded, but none of that prepared him for wanting someone he can't afford to lose.

After twelve years behind bars, Iman has learned to feel nothing. With only six months left on his sentence, the last thing he expects is a new cell mate who forces him to confront everything he buried for so long.

Desmond Crenshaw doesn't have much going for him. He street races for cash, deals drugs to get by, and drags himself through each day with only one goal: survival. He's a reckless high school dropout with very few talents that won't get him arrested-definitely not someone you'd want around your child. Vaughn Torres agrees, he's been seeking a solid reason to cut off the friendship between the troublemaker and his daughter since the day they met. He gets one, too, when Des's vices begin to bleed into their lives and Winter is officially in danger. Des is given an ultimatum: he can only be around Winter if he distances himself from the crime. There's only one way to do that. A change of employment, specifically to Vaughn's mechanic shop, though that balance is a lot easier said than done. No, things for Des are never that simple. Not when he's working under the watchful eye of a man who hates him. Not when he starts genuinely wanting to be better, and is faced with the rocky road of leaving a life of crime entirely. And especially not when he's been in love with Winter's dad for years.

In 1950s Harlem, where racism, poverty, and secrets brew behind every closed door, eighteen-year-old Tariq Matthews is just trying to stay out of trouble. Raised by his strong-willed mother, he balances school, friends, and the heavy weight of survival. But everything changes the day he crosses paths with Alexander Moretti-a wealthy, ruthless, and much older Italian Mafia don. What starts as curiosity quickly ignites into a dangerous affair. Alexander is power, privilege, and temptation wrapped in expensive suits and hidden scars. He opens Tariq's world to luxury and risk, love and control-but loving a man like Alexander comes with a price. As Harlem buzzes with gossip, as church pews fill with whispers, and as violence creeps closer to their doorstep, Tariq must choose between the comfort of familiarity and the seductive pull of forbidden love. In a world that doesn't see them as human, can their love survive the weight of secrets, pride, and blood? A interracial gay romance set in 1952, gritty, raw and unforgettable.