Asha Camari Hill has already lost enough to drugs-her past, her sense of self, nearly her life. Now sober and fighting for stability, she keeps her world small and controlled. Recovery is fragile, and she knows better than to tempt the darkness she barely escaped. She keeps her head down, clinging to routine, convincing herself the past can't find her if she doesn't look back. But the past never forgets. Before rehab, Asha made a mistake that left her in debt to a man who doesn't believe in mercy or clean slates. He remembers everything-especially what's owed. When he learns she's resurfaced, he doesn't collect right away. He watches from the edges of her new life, drawn to the woman she's becoming and the one she used to be. He is danger wrapped in control. She is healing held together by sheer will. What grows between them is unwanted and unspoken, a slow-burning tension neither of them is willing to name. He is the kind of man she should run from. She is the kind of woman he never meant to care about. And the closer the past presses in, the harder it becomes to tell whether walking away will save her-or cost her everything she's fought to rebuild.

Kason "Khotic" Brewster never planned on living long. At seventeen, he buried both of his parents in the same week. His mother died instantly in a car crash. His father held on just long enough to make Kason promise one thing before he passed. Take care of your brother and sister. So that's exactly what he did. Twelve years later Khotic is the man the streets call when things get ugly. Feared. Respected. Untouchable. Everything he does is for the two people depending on him to make it out of the life he's stuck in. He's content with that. Until Beauty Cardwell crashes into his world. Bee is nothing like the women Khotic usually deals with. She's a twenty-five-year-old brain surgeon, a child prodigy who finished school before most people finished learning who they were. She's blunt, literal, and socially awkward in ways people don't always understand. Diagnosed with high-functioning autism, Bee doesn't believe in pretending to be something she's not. She says exactly what she means. And for some reason... Khotic likes that. What starts as a chance meeting turns into something neither of them expected. Bee sees the man behind Khotic's reputation. The older brother trying to keep his promise. The boy who never got the chance to grieve. And Khotic sees something in Bee that the world keeps missing. But loving a man like Khotic means stepping into a life Bee was never meant to be part of. Enemies. Loyalty. Violence. The kind of danger that doesn't care how smart you are. And Khotic knows one thing for sure. Good girls like Beauty Cardwell aren't supposed to fall for men like him.

SEQUEL FOR BREATHE - TITLED CONTROL. •BREATHE PT.2 (TO BE CONTINUED I PROMISE) With everything he's built on the brink of destruction, he carefully maneuvers from the shadows, playing the long game. While his enemies believe they're in control, they fail to see the storm he's quietly unleashing-one calculated move at a time. Copyrighted 4thesakeofluv

i'll love you forever (short story)

In the heart of Chicago, love, loyalty, and loss are a dangerous mix. Kehlani thought the streets took everything they could from her when Marco died. Two years later, she's still haunted by what happened-and even more haunted by what she doesn't know. Just when she starts picking up the pieces, a run-in with a mysterious, smooth-talking street figure named Saint pulls her into a deeper game. He's got secrets of his own-ones tied to her past in ways she never saw coming. What starts as coincidence turns into something heavier. Saint moves quiet, but his world is loud. The more Kehlani finds herself drawn in, the more she realizes this isn't just about closure-it's about survival. With tension rising, old ghosts reappearing, and hidden connections unraveling, Kehlani's forced to question everything. Who can she trust in a city that never forgets? A gripping urban love story wrapped in mystery, betrayal, and heat-this is the kind of love that comes with consequences.

Love was just a four-letter word Misused to entrust the heart of followers But it never meant a damn thing to me Until you came so unexpectedly

If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans. Genesis Serena Hale Reeves is the picture of a perfect First Lady-beautiful, graceful, and married to one of Atlanta's most admired pastors, Omari Silas Reeves. To the congregation, their life looks blessed. But behind the church doors and Sunday smiles lives a truth no one wants to see. Genesis has spent her whole life being taught that suffering is love. Raised inside the Family of Christ, a secluded cult in Texas, she grew up watching men beat their wives in the name of God. When a federal raid tore her away from the only world she knew, she thought the worst was over. She was wrong. Years later, the boy who once protected her from being mocked as the strange "cult girl" became the man she married-the man who now controls her life with fear, scripture, and violence. Now a mother to a quiet, autistic daughter who the church whispers cruelly about, Genesis begins to question everything she was ever taught about love, faith, and obedience. But leaving the man the world calls a holy leader may cost her everything. Some nightmares refuse to let their victims go without a fight. Because the most dangerous prisons aren't built with walls. They're built with love. And Genesis is about to discover just how far she's willing to go to break free.

She was never supposed to end up here. Born and raised in Atlanta, she was used to quiet luxury-polished manners, perfect appearances, and a life where everything had its place. Including her. Until it didn't. When her father loses everything, she's forced to leave behind the only world she's ever known and move to Memphis, Tennessee-into a house that feels too small, too loud, and nothing like home. At her new school, nobody cares about who she used to be. Her accent, her attitude, the way she carries herself-it all makes her stand out. And not in the way she's used to. They call her stuck up. She calls them unbearable. But the more she tries to hold on to the girl she used to be, the more everything starts slipping through her fingers. Especially when she meets him. He doesn't care about her past. Doesn't care about her attitude. And definitely doesn't care about her rules. In a place where she doesn't belong, surrounded by people who refuse to let her hide behind perfection... she's forced to face the one thing she's been avoiding. Maybe she's not just out of place. Maybe she's been misplaced all along.

Jamani Raelynn Carr has always preferred life behind the scenes-quiet, focused, and in control. But when she lands her dream internship as a sideline reporter for the Detroit Pistons, she finds herself thrust into the spotlight, balancing ambition, family expectations, and her own need for authenticity. Navigating the male-dominated world of sports journalism isn't easy, especially when every day feels like a high-stakes audition. Jalen Montez Duren, the Pistons' charismatic young star, is used to the pressure and scrutiny that comes with fame. But underneath his cool exterior, he's searching for something real-someone who sees the man beyond the jersey. When he meets Jamani at a chaotic NBA Media Day, a single thoughtful question sparks a connection neither of them expects. As Jamani and Jalen's paths continue to cross-on the court, at press conferences, and in the city that raised them-friendship slowly deepens into something more. But their growing bond is tested by public scrutiny, career setbacks, past heartbreaks, and the ever-present tension between personal dreams and professional duty. Set against the vibrant backdrop of Detroit, this slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance explores what it means to fight for love, identity, and your rightful place in the world. For Jamani and Jalen, the real victory might be learning to trust themselves-and each other-when the spotlight fades.

𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡, 𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 wants out of the streets. landing a role in kentrell's viral music video changes everything-but stepping into his world of fame and danger might cost her more than she bargained for.