Avery's senior year is turned upside down when a kiss with her older brothers' best friend ignites a forbidden relationship tangled in danger, heartbreak, and family secrets that could destroy everything. *** "Aiden..." I shake my head, eyes fixed anywhere but the gorgeous man next to me. His hand grips my chin tightly, just enough to make me avert my eyes to his. "You know you want this as much as I fucking do. I want you to be mine. I want to be the one to hold you and kiss you the one you go to whenever you're happy or fucking sad. But let it be me, let me fucking show you that it should be me." He glares, jaw tensing. ...... ©hessaherophinelove

Isabella is desperate for her own independence, but her overprotective father stands in the way of her future. When she demands that she attends a University two hundred miles away from her home, her father only has one exception; a bodyguard. Elio is dedicated to his career to honour his late sister, but when he owes a favour to an ex-mafia boss, he takes body-guarding to a completely new level. Isabella is reckless and likes to push her bodyguards limits. Elio has zero patience and a desire to punish his client. When things start to get heated and unexpected feelings get in the way, their forbidden relationship becomes a distraction when Isabella's life is on the line. Elio is desperate to not let down another important woman in his life. But he can't save everyone, including his own bleeding heart. Tropes: - Mafia Romance - Bodyguard - Age-gap (8 years - FMC is 21 and MMC is 29) - Forbidden Love - Brat FMC/Grumpy MMC - Light BDSM (sub/dom vibes) - Size difference (5'4 & 6'6) - University/College Setting - Past Trauma/Healing - ANGST (so much of it)

I ran downstairs into the living room, my heart pounding as I found all my brothers gathered around Nefeli. Her eyes were frantic, scanning the room, desperately searching for me. The scream that bastard had let out earlier must have reached her... The moment our eyes met, she practically threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around me so tightly I could barely breathe. I stood frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do. I hugged her back anyway... Even though I had no idea what was going on. "Thank God you're safe" she murmured in my ear, her voice trembling, leaving me even more confused. I glanced at my brothers. They all looked just as lost as I was. Except for Aiden and Alex. They were motioning for me to hold on. "Of course I'm okay, Nefeli. What happened?" I asked, my heart tightening. I hated seeing her like this, so worried and panicked. "I-I heard Alex and Aiden talking in Italian!" she stammered, her eyes wide with panic. "They said something about the Mafia! Are we being threatened by the Mafia?" Her voice cracked, and tears threatened to spill from her brown eyes. The room fell silent for a moment. My brothers exchanged looks, and then, without warning, we all burst into laughter. Nefeli stared at us, completely confused. Cole, finally calming down, wiped his eyes and looked at her with a smile. "Love" he said, his voice smooth, "we're not being threatened by the Mafia." he let the words settle in the air for a second. "We are the Mafia." • • • _______________________________________________________ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER ⚠️ Mentions of abuse, violence, harsh language, bad mental health, and light depression! Also, I don't own any of the photos! • • • ENGLISH IS NOT MY MOTHER LANGUAGE, I'M SORRY FOR ANY GRAMMATICAL OR VOCABULARY MISTAKES! • • • Please read 'Before You Read' in the first character chap! It's very important! • • • Started: October 4th, 2020 Finished: March 6th, 2021