Lay'lani's life been hell behind closed doors-pretty smiles covering bruises, silent cries no one ever hears. Her boyfriend Man-Man? Ain't just abusive... he's obsessed. Controlling. Feared in the streets. And when she finally tries to leave, he makes one thing clear-if he can't have her, nobody can. Then Da'joun steps in. Lowkey but dangerous. The one who sees through her pain. He never asked to fall for her-but now that he has, he'll do anything to protect her... even if that means killing for her. Now with a baby on the way, enemies circling, and Man-Man hunting her like prey-every moment is borrowed time. This ain't just a love story... It's survival. How far would you go to protect the one you love... when love itself could get you killed?

❝𝐈𝐓𝐒 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐔𝐒 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃.❞

After wrapping fall semester of her junior year in college, Kodi Washington plans to join her lifelong friends for a winter getaway in Toronto, Ontario. As they escape the stress of finals, Kodi discovers a betrayal by Psalm Atwood , her high school flame, that leaves her questioning her place in their close-knit group. Despite trying to focus on the holiday fun, old emotions resurface, and the former couple finds themselves crossing boundaries that risk their friendships. Amidst the snowy backdrop, Kodi must decide if the spirit of the holidays is enough to help her navigate these difficult feelings.

Mob ties, wealth, prosperity. Those were the three things that circulated Luciano; A wealthy businessman's life. Wealth, Mafia ties, and Murder were Kyrei's diversions. Two cutthroat sociopaths trying to survive in the jungle-also known as the streets. Will they let their wrongdoings define them and pin them against one another, or will they learn to coexist and put their differences aside? Cover made by @triceynexttdoor 💕

Isn't it strange How people can change From strangers to friends Friends into lovers And strangers again.

"You ain't even that cute." Jojo playfully rolled her eyes allowing Dice to pull her arm to wherever he seemed to be leading her. "Where are you taking me!" She grew annoyed with the anticipation. "On a trip, just chill." -- For as long as she can remember, Jojo Rosewood has lived a picture-perfect life in a suburban area located in Chicago-designer clothes, private schools, and a glamorous lifestyle all thanks to her high-powered mother. Evidently her perfect world seems to be a lie when it comes crashing down as her mother's secrets come to the light, forcing her to face reality. Now having all of her family's assets cleared she's every bit of confused on what to do. With nowhere else to turn, Jojo is forced to leave behind everything she knows and move across a plethora of states to live with her father, a man she barely knows due to distance, and his new family. Learning to balance the shift in culture and the chaos of her first year in college all in one, Jojo struggles to adjust to her circumstances and blend into a world where her privilege no longer holds any weight. Things grow even more complicated when she meets Dice, her half-brother's best friend-a well mannered , street-smart young adult who seems to embody everything Jojos maternal side of the family warned her about. Dice is equally frustrating and intriguing, with a no-nonsense attitude that calls Jojo out on her unrealistic expectations. As their chemistry builds, Jojo finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew about family, loyalty, and love while Dice struggles letting Jojo take a trip to his world. Started; December 18th, 2024 Published; January 4th, 2025 Finished; March 2nd, 2025

"Damn. Hasn't even been that long and you got a whole rock on your finger now, huh?" "...What are you doing here?" She unthinkingly rubbed her swollen belly, the tight knots forming in her stomach at the same time. "What you mean? I came for the art." His tone was sarcastic as he gestured at the paintings on the walls. She watched his eyes drift down her body, before he tightly clenched his jaw. "But I see I have more than one thing to congratulate you on." He said, bitterly. • • • • • • 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛? ❤️‍🩹👻 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝟸 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚅𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 (𝚜𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚕)

"𝖨'𝗆 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗃𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝗍𝗋𝗒𝗇𝖺 𝗀𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗅𝖽, 𝖠𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗌. 𝖠𝗅𝗅 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗀𝗈𝗍𝗍𝖺 𝖽𝗈 𝗂𝗌 𝗌𝖺𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖼𝖺𝗇 𝗀𝖾𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗌𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗇𝖾𝗍𝗌 𝗍𝗈𝗈." (Shooting Stars, Book 1)

When star athlete, DeAndre Parker clashes with a tough no-nonsense female classmate, he quickly learns that unlike basketball, there's no playin' hard in the game of love.

Sometimes you have to go through hell to discover the true Price of Peace. "She say she hurt. She just want love to stay, told her I love her, that's the last thing that she heard me say."