"A rage burn within me threatening to take over my heart, my soul and... HIM. It shouldn't hurt, I shouldn't care, It was meant to be... he and me two sides of rivers, never meant to cross. I should be his downfall, just as he is mine... but why does it feel like I'm the one crumbling all over again?"
~ Dalia Sinclair
****
"Do you know, Dalia, what you mean to me? I love you so damn much that I could write your name all over my life. Yet I hate you just as much that I'd burn down everything I am to wipe you from existence," he breathed against my lips, finally allowing me to breathe. I took a lungful of air, only to have my breath catch in my throat as his fingers ruthlessly slid into my folds. I've always hated when a man touched me, but why does my body betray me when it comes to him?
What makes this rascal so special? Is it the love he once had for me? Or is it the fact that he's become my only salvation in this godforsaken world?
****
Dalia Sinclair's life seems to be written with ink as dark as midnight. True happiness pays her a visit every now and then, but it never sticks around for long. Still, she's not one to throw in the towel easily. Fresh out of the prison, she's hustling to piece her life back together, all fueled by the desperate need for a boatload of cash to help her dying friend. Dalia's ready to do whatever it takes, even if it means working as a loyalty tester at Siren's Call by day and a stripper by night, despite her Haphephobia. There's just one boundary she won't cross: getting tangled up with the dashing Hollywood heartthrob. Yet, before she knows it, Dalia finds herself caught in Altair's crazy, charming, and devilishly attractive web. Sure, being the object of a superstar's affection might not sound too shabby, especially when love's in the mix, but when Altair's also the reason Dalia's life is falling apart... Can the fires of vengeance in her heart be put out by his love, or are they destined to burn everything down?
As Claire aims to leave her oppressive stepfamily behind, she befriends Zion. Will he be her ticket to freedom or a distraction in achieving her dreams?
*****
Claire Olsen has had a crush on Zion Petrakis since the first time she laid eyes on him, but he never noticed, instead only having eyes on the school's it girl, Maddie Jennings. Knowing she couldn't compete with Maddie, Claire hid her feelings for Zion, satisfied with admiring him from afar. However, when a series of events led Claire closer to Zion, her feelings for him grew from infatuation to love. And despite fighting hard to keep her feelings contained by distancing herself from Zion, he was determined to show her that he's earned a spot in her life.
[[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]