VISCIOUS GAMES

Selene Everhart exuded quiet power-the kind that didn't beg to be noticed but was impossible to ignore. Of average height, she moved with the effortless grace of old money and hard-earned wisdom. Her honey-brown hair gleamed under city lights, and her amber eyes, framed by long lashes, held a depth that revealed little. Warm golden skin and a poised demeanor made her look regal without trying. Selene wore elegance like armor, never loud, never needy-just magnetic. Her serenity masked sharp intelligence and a fire carefully banked beneath the surface.

As royal assistant, Selene was indispensable-calculating, composed, and intuitive. But her public life, defined by an arranged marriage to Aidan Carlisle, was a mask. Their union, a political alliance rather than a romance, cost her more than anyone knew. Duty had shaped her world, and every move was a delicate balance between loyalty and suppressed longing.

Now far from the palace and its constraints, Selene was in New York-a new kind of kingdom. Amid skyscrapers and ambition stood Prince Oliver Abernathy, no longer just a royal figure but a force of influence. Towering, charismatic, with warm brown skin and sharp green eyes, Oliver had grown into a man who could command any room without a word. He was bold, calculating-and utterly captivated by Selene.

He'd seen past her cool exterior to the controlled fire beneath. And that fire, once ignited, was dangerous, forbidden... and impossible to resist.