A Taste of Pain

A quiet café. A woman who thinks no one sees her. A man who's been watching from the start.

William prefers to observe. From behind the counter of Velvet & Vice-his upscale café and bookstore-he's learned how people behave when they don't think they're being watched. Especially Lynn.

She comes in every day, always to the same seat, always with a stack of reports or a well-worn Kindle. Smart. Focused. Untouchable. But William knows her order by heart. He's changed the layout of the shop three times and never once moved her table. He watches. He waits.

Then one evening, she watches him.

Lynn never expected the quiet café owner to be the one reading at women's book clubs-his voice slow, commanding, magnetic. She's intrigued. Drawn in. And completely thrown off when he finally speaks to her like he's been waiting a year to do it.

As the distance between them disappears, attraction turns to obsession-on both sides. But William isn't just romantic; he's intense, patient, and dominant in ways Lynn never knew she craved. When boundaries blur and their quiet game of glances turns into something physical, they risk more than just heartbreak. Especially when the walls of Velvet & Vice hold more than books and espresso.

A slow-burn romance steeped in longing, sharp with tension, and laced with desire. For readers who like their love stories quiet, consuming, and just a little bit dangerous.