Gunpowder and Cinnamon

Hazel Moreau went back to the small town she was born in for a clean slate.
No complications. No distractions. Just flour, sugar, and enough courage to build a life of her own-far from the place that turned on her and the ex who nearly destroyed her.

But when a stranger steps into her quiet little bakery, everything changes.

He's sharp in every way-his suit, his stare, his words. The kind of man who carries power like a second skin and danger like a shadow. Hazel doesn't need that kind of chaos in her life.

But she can't seem to stay away from him.
And he keeps coming back.

Matteo Romano doesn't do softness. Not after a lifetime built on silence, strategy, and blood. But there's something about Hazel-the warmth in her laugh, the strength she doesn't show, the quiet defiance in her eyes-that slips past every defense he's spent years perfecting.

He tells himself she's a passing distraction.
Until protecting her becomes instinct.
Until she starts to feel like the only thing real.

But Matteo's world isn't made for love-and when his enemies find her name, Hazel is forced to confront the truth she's been avoiding.

Loving Matteo means stepping into the dark.
And Matteo may not be able to keep her safe from it.