"You're mine, Jules." His words are low, a whisper against my ear, followed by a hot kiss just below it. My body bucks instinctively, but he presses closer, molding me to him.
His fingers curl into my hair, tilting my head back. My eyes lock with his. "Say it."
I let my gaze wander over the cut on his eyebrow, the blood trailing down his cheek. My pulse spikes. I try to pull against him, but his grip tightens, commanding.
"Say. It." He kisses along my neck, over my collarbone, returning to hover over my lips. His eyes burn into mine, desperate and hungry.
I swallow hard, my voice barely above a breath. "I'm yours."
The words feel electric, a surrender I didn't know I wanted. Matteo's lips press to mine, slow, claiming, as if sealing it into reality. There is no denying, I am completely and utterly his, till my last breath, I will be his.
................................
Viviana Juliette Moretti is the literal definition of a badass. Trained from a young age to be an assassin for her family's mafia, she led a team known as The Black Ghost. They handled the dirty work no one else dared touch. Skilled with guns, knives, and hand-to-hand combat, she is lethal, precise, and feared. But behind her cold efficiency is a heart of gold, a woman who, after witnessing her mother's death, learned to cherish the blessings of life and protect those she loves, no matter what the cost is.
Matteo Caruso, her former fiancé, is a man as ruthless as he is loyal. Highly trained in combat himself, he usually handles the business side of his family's mafia. After Viviana left, he became known as Il Mietitore-The Reaper. He takes no prisoner, eliminates anyone who dares to stand in his way, and rules the criminal world with iron precision. Yet his 'cold dead' heart beats entirely for Viviana. He would kill anyone, risk everything, if only she would come back to him.
Three years apart. One child. Endless love.
PAUL
I cheated on my fiancée.
Sophie and I were building our future. In love, happy, peaceful. Then she found a lump in her breast and I made the worst choice: I numbed my fear by sleeping with someone else. My worst mistake and my biggest regret. Now I see Sophie around town with him. She's radiant and laughing with people who actually show up. I'm trying to learn how to be a man who does. If she lets me, I'll spend the rest of my life proving I can choose her when it's hardest. If she lets me...
SOPHIE
I thought the promise was in sickness and in health.
But he buried his fear in someone else. On the same night, I walked into a bookstore and meet the gentle giant owner who invites me to his book club full of misfits.
I'm laughing again, I smile more than I ever have, I heal my heart.
My ex says he can learn to stay, but my bookstore owner keeps showing up like it's as easy as breathing. I don't know what the future holds; I don't know if I'll win this battle against cancer, but I do know I'm done wasting time on people that love only when it's easy.
CALLUM
She came in to Rivers & Rhodes Bookstore and asked for books with happy endings only.
I gave her a recommendation, an invitation, and an offer of friendship. Now, this beautiful brave woman is completely under my skin. I'm not here to win a competition against him. I'm here because choosing someone, second by second, is the only way I understand love.
Content Warnings: on page cheating, emotional and physical infidelity, cancer, mentions of vomiting, bleeding, surgery. Please be advised.