edwardsauthorsally

Sold to the highest bidder to pay off a blood feud, I never imagined I would be the pawn in my father's fatal game. Still, here I am before Enzo De Luca, the most vicious mafia leader in the city. Though appealing, he is cold, deliberate, and as lethal. Though my heart races just from his proximity, it is his touch that ignites me. My body betrays me and reacts to him in ways I am powerless over. And I melt as he softly, commandingly says my name.

Enzo loves neither me nor another. In his deadly kingdom, I am only another bargain, another transaction. But every time we are alone, the conflict between us snaps—desire becomes a terrible addiction. Although I detest him for everything he stands for, I yearn for the way he consumes me, body and soul.

He has made it quite evident—our marriage is more about power than love. Still, every angry gaze and every snatched moment in the shadow reveals something different. Benevolent underneath his icy façade lies something broken that appeals to the darkest sides of me. But depending on a man like Enzo may mean losing everything.

Bound to him now, for better or worse, I am caught in a world where loyalty is brittle and treachery carries a bullet. Our friendship gets more perilous the more truths about his empire I find. And as the past calls for us, I have to question myself: will our passion be the thing that ruins us both or can I survive loving a guy like Enzo De Luca?

Burning in his arms is me. But in his universe, I could roast alive.

OWNED BY MR MAFIA

The faint buzz of the metropolis beyond mixed with the sound of footfall in the distance serves as a painful reminder that the earth keeps revolving even if our reality is disintegrating. The only thing keeping me anchored to reality is Enzo's arms around me; his body's warmth and his heart's steady beat are a frail assurance we are still alive from. Just barely.

Since we left the warehouse, he has not spoken. His breath is shallow but purposeful, his face a mask of concentration. Every stride is intentional. It scares me as I know he is pushing himself beyond the verge of tiredness. Should he fall, neither of us know exactly how we will get back up.

We have to stop; my voice breaks from the pressure. "You're going to fall.

Not yet, he says, his mouth tightly closed. Here, we are far too exposed.

BENEATH THE ASHES