I’m nothing but a payment, bartered to the most powerful cartel in the northern hemisphere and forced to marry a man I do not know. My father sold me to save his own skin. He might as well have ushered me to the gates of hell. The Marino family is sadistic. If rumors are true, they’ll own me, use me, control me, and strip me of every freedom I’ve taken for granted. I’ll be a shiny new toy in a dark and deadly underworld.

Charming, captivating, seductive—and a cold-blooded killer. I married the Pakhan of the Russian Bratva anyway. I had to, it was part of the deal. Now, I’m faking marital bliss as I tremble with fear, and I cannot wait to be out of the clutches of this ruthless man.

Shay Eastwood is the object of the world's fantasies. She occupies every magazine cover and television screen. And I have one job: Protect her with my life. It doesn't matter that she occupies my every thought. There are too many reasons why she can't be mine: I'm too old for her, I'm all she has left. My only job is to keep her safe.

After years of sabotaging my body and blaming my family for the loss of my love, I've refused to be a part of our Mafia involvement. Then my usual Indulgence service arrives, and for the first time in years, my body comes alive. I can feel. The only problem is the girl in my arms. The one I crave is not the girl I ordered. No, it's my stepdaughter.

When you've been told your whole life that something is sinful, you have two options. Avoid it like the plague, like it has the power to destroy all that is good and pure. Or become as fixated upon it as Eve was upon that apple. I'm sick of the push-pull of terror and temptation. It's tearing me apart. I just want a bite of the apple. More than a bite. I want to devour it. Have its juices spill from my lips. And by apple, I, of course, mean sex.

Ever get drunk and depressed on New Year’s Eve and order a personal trainer? Because I was so tipsy, I ordered three. When they all show up the next day, devilish smiles and looking at me with rippling muscles, sculpted abs, and tight butts, I feel even more out of shape.

A year ago, my best friend received an exclusive invitation to join an elite brotherhood at Kingston University. He went into Hawthorne Hall for his initiation—but never came out. I intend to find out why. The brotherhood would never knowingly invite a female into their ranks. So what if I forged my father's signature on the recommendation? With a name like Elliot Ashford, they'll never see me coming. I'll endure whatever hell these brutal brothers put me through because I have no intention of backing down or bowing out gracefully. It won't be pretty.

Long before the world bowed down to the band, Whispered Words bowed down to me. I was a simple girl in a small town, working two jobs and juggling college full-time—all in the name of a better future. Until them...Kieran. Cal. Ash. Rad. They marched into my world like a hurricane, infiltrating every aspect of my life and taking control until they owned every inch of me. I became their obsession, their toy to use, and I ate up every second of it.

I don't mess around with stuff that overcomplicates my life. I love my career, and I love my family. Love itself, however, is overrated. It’s only ever let me down, and brought me pain and misery. But love isn’t the same as lust, and when it came to spending a night with the very handsome Staff Sergeant Powell, I said yes.

The city's golden girl falls heart-first into a dark underworld. I want two things in life: to be the leading ballerina in my academy—And Max Butcher… A massive, tattooed boxer, and renowned thug. And my very first crush... I may be a silly little girl to him, but he's intent on protecting, possessing, and claiming me in every way—his little piece of purity. But there is more to Max Butcher than the cold, cruel facade he wears like armor. I know; I saw the broken boy inside him one day when we were only children.