Love Among Thorns
Amara had only ever known two things: fear and survival.
Running from a past that left scars deeper than skin, she never expected to find safety — let alone love — in the arms of Rafael Moretti, the most feared man in the city’s underworld.
Ruthless, powerful, and haunted by his own demons, Rafael never imagined someone like Amara could slip past the armor he wore like a second skin. Saving her was never part of his plan. Needing her was never supposed to happen.
But when her past comes hunting and his enemies see her as his one weakness, Rafael will stop at nothing to protect her — even if it means burning down the world they know.
As danger tightens its noose around them, Amara and Rafael fight for a love that was forged in chaos and baptized in blood.
Together, they will build a sanctuary — a home, a family, and a future no one can ever take from them.
In a world where trust is a weapon and love is the most dangerous risk of all, will they find their forever — or will the past destroy them before they ever have the chance?
Read
Chapter: 48The soft thuds and muffled cursing from the nursery were already suspicious by the time Amara padded down the hallway.She leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, hiding a smile.Inside, Rafael and Dominic stood over a half-assembled crib, tools scattered like a battlefield around them.“That piece doesn’t fit there, boss,” Dominic said, squinting at the instruction manual like it was written in ancient code.Rafael growled under his breath. “The hell it doesn’t. Give me the screwdriver.”“You’re gonna break it.”“I’m not gonna—” Craaaack.They both froze.Amara cleared her throat loudly.Two guilty heads snapped up, looking utterly caught.“Having fun?” she asked sweetly.Rafael scowled, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. “This thing is engineered to test me,” he muttered.Dominic tossed the manual onto the floor. “Boss, we kill people for a living. Why is this harder than a hit?”Amara laughed — a real, bright sound she hadn’t heard from herself enough lately — and walked car
Last Updated: 2025-05-12
Chapter: 47Five months laterAmara stood in the garden behind their house, her hand absentmindedly resting on her rounded belly.The baby kicked — a firm, fluttery nudge — and she laughed under her breath, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Every little movement still felt like a miracle.The house Rafael had bought for them was thriving now, filled with life — the garden had bloomed under her care, bursting with herbs, flowers, and tiny vegetables. Every morning, Rafael insisted on inspecting it like it was a fortress wall that needed guarding, muttering about “keeping his girl and his heir well-fed.”Amara smiled, feeling warmth rise in her chest.Footsteps crunched over the gravel behind her, and she didn’t even have to turn to know it was him.“You’re supposed to be resting, corazón,” Rafael’s voice rumbled gently.Amara grinned without looking back. “I’m not running marathons, Rafa. I’m watering tomatoes.”He chuckled, the sound low and adoring. A moment later, his arms wrapped caref
Last Updated: 2025-05-12
Chapter: 46The sun was just beginning to dip low in the sky when Rafael pulled the car to a stop.Amara blinked at the scene before them — her breath catching.A narrow, winding path led into a dense grove of old trees, the leaves whispering secrets as the wind passed through them. Beyond that, she could just make out the soft glitter of water — a private lake, hidden away from the world.“Rafael…” she breathed. “Where are we?”He smiled that rare, devastating smile — the one he only seemed to reserve for her now.“A little place I found a few months ago,” he said. “Bought it. Fixed it up. For us.”Us.The word curled around her heart like sunlight.Without waiting for her to say anything else, Rafael rounded the car and opened her door, taking her hand and guiding her carefully down the path.As they walked, Amara noticed tiny details — lanterns hanging from the trees, throwing soft golden light. A small wooden dock stretching out into the water. A little boathouse tucked into the trees, rustic
Last Updated: 2025-05-12
Chapter: 45The world outside their little sanctuary faded away — no more mafia wars, no more shadows lurking at the edges.Just Rafael and Amara.Two broken souls stitched together by love.The room was filled with the scent of her perfume, the rumpled silk of the bedsheets, and the steady sound of Rafael’s heart beating under her cheek.He hadn’t let her go.Not for a second.One of his arms was wrapped around her back, keeping her pressed to his chest. His other hand stroked lazy patterns along her spine, back and forth, soothing and slow.Amara let out a little sigh of pure contentment, snuggling closer.“I don’t want this night to end,” she whispered into the space between them.Rafael tightened his hold slightly, pressing a kiss into her hair.“It doesn’t have to,” he murmured.“Not ever. Every night… every morning… every lifetime. You’re mine.”She smiled against his skin, feeling his words settle into her bones like a promise.A heavy, warm silence stretched between them, thick with exhau
Last Updated: 2025-05-12
Chapter: 44The garden had transformed while they shared their stolen first look.Guests waited in small rows of white chairs, the soft murmuring of voices hushed as the music began to play — a slow, tender melody that floated on the breeze like a secret between old friends.Amara stood just inside the garden archway, arm tucked through Mrs. Holloway’s — who had insisted, with tears in her eyes, on giving her away “for good luck.”Rafael was already waiting at the altar.He looked… not nervous, exactly.No — Rafael Moretti was not a man easily shaken.But there was something wild in his eyes, something feral and raw, like he was barely holding himself together.As Amara stepped into the sunlight, every sound seemed to fall away.He only saw her.The delicate ivory dress.The tiny, determined smile trembling on her lips.The way her free hand instinctively rested over her stomach — their future tucked safely inside her.Rafael felt something inside him snap and melt all at once.His hands clenched
Last Updated: 2025-05-12
Chapter: 43Rafael woke to the sound of rain tapping softly against the windows.For one beautiful, disoriented moment, he forgot everything except the feel of her.Amara was curled against him, breathing slow and even, one hand resting protectively over the slight curve of her belly — their child sleeping safely within her.Rafael propped himself up on one elbow, just looking at her.His chest ached, almost painfully.He hadn’t known it was possible to love someone like this — so fierce, so endless, so all-consuming.He brushed a few strands of hair from her forehead, fingers trembling a little.“Mine,” he thought fiercely.“Mine to protect. Mine to love. Mine forever.”He wanted to wake her with a kiss.He wanted to keep her tucked in this bed, safe, away from the world.But today wasn’t about hiding.Today was about standing in front of everyone — enemies and allies alike — and claiming her for all the world to see.Today, Amara was going to become his wife.—The house exploded into chaos aro
Last Updated: 2025-05-12
Beneath the Shades
Marina Russo has always lived a quiet life—graduated top of her class in culinary school, pays her bills on time, and avoids drama at all costs. When she lands a private chef position in a sprawling mansion on the edge of the city, it seems like a dream job. But nothing in that house is as simple as it seems.
The brothers who own the estate are powerful, dangerous, and deeply tied to the criminal underworld. Domenico is gentle, perceptive, and blind—but he commands an empire with deadly precision and an almost eerie calm. Alessandro is sharp-edged, cold, and calculating—the kind of man whose presence is both intoxicating and terrifying.
Marina is caught in their storm.But in a world where loyalty is currency and trust is a liability, love could be the one move that ruins them all.
Read
Chapter: Too Many Questions and Not Enough AnswersMarinaBy the time I finished wiping down the counters, the kitchen smelled faintly like lemon and garlic — a scent that felt safe. Normal.Unlike everything else in this house.I plopped down on the little stool by the pantry door, pressing the back of my hand to my forehead like some kind of tragic heroine in a bad play.Because honestly?That’s exactly what this week was starting to feel like.“Marina, what have you gotten yourself into?” I muttered under my breath, eyes flicking toward the big, sleek fridge like it might answer me.Two men.Both dangerous.Both quiet in different ways.And neither of them acting like normal employers.I mean — who pays ten grand in one go just for cooking pasta and cutting vegetables?I shook my head, chewing my bottom lip.And then there was the other thing.Domenico.Always in those dark, expensive shades, even inside the house where the light was soft and golden.Who does that?Movie stars? Maybe.Men with secrets? Definitely.And the way he mo
Last Updated: 2025-06-09
Chapter: Names and Tiny ButtonsBalancing the heavy tray wasn’t exactly part of the job description.But, well… there hadn’t exactly been a description, had there?Just: cook the food. Get paid. Come back tomorrow.And now here I was, shuffling nervously down a marble hallway like some lost intern delivering takeout.The double doors to the office loomed ahead—tall, dark, and terrifying.I paused, trying to will my heart to calm down.It didn’t.Okay, Marina. You can do this.It’s just lunch. For two very intense men. Who may or may not be criminals. No big deal!I knocked once—too softly.No answer.I knocked again—louder this time—and the door creaked open just a little, enough for me to peer inside.They were both there.The one with the dark glasses—seated behind the massive desk—and the other one, standing off to the side, his phone in one hand, a scowl on his face like it was permanently carved there.Both of them turned toward me at the same time.It was… unnerving.Like two predators suddenly noticing a rabb
Last Updated: 2025-06-09
Chapter: Blood and DiamondsDomenicoThe office smelled faintly of leather and old cigars, even though no one had smoked in here for years.I sat behind the massive desk, fingers drumming against the oak surface, listening as Alessandro rattled off the numbers."Thirty-two crates moved through Athens last month. Two went dark."His voice was clipped. Efficient."Either stolen or intercepted."I leaned back in the chair, sightless eyes focused on the patterns behind my lids.The world was dark, yes. But in here? In my mind?Everything was sharp."Athens is your side," I murmured. "Fix it.""Already sent men to check. But-"His tone shifted, cold as steel."-our next shipment is bigger. And Lenkov's crew is sniffing around again."Lenkov. That bastard.Always hungry. Always stupid enough to think he could bite at our heels.I let out a slow breath, fingers curling into a fist."We move before he does," I said. "Set the heist for Antwerp. Hit the De Vries vaults before they even know we're in the city."Alessandro'
Last Updated: 2025-06-09
Chapter: Breakfast with the BossesMarinaI finish cooking with my heart still somewhere up near my ears.The eggs are fluffy, the veggies are perfectly maybe too perfectly diced, and the pancakes are golden like I actually know what I’m doing.But then I hit a wall.Because — uh — how exactly am I supposed to let them know that breakfast is ready?There’s no little bell to ring. No staff swarming around.Just me, standing in a kitchen that costs more than my entire neighborhood, with a stack of pancakes and zero clue what comes next.I glance around like the walls might answer me.They don’t.Just me and my overcooked anxiety.“Do I…? Do I just…?” I mutter to myself, wiping my hands on a towel. “Yell? Knock? Send a smoke signal?”But before I can spiral into full-on panic, I hear it.Footsteps.Two sets.And then they appear.Both of them.voice — walks in first.His steps are… different.Measured. Like he’s counting them.His hand grazes the back of a chair as he passes, subtle but there. Like he’s making sure of his
Last Updated: 2025-05-26
Chapter: Morning Shift with Mister MysteriousMarinaI’m not gonna lie — I barely slept.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw dollar signs and dark suits and that folder snapping shut like a mousetrap.But here I am.7:58 AM. Standing in front of that mansion again like some culinary tribute to the mafia gods.The same driver gives me the same silent nod when I get in.The same gates swallow us whole.And my stomach does this fun little somersault as I clutch my cheap tote bag like it’s a lucky charm.What am I even doing?But it’s too late to back out now.Because $10,000 says I’m showing up.And apparently, when scary rich people say “8AM,” they mean 8AM.So when I’m dropped off at the side entrance again, I make a beeline for the kitchen — shoes squeaking, heart hammering, and already mentally planning breakfast.Eggs. Pancakes. Nothing fancy. Keep it safe, Marina. Keep it simple—I freeze halfway through the door.Because he’s there.The man from the office.The one in the shades.Mister too-perfect face. Mister silent authorit
Last Updated: 2025-05-26
Chapter: Upstairs, Where the Air Gets ThinMarinaBy the time I finish plating, my nerves are fried.I went with something simple — lemon herb pasta with grilled chicken — because simple is safe, right? Simple is honest. And also, simple doesn’t require me to accidentally blow up the spaceship kitchen.The voice from the speaker crackles back to life just as I’m wiping down the counter.“Bring the tray upstairs. Second floor. East wing. The office.”No please. No thank you. Just a command.Because apparently, in this place, manners are optional.I balance the heavy tray in my hands, trying to ignore the way my palms are sweaty. My shoes squeak on the marble again as I follow the long, silent hallways, feeling like I’ve wandered into a fancy hotel where I absolutely don’t belong.The stairs curve up, wide and dramatic, and by the time I reach the landing, I’m breathless in a way that has nothing to do with the climb.Office. East wing. Right.My heart thuds as I count doors — one, two, three — and then stop at a pair of tall, d
Last Updated: 2025-05-26
LOGIN
