LOGIN“She’s the only thing in this dangerous world of mine that still dares to bloom in my hands. She's the rose that still grew even in the devil’s grasp, and I’ll cut down anyone who tries to pluck her.”
*+*+*+* After taking a bullet for the man she loves, Arya lies fighting for her life in a hospital bed, but the danger doesn’t stop there. Juan, torn between sitting by her side and leading his war on the streets, finds himself under attack from all sides. It’s not just one enemy he thought was long gone, but old rivals who refuse to let a Spaniard control the Italian underworld. As a Spanish-Italian mafia lord, Juan knows the cost of this life. He might lose everything, his power, his family, his crown but he's not willing to lose the woman he loves. But what happens if Arya's only chance at survival is to walk away from him? Book Two of The Darkness & Desire Series This can be read as a standalone, but to understand their full story, read Book One: The Mafia’s Angel. *+*++*++,+* A/N Y’all, deep breath... THE DEVIL’S ROSE IS FINALLY HERE! 🎉✨ keep holding your breath... keep holding... exhale <3 I know, I know, you’ve been dangling on that cliffhanger for way too long (sorry not sorry 😈). But guess what? I’m back, and this time, I brought a whole damn roller coaster of chaos with me. You know what? Roller coasters ads basic, it's a fricken pendulum drop, or a drop tower. 💀😹 If you thought book one was a wild ride, buckle up, buttercup, this sequel’s got more twists, turns, and oh so dangerous drama than zee world (wait, please tell me you guys know that TV channel?) Remember last year when life threw me ALL the curveballs? Between fighting off health demons, juggling meds like a circus act, and desperately trying not to drown in exams and ghostwriting gigs (because yes, medical bills don’t pay themselves, and who needs sleep anyway?), this book was quietly simmering on the back burner. It gave me those sad puppy eyes like, “Hey, don’t forget meeeee...” Fast forward to April 2nd, the day of destiny when I finally dusted off this bad boy and said, “Okay, let’s get weird.” Suddenly, words started flying faster than Juan’s bullets. I was writing like my laptop was on fire, smashing out thousands of words daily, fueled by caffeine, stubbornness, and maybe a little bit of madness. By May? Boom. Over 100,000 words of delicious, messy, mafia madness. (Shakes booty happily). And here I am, presenting you The Devil’s Rose which is a cocktail of heartbreak, gunfights, power struggles, and of course, the kind of love that makes you scream, cry, and maybe throw your phone across the room (guilty). But wait, don’t get too comfortable! This book may be wrapped up nice and neat but there's still so much blood, betrayal, and cliffhangers to come because why give you peace when I can keep you screaming at your screen? Mwahaha. 😈 So, pour yourself a drink (or fourteen"Arya," he whispered. "Don't do this to me please... Don't break my heart again. I'll leave everything— I swear to you, to God... I'll fucking leave everything. I've got... I've got legal stuff, and it's a lot of money too... The vines... I'll leave the dark side, the drugs, the clubs the...""Whorehouses?" She spat bitterly. "What else are you going to say? Stop pimping girls for sick old men?""Arya I—""You're Juan Moreno. You're the dark! The dark is you, and what do you mean you want to abandon every single thing you worked for just for what?" She questioned, her eyes blazing angrily. "For you Arya, for us to work. Any goddamn thing."Arya let out a dry humourless laugh, pacing the kitchen back and forth. "And what happens to it?""I just... I don't know, leave it?" He shrugged. "We could be together, live in a quiet countryside... I could gige it up to Dominic and just focus on the vines...""You're a criminal Juan, and that part of your life would never leave you. And trust me
He kissed her again, slowly, holding her so tightly that their chests heaved against each other. Finally, Arya pulled back, avoiding his eyes. She wasn’t sure why she had done what she had done, but it felt stupid, and she hated herself for giving in to her neediness.She stepped away from him and walked toward the bathroom. Juan hesitated, unsure whether to follow her or just leave. It didn’t feel right, after such an intimate moment, to walk out as if nothing had happened.He picked up his clothes from the floor, dumped them on the couch, and followed her into her room. Arya said nothing but kept an eye on him from the doorway. She entered the bathroom, and he followed.She looked like she wanted to protest, but her mouth opened and closed again. The shower was cold when she turned it on, and he smiled warily.“Since when do you use cold water to shower?” he asked.Arya shrugged. “I just… felt like I needed to wash up. You know?”Juan raised an eyebrow. “It sounds strange. Familiar,
Juan was taken aback momentarily, but he found himself shutting the door with one hand, and then pinning her against the wall. Their lips melted into one another, fitting perfectly like puzzle pieces. His hands roamed her body, and then when they were both out of breath, he pulled back, lifting her shirt up. He trailed kisses from her abdomen up to her boobs, then his mouth latched onto her pebble hard nipple, sucking and biting them while his thumb rubbed slow circles on the other one. She moaned, her eyes rolling, warmth tingling between her legs. She could feel her juices soaking up her underwear, and through the leggings she wore. She let out a soft gasp as he nibbled a bit, her hands gripped his hair tighter, and then he pulled back, a smirk tugging on his lips at her neediness.His fingers brushed the hem of her leggings and then pulled it down roughly, almost ripping the fabric. Looking at her lust filled eyes was enough to make his cock even harder than before. He could fe
"Arya," he whispered. "You really don’t mean that, do you?""I mean it, Juan. You see, this is your fucking problem. Thinking I can’t—" she ran a hand through her long black hair in frustration, her voice catching near the end.Juan waited for her to complete the sentence, but she did not. She remained there almost gasping for air, her chest rising and falling as if what she wanted to say was too hard. He stepped slowly forward, observing her expression intently.As his hand touched her waist, she stiffened. Her gaze shifted to his hand, and for a moment she considered shoving him aside. Yet his touch felt familiar to her body, and that recognition was perilous. It reminded her of how it felt to be near him, how she always wanted to be in his arms.He raised his other hand, sweeping a lock of her hair aside from her face. His fingers hovered close to her jaw before moving to the side of her neck. Her skin tingled where he made contact.Arya licked her lips and gulped slowly, making an
The day had been exhausting, and when Arya come back from work, all she wanted to do was have a bowl of pasta, take a long shower and then sleep off. But the moment she stepped out of the elevator and Juan was sitting by her door.Her breath caught. “Why are you here?”He stood slowly, brushing his palms over his jeans. “I was waiting for you.”“You should have called,” she said, trying to keep her voice calm.He looked at her, quiet for a while. “Would you have picked?”She pressed her lips together. “You don’t know that.” She unlocked the door and stepped aside. “Come in.”He hesitated before following her inside. The room was dim, the evening light coming through the thin curtains. "Well for starters, I don't have your new number, and I'm not sure you have any intentions of ever giving me.”“You can have a seat,” she said, ignoring his last sentence and pointing to the small couch. She dropped her keys on the table and kicked off her shoes. “Do you want water or something?”“No. N
"Okay, who the hell was that?" That was the first thing Clara said the moment Arya stepped into her room."Just someone I know," Arya said with a tight smile, pulling the towel closer around her body. "It’s not important.""Yeah, sure," Clara said, folding her arms. "Explains why there was enough romantic and sexual tension in that living room to light up the whole damn building."Arya let out a small breath and sat at the edge of the bed. "It’s not like that.""Of course it’s not," Clara said, sitting beside her. "You wanna try saying that again without looking like you’re about to cry or I don't know... Run after him?""I’m not about to cry." Arya looked down at her fingers. "And I’m fine."Clara tilted her head and stared at her. "You know I can see right through that, right? So who is he? An ex? A lover? Someone you dated in secret and never told me about?"Arya sighed and rubbed her forehead. "None of that matters, okay? That’s in the past, and I don’t want to talk about it.""Ah







