Fast Et Furious

Everyone wants a piece of Lucien Vale, his money, his fame, his name. Ariana Cross wants nothing to do with him. She’s too busy fighting to survive: engineering classes by day, dead-end jobs by night, and a little sister whose next hospital bill could break them for good. Pride is the only thing her father didn’t steal when he walked out. But when a career-ending scandal rocks Lucien’s world, the ice-cold racing champion needs a miracle: a fake girlfriend who can fix his cars and his reputation. He offers Ariana everything: money, security, her sister’s future if she’ll play the part. She says no. Until one brutal night leaves her with no choice. What starts as a cold business deal explodes into a dangerous obsession. The closer Ariana gets to Lucien, the more she sees the broken man behind the legend: sleepless nights, buried rage, and a mother’s death that was never just an accident. Their lives were tangled long before they met. Now trapped in a web of lies, scorching chemistry, and secrets dark enough to destroy them both, Ariana discovers the deadliest truth of all….. Some collisions were never accidents.

He had just gotten his tattoo and begun his walk back home, then he was held at gunpoint. That night he met a man who claimed to be a friend of his father, who introduced him to his world of guns, blood and violence. Takashi has to overcome all that and stay alive to get his revenge. But who can he really trust?

She is mine, now. Whether she wants it or not, she belongs to me. "Please... let her go. She is an orphan, have pity on her..." These words resonate in the room, a fragile plea against the unyielding will of a man. But Ariane is not a mere victim. She is a force of nature, a young woman with burning courage, who refuses to bend before anyone, not even before Auracio Ferrari. Auracio. That name makes every soul in the city shudder. A mafia boss, a man with a glacial gaze and undeniable power, whose mere presence commands silence and fear. Yet, in front of Ariane, he falters. She, with her disarming boldness, her eyes full of fire and defiance, does not tremble. She does not flee. She does not submit. She does not yield. No one has ever dared to resist Auracio Ferrari like she does. No one has ever destabilized him to the point of losing his composure and control. He wants her. Not out of simple desire, but from a burning obsession, a visceral need to possess what he cannot have. Ariane will become his. No matter the price to pay, no matter the pain, no matter the time. She belongs to him, body and soul, to him alone. He is ready to do anything for her. To destroy anyone who dares to lay eyes on her, to crush any threat, to break any attempt at escape. "I will kill anyone who shows interest in her." These words are a cruel warning, a promise of blood and fire. Because Ariane is no longer a mere woman. She has become his empire, his weakness and his strength, his hell and ... The fight for her freedom is just beginning..but one thing is certain: she is his, now.

Everyone knew Elio Carbone, Don of the Carbone family, was a cold-hearted womanizer. He had one rule: never sleep with the same woman twice. But for me, he broke it. The first day after our breakup, he stood outside the old Bianchi estate for a day and a night, his entire security detail in tow, just to win me back. The second day, he flew to Sicily and bought the deed to my family's ancestral estate at auction for triple its value, and had it delivered to me. The third day, he tattooed my favorite flower, the lily, over his heart. The tattoo artist said he refused any anesthetic and didn't make a sound. Later, at a banquet for the Five Families, in front of all the other Dons, he sliced his palm and made a blood oath. He swore loyalty only to Eleonora Bianchi for the rest of his life; if he broke his vow, he would pay with his life. After a year of his relentless pursuit, his devotion finally wore me down, and I agreed to take him back. I truly believed him then. That Elio truly loved me. Until one night. He took me to an underground racetrack to broker a deal with an ally. But in the roaring crowd, I saw a girl, trembling and crying, her clothes in tatters. Ava was shoved to the starting line. She was the wager for the death race. One look was all it took for Elio's face to darken. The next second, he dropped his hand from my waist and, without a word, walked toward the track entrance. I stood frozen, watching his back as he disappeared into the driver's seat of a modified sports car. I used to wake up crying, terrified he would lose his life in one of these reckless races. He had smashed his trophies, burned his marker for the illegal track, and sworn to God he would never again enter such a life-or-death gamble. My hand drifted to my stomach, covering the secret I hadn't yet had the chance to share. His blood oath was broken. And so was I.

Hot. Fast. Dangerous. Only two things are capable of sating my hunger: racing and women. I’m a devil behind the wheel, and there isn’t another man in New York City who can beat me. Nor any dumb enough to try. But there was a woman who could. My ex-wife, Evie. And she did. Messed me up real good. Thanks to her, I gave up my dream of racing, but I can’t run from fate forever. The evil bastards at her side have taken over the underground racing scene, but I’m diving back in deep. With my focus on the road, the last thing I need is a distraction, but that’s just what Laina is. My best friend’s little sister feels off limits, until she isn’t. Perfect curves and a smile that could melt hearts, this woman has me wanting to say yes from the start. She’s relentless and drives me mad with the desire to be bad one more time—just for her. I might be outracing demons, but I’m not running from anything. Not me. Not ever again.

As the Principessa of the Falcone family, I craved danger and absolute freedom. But on my ninety-ninth attempt to escape my arranged marriage, Vito Moretti finally caught me. My dangerously handsome betrothed cornered me at an underground racetrack. "No one walks away from me, Liliana," he smirked from his modified Mustang. "You're the first." With my weakness for dangerous men, I made a life or death wager. "Beat me on the track, and I'll marry you. Lose, and you get out of my life." Our engines roared as we tore along the cliffside road, its curves dangerously free of guardrails. Nearing the finish line, I took a turn too fast and hurtled toward the edge. But just inches from victory, Vito jerked his wheel. He slammed his car into mine, knocking me to safety as his own plunged into the icy bay below. I scrambled down the cliff, terrified, and dragged his bleeding body from the water. "I lost," he gasped, life fading from his eyes. "You're free." My heart shattered into a million dazzling pieces as tears streamed down my face. Startled by my reaction, Vito swore softly. "Don't cry. I'll tell our fathers the broken engagement was my choice. No one will dare lay a finger on you." I sobbed and pressed my lips to his. "To hell with the bet, Vito Moretti. I'm marrying you!"