Favorite Vice

My name is Elvira Rossi, daughter of Don Rossi, head of the Itavelle mafia family. Three months ago, my father was killed. Our operations were stripped bare, nothing left. The accounts were draining fast, and the family still had mouths to feed. Then a DNA report surfaced out of nowhere. According to it, I was the LaRosa family's long‑lost true heiress, missing for eighteen years. Money, at last, had found its way to me. For the sake of my people, I was willing to set aside my pride and play the part of a sheltered heiress. The car sent to escort me back to the estate broke down halfway up the mountain? I steadied it with one hand and carried it the rest of the way to the hilltop manor. The fake heiress dissolved into tears, accusing me of pushing her? I answered by striking the century-old tree in the courtyard, splitting it clean through. She went silent immediately. My fiancé sent bodyguards to "teach me self‑defense"? My two friends politely introduced them to the concept of being permanently embedded in a wall. As my so‑called "family" shook in fear, my knuckles cracked softly. After all, before inheriting the mafia, I inherited my father's favorite rule: "If violence can solve it, don't waste words."

*They called her collateral damage.*
*He made her his favorite weapon.* Lauren McQueen had a plan. A life. A love story. Until her boyfriend of three years shattered it with a smile and a promotion—dumping her days before Christmas and branding her a “liability.” Worse? He’s now engaged to her coworker. Rosette Goldberg. The office queen. The venom in Valentino. Humiliation tastes worse with champagne. So Lauren does what any woman with pride and a pulse would do—she lies. And in walks Alexandro “Lex” Castello. Trillionaire. Sin in a tailored suit. The kind of man who doesn’t just walk into your story—he rewrites it. He agrees to play her boyfriend for one night. Except with Lex, nothing is ever just one night. The lie spirals. The spark ignites. And soon, Lauren is drowning in a world of secrets, power, and seduction she never asked to enter—but can’t find her way out of. Because Lex Castello doesn’t pretend. He possesses.
And what started as revenge may end in obsession. He’s not her date.
He’s her reckoning. 
And she’s about to find out that the worst thing wasn’t losing her boyfriend…it’s trusting the wrong devil.

He doesn’t sleep with the same woman twice, they said. And I believed it... until he couldn’t stop touching me. Night after night, he called me to his bed like I was his favorite secret. They told me I was lucky—an omega chosen by the Alpha himself. I believed that too... until I found out I was pregnant. Then he married his Luna. He didn’t even look back. So, I ran. I ran with nothing but my pride, my broken heart, and the child growing inside me. People called me foolish. Maybe I was. But now... he’s looking for me. Searching the world like he’s lost his mind. And just when I thought my heart couldn’t be pulled in two, a man with kind eyes and a powerful soul held my hand and whispered, “Please don’t go back to him. You’re mine now.” My mate. His cousin. And the father of the child I carry? No. It can't be that easy. Because my heart still burns for the Alpha who broke it. So tell me… How do I choose between the one who marked my soul…

Sasha Smith is the owner of an exclusive dance club catering to the rich and arrogant. When one of her favorite customers and close friends is missing from his regular spot at the bar, she goes in search of him. Finding him very ill, lonely and at risk, she agrees to move in with him temporarily until he's feeling better. When Rin Allegretti, Italian mafia Don, finds out his grandfather has an exotic dancer living in his house, he rallies his family to the family home to thwart whatever the gold-digging girl's plans might be for his grandfather. Rin finds himself drawn to the younger woman and wanting to protect her from the harshness of the family he himself dropped on her. Sasha finds herself in the midst of family drama, under scrutiny of an attractive older man and falling in over her head. She herself comes from a similar family and she knows the dangers of tangling with a boss, especially one of a rival family. She knows once he realizes who her family are, there will be hell to pay. Rin wants only to protect the little dancer and to keep her safe, even if it means, opening his heart up for the very first time. Can he convince her he’s not the monster mobster she believes him to be?

Since I can remember, I have been a liar. That is the conclusion my mother made about me. After my twin brother, Daniel Benson, and I are born, she becomes obsessed with a so-called scientific parenting method. So, she puts a lie-detecting collar on each of us. Whenever we lie, the collar lights up in red. The moment it turns red, she presses a remote and shocks me. She says it will help form muscle memory to correct the bad character in me. Daniel's collar is always green. Even when he tears my mom's favorite clothes to shreds and calmly claims a dog does it, the collar still glows green. But I am different. Even if I just say, "Mom, I’m thirsty," The collar would suddenly flash a blinding red light. Then, a current shoots through my neck and into my body, making me tremble in pain. At first, I try to explain. But my mom always says the same thing. "The machine doesn't lie. You have to feel pain to learn. I'm doing this for your own good." After being shocked thousands of times, I slowly start to believe that maybe I am truly born a liar.

Twenty-two stories. Twenty-two chances to lose yourself. From storm-stranded islands to tattoo parlors after dark, this collection takes you places you’ve never been with people you’ll never forget. A marine cartographer discovers that the most thrilling territory to explore isn’t on any map. A pastry chef learns that the sweetest pleasure comes with a sting. A mafia fixer breaks his one unbreakable rule. A firefighter finds heat that has nothing to do with flames. These aren’t your typical romance stories. Here, a museum archivist rediscovers her wild side. An insomniac musician becomes a sleep researcher’s favorite subject. Twin vocal coaches teach an opera singer to find her voice again. A tattoo artist and a widow bond over grief and ink. Each tale is different: different bodies, different desires, different ways of coming undone. Some encounters are tender. Others are raw. A few will make you blush in public. All of them will leave you breathless. Whether it’s the tension of waiting, the trust required to surrender, or the electricity of a first touch, each story explores what happens when two people finally give in to what they’ve been craving. Diverse. Bold. Unapologetically sensual. Your next obsession starts here.

The night my husband, William Costello, was assassinated by his enemies was supposed to be a celebration—our wedding anniversary. I was dressed in his favorite red dress, waiting for him, when the phone rang. "Mr. Costello was shot at the harbor. The bullet went through the back of his head. He died on the spot." I collapsed to the floor. I clung to his belongings, mourning for a week straight. We even lost our unborn child during this time. Everyone said William and I were true love. Even the Don himself came to the funeral, resting a heavy hand on my shoulder with a sigh. He said, "All of Blackhaven knows you were the only woman he ever loved." Grief nearly destroyed me. I stood at the river's edge, ready to follow William into the afterlife. However, I overheard my sister-in-law, Emily Hawkins, leaning into my brother-in-law, Jones Costello, her voice dripping with a twisted affection. She purred, "William, I love you so much. Between Nina and me, who do you think is sexier?" "Of course it's you, babe!" came the husky reply. I stood frozen, my eyes wide and my body trembling. Why was Emily calling my brother-in-law by my husband's name?

Aria Monroe never believed the supernatural worlds she read about in her favorite novels could be real—until the night she fled her abusive husband with her daughter and stumbled into a forest pulsing with ancient magic. There, she meets Kaelion Duskbane, a mysterious and impossibly powerful man who claims she is his fated mate. Kaelion is no ordinary supernatural. He is a tribrid—vampire, werewolf, and witch—descended from a bloodline that has ruled for centuries. As King of All Supernaturals, he hides secrets even his council fears to whisper. His powers go beyond the known limits of magic, and his connection to the divine creators—the Moon Goddess, the Star God, and the Blood Father—marks him as chosen. But fate has more in store than a royal romance. As Aria is drawn deeper into Kaelion’s world, she begins unlocking powers of her own—abilities no human should possess. Their bond triggers ancient prophecies, divine intervention, and a war between light and shadow. With Kaelion’s brother Lucien discovering his own mate and secrets unraveling at every turn, Aria must choose whether to embrace her destiny or be consumed by it. Twists, betrayals, and steamy passion collide in this supernatural saga where love is power, and power can change the world.

They found her almost dead, thrown to the alligators in the deep bayou, by her own father. Chloe awakens to find herself a pawn in the vampires' cruel game of hearts, their favorite diversion from immortal tedium. When forced to select a companion, she chooses Hunter, another soul plucked from death's threshold. His initial curiosity blossoms into something far more perilous. "Love worth dying for," murmurs Callum, their master. Six couples. Six challenges. Six days. Victory demands genuine affection. The game unravels when wolf-shifters interrupt the proceedings. Their alpha, Liam, a black wolf, declares Chloe is his destined partner. Callum cautions him against violating ancient covenants, and Liam retreats temporarily. During the penultimate challenge, coinciding with her birthday, Chloe's dormant abilities surface. Liam returns, claiming her and abandoning Hunter to Callum's wrath. The vampire lord transforms Hunter and dispatches him to retrieve Chloe. Now married to Liam, Chloe longs for peace, but the game never truly ended. It has spilled into the enchanted bayou where it all began, where love, betrayal, and ancient secrets entwine. Who is Chloe really? And what price will she pay when she uncovers the truth about her bloodline?

He isn’t just twice my age, he’s also my best friend’s dad. And the man who appears in my steamy dreams every night and satisfies all my wild fantasies… The first time I saw Tony was on my 16th birthday, he was a tall glass of my favorite drink and the moment our eyes met, I was hooked. I wanted him. I yearned for him. But then, he was way out of my league. I was just a 16-year-old naive girl with no clue how to unravel the mystery around him. So I just stood there and watched another woman take him away from me. I thought I had lost him until three years later. I was standing in front of this huge house, and right in front of me was my mystery man. My fantasy s*x god who appears in my hot dreams every night is my best friend’s dad… I should have looked away immediately, I should have remembered the rules, the consequences, and the hurt. But how do you stop your heart from beating for the one it’s chosen? Everything changed with just one kiss. I crossed a line I shouldn’t have crossed, and I had to deal with a temptation too wild to resist.