LOGIN~Ryder~
The memory alone is enough to pull me out of this damp motel room and drop me straight backward into the worst night of my life.I can still taste the ash and iron in the air from that morning. I can still feel the cold terror that wrapped around my throat when I realized the world I wanted to build with Lila was nothing but a fragile glass ornament waiting to be smashed.Twelve years ago, the morning after our graduation was supposed to be the beginning of everything.~Lila~I lean back against the cushions of our lounge chair, letting out a contented sigh as I rest my hand on the high, round curve of my belly. Beneath my palm, a light flutter makes me smile. Our little girl is restless today.A few yards away, the rhythmic thud-thud of a mallet echoes through the backyard.I shift, my eyes tracking Ryder as he kneels on the grass, completely absorbed in his task. He’s shirtless, his skin glistening with a light sheen of sweat that makes the hard, carved lines of his shoulders and back gleam in the sunlight. Every time he lifts his arms to align the wooden slats of the crib, the muscles of his back flex and roll, a powerful reminder of the warrior he is – and the fierce protector he’s always been.From my chest down to my collarbone, I’m wearing the delicate silver chain of my day collar catches the light. It’s light, almost weightless, but its presence is an absolute anchor. Ryder also had the gold necklace remade after we got back to the Stat
Hey lovelies! First of all... thank you for diving into Book 1 with me! I hope Ryder and Lila left you sweaty, swoony, and a little bit obsessed. :) If you’re ready for more delicious trouble, Books 2 and 3 are coming in hot! We’re switching things up with a brand new couple who are about to set the pages on fire. Expect even steamier tension, darker twists, and a romance that’s equal parts filthy and heart-wrenching. (Fair warning: these two come with some serious trigger-worthy baggage: possessiveness, violence, moral gray areas, and enough angst to keep you up at night. If you like your dark romance pitch black, you’re in the right place.) Don’t worry though... you’ll still get to see some familiar faces. Lila and Ryder will pop up with fun cameos scattered throughout the story! Uploads start tomorrow, so get comfy and buckle up. I can’t wait to see you on the other side… if you survive the ride. ;) Let’s get wicked again, Aria. His Undercover Submissive Book Two (The
~Ryder~I’m pacing outside the quaint white gazebo at one of the parks in Tyler, Texas, as the small crowd chats, awaiting my brother and sister-in-law’s vow renewal. Harry and Kata have been married one year today. The sun is shining and the birds were singing and I am damn happy for them both.But misery tears at my insides. The ceremony starts in ten minutes, and Lila hasn’t yet appeared.Kata’s saucy blond friend, Hallie, winks at me. Whether flirting or trying to cheer me up, I don’t know and I don’t care. And yeah, I could probably be more gracious, but it is fucking hard when my heart is breaking. The rest of my life stretches out as bleakly as the twelve years before, with only one brief week of paradise between.And now, paradise is gone.I replay those events on Velvet Haven in my head, over and over. Lila had eventually trusted me, come to see that I was right about her stepfather. Hell, we saved one another’s lives that day. She trusted me with her safety, her body. E
~Lila~We’re outnumbered and outgunned and now Ryder is going to die for my mistake.I refuse to let that happen without a fight.“Now put it on the ground,” Kantor instructs.Locking gazes with Ryder, I try to communicate silently to be ready for anything. He tenses and lifts his chin like he understands.Suddenly, I go completely limp in Adam’s grasp.Unprepared to hold my dead weight, he stumbles forward and loses his grip on me. As I go down, I shove my elbow into his balls. Predictably, he grunts and doubles over. Then I reach into my pocket, grabbing the gun I stashed there, and point it straight at Adam with one hand. With the other, I surprise him by misting the pepper spray into his eyes. As he coughs and struggles, I kick his weapon out of his hand.Behind me I hear the blast of a gun, and whirl with a shriek to find plaster flying from the wall beside Ryder’s head. Kantor has grabbed the barrel of Ryder’s gun and shoved up, forcing Ryder’s finger away from the trigge
~Lila~“Adam!” I yell.“Shut up, you ungrateful bitch. I raised you, and you did what? Chose the guy who fucked you good over me.”Shock washes over me. Ice spreads through my veins as I struggle against his hold. “What are you doing? Let go!”“I don’t think so, princess.”“Do it, you motherfucker! Let go now,” Ryder yells. “Or I’ll blow your head off.”Adam holds firm, the gun biting into the soft skin of my temple. I realize that he is using me as a shield so that Ryder can’t take a clear shot. And Ryder clearly knows it. Terror and frustration burn from his blue eyes. He stares down the gun at Adam like an avenger, his finger taut around the trigger, just waiting for any opportunity.“Not before I blow hers off first.” Adam’s arm moves from my middle to loop around my throat and squeezes my windpipe.I choke. Before this, I would have never believed my own stepfather capable of hurting me. Now, I have no doubt he’ll do exactly as threatened
~Lila~“Baby, your stepfather is Sire.”Everything is happening too fast. I blink, rooted in place, staring at my stepfather. Ryder’s allegations sound so far-fetched, so surreal. I wait for Adam to vociferously deny them.My stepfather glares at Ryder. “That’s a lot to hurl at my head. You can’t back that up. You just hate me because I tried to separate Lila from your bad influence.”“You lying motherfucker.”Adam looses a long-suffering sigh. “Are you trying to hurt her again? Wasn’t once enough? You brutally broke her heart and left her, then you walk back into her life and expect her to trust you” – he snaps his fingers – “like that? She’s wiser to you now. This attempt to come between us… are you hoping to win her over, separate her from my support, then crush her again? Is this some sick game to you?”I suck in a breath. I sting as if I’ve been slapped all over. Adam repeats all the secret worries I’ve harbored since Ryder walked back into my life. He gives voice to my fea
~Lila~“Walk to the bed. Stand beside it and wait for me,” Ryder orders.I walk over to the low platform bed, my bare feet silent against the concrete. Ryder prowls toward me, then sits on the silk sheet. “Come closer.”“Don’t I get a safe word first?”He tilts his head slightly, studying me
~Lila~The heavy oak door of Thorne’s office clicks shut behind me, but the sense of entrapment follows me right into the corridor.Before I can even take a full breath of the cooler hallway air, a broad, calloused palm presses firmly against the small of my back and the heat of Ryder’s hand burn
~Lila~ “Bud?” Ryder breathes. The name lands like a physical blow against my ribs. I jerk away from Ryder’s grip, my heart slamming against my ribs like it wants to break free. His hand falls away, but the heat of his fingers lingers on my scalp, sending unwelcome sparks down my spine. Zane
⚠️A Little Heads Up Before We Begin⚠️While this is a romance book, it also contains explicit Dom/sub dynamics including consensual spanking, power exchange, edging, restraints, and enough unresolved tension to short-circuit your e-reader.If any of that makes you uncomfortable, no hard feelings, b







