Darkest Summer

"Valerie," he whispered, his smile fading as he moved closer to me. "I'm sor-"

I cut him off with a hard slap to his left cheek. "How dare you?" I hissed, delivering another slap in the same spot. "How could you do this to me?" I raised my hand to strike again, but he caught my wrist before I could.

"Think very carefully about your next move," he warned in a low, threatening tone, tightening his grip on my wrist, daring me to slap him again. The pain shot through my arm, and tears pricked at the corners of my eyes.

"Or what?" I scowled at him.

"You don't want to find out," he replied, stepping closer and staring into my eyes. "And don't push me!"

Today was the day it all began to fall apart. My world twisted, crushed me against the wall, and tore apart my sanity and innocence. I never imagined I would go through something like this, but there I was, caught in the middle of it all.

Valerie Price is a smart, strong-willed girl with a kind heart, but a series of unfortunate events tear her apart. She catches the attention of Matteo Romano, a ruthless mafia leader disguised as a charming tycoon. He is not only intrigued by her but also infatuated. As they get to know each other, they begin to change, becoming something neither expected. She finds herself doing things she never thought possible. He offers her the world, but will she accept it or push it away in fear? The tension between them eats away at her, but will she give in to the irresistible temptation of the man who molested her and took her virginity or will she fight for her freedom from deadly and sexy man?

Warning: Contains strong language, sexual content, rape, and graphic violence.