Uriel M. Hernandez

The task was simple. Sneak into Potomac's most heavily guarded manor. Steal back my pendant. Slip out. Problem number one? America’s most unattainable bachelor caught me. Problem number two? He decided to keep me. As the help. Zachary Sun’s winter may be the coldest I’ve ever felt, but he makes my skin burn. Reserved, calculated, and savagely cruel, he thrives on the weaknesses of others. Little does he know, he just met his match. He may be American royalty. But this peasant will rise to become queen.

I wasn’t supposed to be on that roof on Valentine’s Day. Neither was Kellan Marchetti, the school’s designated freak. We met on the verge of ending our lives. Somehow, the tattered strings of our tragedies tangled and tightened into an unlikely bond. We decided not to take the plunge and agreed to check on each other every Valentine’s Day until school ended. Same time. One roof. Two restless souls. We kept our promise for three years.

Five years ago, he broke her heart. Now, he'll do anything to win her back. Farrah: When Farrah walked into her lunch meeting, she didn't expect to see him. Blake Ryan. Her first love. Her first heartbreak. And now, her first client as a freelance interior designer. It's been five years, but she'll never forget the way he shattered her. He whispers pretty words, but she'll never believe him. Her body craves his, but she'll never give him her heart. Not again. Not ever.

I was to wed a Lord of my parents 1�7 choosing. Wealth can’t buy you everything, or I would have had freedom years ago. Instead, my strict parents made sure I lived a dull life in a mansion resembling a prison. But on my wedding day, I was handed over to another man—an even more ruthless Lord that my family hated. Tyson Riley Crawford only wanted me for his revenge. I’m nothing more than a debt to be paid. I didn’t have a say in the matter. So when I said my vows before the congregation, I knew I’d break them. Consequences be damned.

I was raised in a world where money and power are at your fingertips. My father is a lord, a very respected member of a secret society that knows no bounds. When tragedy struck my family, we discovered we weren’t untouchable. Just when I thought life couldn’t get any worse, I was shown what hell is really like. Then he came and saved me. The devil disguised as my personal hero. But of course, nothing is for free. Not when a soul is up for grabs.

Through the years, I lived more as an enigma than a man. For so long, I denied I had a beating heart of my own. Until her. Until she unearthed the starving vessel inside, forced me to acknowledge it, forced me to understand that I’m capable of bleeding the same as any other. For that, we paid. We're still paying. Yet she demands it still; the useless heart of the ruthless thief and shameless villain she fell for. My fear is that I’m no longer that man.