WOUNDED DESIRE

Casandra Richards has never been the kind of woman who risks her heart-just everything else.

She's always preferred things exciting and uncomplicated-fun when she wants it, distance when she needs it. It's what helped her build her event-planning business from the ground up. So when a rushed, high-paying wedding lands in her lap, tied to people she should stay far away from, she takes the risk without hesitation.

What she doesn't expect... is that the real danger won't come from the wedding at all.

As Katrina's best friend, Cas has seen firsthand what loving a powerful man can cost. And last summer, she made a mistake of her own-one that changed everything.

She fell for Enzo.
Dario Russo's quiet, lethal enforcer.

But when Enzo walked away to protect her, it shattered what little faith she had left in love and confirmed everything she already believed-love isn't worth the damage it leaves behind.

Since then, she's kept a low profile-burying herself in work and ignoring the hurt she refuses to face.

When Katrina convinces her to attend a fundraiser, the last thing she expects is to meet a man who makes it easy to forget.

One night. No strings. No consequences.
That's what she tells herself when she goes home with him.

She's wrong.

As the consequences of that night begin to surface, Enzo is pulled back into Cas's life as her protector-forcing them both to confront everything they never let go of.

Because some connections don't fade.
Some loves refuse to die.

And when desire collides with danger... walking away may be the most dangerous choice of all.

Wounded Desire is a dark, emotionally intense mafia romance and a standalone story set in the Empire of Sins world, featuring characters introduced in The House of Russo duet. It includes forced proximity, protective anti-heroes, slow-burn tension, and high-stakes suspense. Intended for mature readers.