Shielded Secrets

The moment I see Rurik Baranov step between me and danger, my world shifts. There's just one massive problem—he's the lethal enforcer of New York's most feared mafia dynasty. So I do what I've learned in foster care: try to disappear, to become invisible. But you can't hide from someone who watches you like a guardian angel in the shadows. Then he offers me salvation wrapped in gold: his name, his protection, his ring. "Let me keep you safe," he whispers. "No one touches a Baranov's wife." It should be just survival—a marriage of convenience to shield me from my past. I'm too broken, too damaged for someone like him to want more. One gentle touch of those battle-hardened hands makes me tremble with need. I can't help falling for my protector. The corrupt mayor haunts my steps, rival families circle like wolves. I should run before I bring destruction to his door. But Rurik wraps me in his strength, shields me from my nightmares. The Baranovs show me what family means, what belonging feels like. I want to believe in this love, but loving him might destroy us both. Because in the Baranov's world, there are no innocent loves. Only dangerous ones.

The moment I see Rurik Baranov step between me and danger, my world shifts. There's just one massive problem—he's the lethal enforcer of New York's most feared mafia dynasty. So I do what I've learned in foster care: try to disappear, to become invisible. But you can't hide from someone who watches you like a guardian angel in the shadows. Then he offers me salvation wrapped in gold: his name, his protection, his ring. "Let me keep you safe," he whispers. "No one touches a Baranov's wife." It should be just survival—a marriage of convenience to shield me from my past. I'm too broken, too damaged for someone like him to want more. One gentle touch of those battle-hardened hands makes me tremble with need. I can't help falling for my protector. The corrupt mayor haunts my steps, rival families circle like wolves. I should run before I bring destruction to his door. But Rurik wraps me in his strength, shields me from my nightmares. The Baranovs show me what family means, what belonging feels like. I want to believe in this love, but loving him might destroy us both. Because in the Baranov's world, there are no innocent loves. Only dangerous ones.