Darkest Needs

My studio has three rules: no walk-ins after midnight, no dating clients, and no blood on the floor.
He broke all three.

A rain-soaked stranger pushes through my locked door with a hand to his ribs and a voice that makes rules sound optional. Nikolai Vukovic does not ask for hospitals. He asks for my light. He asks for my gauze. When our eyes meet, he takes my attention too. I stitch him up and send him into the night. I promise myself I can keep business and pleasure in separate drawers.

Nikolai does not stop until he gets what he wants. And what he wants is me.

One ride home turns into protection. One almost-kiss turns into a public claim. One fake engagement becomes a ring every camera in London notices. My tidy life becomes a war zone of slow-burn heat, dirty talk, and dangerous promises. The most controlled man in this city is willing to scorch his world to keep me safe. If his rivals learn what I am to him, my studio door becomes a target. If I choose him, I could lose the quiet life I built with my own hands. Worst of all, I am falling for the man with a knife at his hip and a laurel tattoo over his heart. I am pretty sure he is falling for me too.