He kept his distance for fifteen years. One honest question broke everything.
When Lily Callahan walks into Marcus Vale's bar at closing time — soaked through, exhausted, holding herself together by sheer will — he pours her whiskey and asks the one question nobody ever has: What do you actually need?
She laughs. Then she tells him the truth.
Marcus has wanted her since she was too young and he was too loyal. She's his best friend's sister, off-limits by every code he lives by. But Danny just called and said the words that unlocked fifteen years of discipline: She needs you. Go.
Now there's no more distance. No more looking away. No more pretending the door is locked when they're both standing on the same side of it.
Lily is postpartum, fierce, funny, and done performing okayness for a world that finds her too much. Marcus doesn't use the word too. He uses more. Yes. Again.
A slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance about being fully seen, wholly claimed, and finally — finally — home.
Standalone. HEA. All characters 21+.
Rysa Blae is a passionate weaver of dark desires, forbidden fantasies, and emotionally charged love stories. Specializing in romantic erotic fantasy with heavy doses of obsession, power play, and taboo heat, Rysa crafts immersive worlds where boundaries are pushed and love is anything but gentle.
Her stories dive deep into the minds of morally grey heroes, dominant anti-lovers, and the complex women who challenge and awaken them. With themes ranging from age gap obsession and mafia breeding romance to psychological thrillers soaked in passion, Rysa’s books are perfect for readers who crave intensity, sensuality, and twisted devotion.
When she’s not plotting sinful stories, she’s probably sipping coffee, building secret Pinterest boards, and dreaming up her next irresistible villain.
Follow her into the darkness—you just might not want to leave.