Noah Morgan has always lived on her own terms — reckless, fearless, and fiercely independent. At nineteen, she’s had her share of bad choices, wild nights, and broken hearts. But nothing compares to the day she’s forced to leave her life behind and move into her mother’s new husband’s mansion. For Noah, this new world isn’t a chance to start over — it’s a prison made of polished floors, luxury cars, and cold silence.

Until she meets Nick Leister.

Nick is everything she shouldn’t want. He’s dangerous, impulsive, and too confident for his own good. He races cars, fights in underground rings, and collects trouble like trophies. He also happens to be her new stepbrother. From the moment they meet, sparks fly — not the romantic kind, but the kind that burns.

Nick doesn’t like being challenged, and Noah doesn’t know how to submit. Their attraction is instant, magnetic, and completely forbidden. But it’s not just physical. It’s emotional. They see through each other — past the arrogance, past the masks. Beneath Nick’s anger is pain. Beneath Noah’s fire is fear.

Their connection starts as a war. Glances that threaten. Words that sting. Accidental touches that linger longer than they should. In a house full of luxury and lies, Nick and Noah become each other’s only truth — and that truth is dangerous.

Their relationship is a slow, sensual explosion. It begins with arguments in the hallway, late-night rides on Nick’s motorcycle, and stolen stares across the dinner table. But soon it grows darker — into moments of intense desire, overwhelming jealousy, and the kind of intimacy that feels too real to be safe.

As their attraction deepens, Noah uncovers the truth about Nick’s world — the illegal street races, the underground fights, and the brutal past he tries to hide. Nick isn't just a bad boy — he's wounded. Abandoned by his real father, constantly at odds with the man his mother married, Nick lives on adrenaline and danger. He hides behind rage and rebellion because love has never been kind to him.

And yet, with Noah, he softens. Just not enough.

Noah, too, is battling ghosts. Her father walked out when she was a child. Her mother’s love is conditional — based on appearances and obedience. She feels like a pawn in someone else’s story. But when Nick touches her — really touches her — she feels seen, alive, and no longer invisible. The more they fall into each other, the more impossible it becomes to hide.

But secrets don’t stay buried for long.

Their relationship becomes physical. First in shadows. Then behind closed doors. Their bodies speak the things they cannot say aloud — desire, fear, possession. Noah is drawn to Nick's darkness, and Nick is terrified of how much he needs her.

But in a world of luxury and lies, love has no place.

Their parents can’t know. The world wouldn’t understand. And Nick is already on the edge — one wrong move and everything could fall apart. Noah tries to pull away. Nick refuses to let go. Their passion becomes a dangerous addiction, one they can’t quit.

Things begin to unravel fast.

Nick’s involvement in underground street races leads to an accident that nearly kills him. Noah finds out he’s in deeper trouble than she ever imagined — debt, enemies, and a violent past catching up fast. Meanwhile, rumors about their closeness start to spread. Their secret is not safe anymore.

Then comes the betrayal.

Nick, under pressure and drowning in guilt, pushes Noah away. Harsh words. Cold silence. The heat between them turns to fire — but this time, the kind that burns everything down. Noah is heartbroken, and Nick is lost in his own chaos.

But the heart wants what it wants.

Despite the risks, they come back to each other. Not because they’re perfect — but because without one another, they’re broken. In a moment of raw honesty, Nick confesses everything: the pain of his childhood, the violence in his veins, the way Noah is the only light in a world that has always been dark.

They come back together

But by the time Nick jolted awake and yanked Noah up from the concrete floor of the train yard, they were real. Louder. Closer. Inevitable.


> "Where do we go?" she asked, grabbing her torn backpack.


> "Doesn't matter. We don't stop running."


They darted between train cars, shadows cutting across steel and rust. Nick's chest heaved, adrenaline surging. He looked back once — and that's when he saw him.


> "Nick!" Noah screamed as the shot rang out.


It missed by inches, smashing into the train's undercarriage.


Nick turned, grabbed a rock, and hurled it with everything he had. It didn't hit Matteo — but it bought them three seconds. Enough to slip between the cars and into the drainage tunnel.


By the time they stopped, they were in a warehouse — half-collapsed, soaked in rain, hearts thundering. Noah fell to her knees.


> "He wants control. Killing me would be too easy."


> "Because I was supposed to be like him. Cruel. Empty. Loyal to my father's world. But I chose different. I chose you."


Noah reached out and cupped his bruised face.


> "We'll keep running if we have to. But not forever, Nick. We need to fight back."


> "Whatever they're afraid of — we use it."


That night, they broke into William's law firm.


Noah copied emails from his personal computer. Names. Bank accounts. Secret transactions.


> "He's laundering money," she whispered. "Through your name."


Nick stared at the screen, fury rising.


> "He's trying to frame me for everything."


> "Not anymore. We take this to the press."


> "We take it to Matteo first," Nick corrected. "If we're going down, he's going with us."


Before they left, Nick stopped in his father's private office.


He opened a drawer and pulled out a velvet box.


> "My mother's," he said quietly. "He kept it. Like a trophy."


> "I don't have much. But I want you to have this."


> "I'm yours, Noah. Whatever comes next — I won't run without you."


> "Then don't," she whispered. "Let's run toward something for once."


Chapter 12 - Broken laws, Unbroken vows