Playing With Fire

Book One in the Fire and Flames Universe
By RHM

Genre: Dark Romance / New Adult
Themes: Obsession, abandonment, addiction, identity, survival, redemption
Tone: Raw, emotional, volatile, addictive

Love was never meant to survive the flames... but some fires refuse to die.

Rosalie "Rose" Bennett has always believed in quiet dreams-university, a stable future, and a life far removed from chaos. But everything changes the moment she meets Kael "Flames" Mercer.

Dark. Addictive. Dangerous.

Kael isn't just a man-he's a wildfire. A key player in the ruthless Ashes gang, he lives a life built on loyalty, violence, and secrets that could destroy everything Rose stands for. He knows she's off-limits. He knows she deserves better.

But staying away from her? Impossible.

What begins as stolen glances and late-night conversations quickly ignites into something deeper-something consuming. A love that burns too hot, too fast, and far too dangerously.

Because in Kael's world, love isn't a weakness... it's a liability.

And when that world comes crashing down, Rose is caught in the crossfire.

Kidnapped. Betrayed. Broken.

Kael is forced to make an impossible choice: the family he's bound to by blood... or the girl who owns his soul.

But some choices come too late.

Shot and fighting for her life, Rose is left with secrets she never got to share-including the one that changes everything: she's carrying Kael's child.

Believing he's lost her, Kael walks away from the only thing that ever mattered, determined to become a man worthy of the life he almost destroyed. As he battles addiction, guilt, and the ghosts of his past, he begins to rebuild-one day, one choice at a time.

Meanwhile, Rose starts over in New York City, determined to protect her future and the life growing inside her. With the support of her mother, she builds something new from the ashes-pursuing her dreams, raising her daughter, and writing the story of a love that refused to be forgotten.

Years pass. Lives change. Hearts heal.

But fate isn't finished with them yet.

When their worlds collide once more, Kael must prove he's no longer the man who let her go-and Rose must decide if she's strong enough to trust the boy who broke her heart... and the man who came back for it.

Because some loves are written in scars.
Some promises are forged in fire.
And some flames... never truly burn out.

• Bad boy x good girl
• Forbidden romance
• Found family & chosen redemption
• Secret pregnancy
• Second chance love
• Emotional, high-stakes drama
• He falls first, but she falls harder
• Touch her and you die energy

Playing With Fire is a heart-wrenching, slow-burn romance filled with danger, passion, and unforgettable characters-perfect for readers who crave emotional intensity, morally grey heroes, and love stories that fight their way back from the edge.