My past is a locked door. Sealed shut. Guarded by the lies I tell to survive. A mask. A façade. A carefully crafted illusion. But no disguise is perfect. No wall is unbreakable. And he-relentless, unyielding- shatters through every barrier I built. He gets too close. Sees too much. Draws me in with a fire I can't control. Our connection is raw, reckless- a beautiful kind of destruction. But love is dangerous. Secrets are deadly. And there's one truth I swore he'd never know. One part of me I refuse to expose. Because he's just as fractured as I am. And together, we might be the only thing standing in our way.
AURORA'S POV
"It's not you, it's me," Reed says, looking at me across the table in this way over the top, and entirely too expensive, FloriBella restaurant.
"I just need space."
I blink a few times as my brow furrows trying to take in all that he is saying.
"I really don't want to hurt you, Aurora."
Hurt me? I've only been seeing the man three weeks. What! Does he think that I've actually fallen in love with him in that small amount of time?
Ridiculous! Then it hits me.
"But it's Christmas," I blurt out.
He doesn't miss a beat, and it's obvious he totally doesn't understand and thinks my sudden outburst has way more meaning behind it than it really does.
"We can stay friends," he suggests, lifting his glass of red wine to his lips. I notice as his eyes wander as I look over and notice him taking in a busty female from a few tables over that actually has the audacity to wink at him and flirt in front of me.
Rolling my eyes, I turn back to the man in front of me and try and focus on what is happening.
A breakup, a little under two weeks before one of the biggest holidays of the year, and only 24 hours shy of when me and Mr. Arrogant across the table were supposed to be leaving for his parent's house in Toronto.
Reed's eyes find mine again and he says, "Staying friends could have its benefits."
His foot rises under the table and he suggestively rubs it against my calf.
I snort, hell I can't help myself. Yeah right, benefits? I didn't know he was such an asshole.
Reed's eyes wander once again and find the woman's stare from across the room and I have to hold myself back from lunging across the table and punching the bastard in the face like I want to.
"Benefits for who, Reed? Because you always were a shitty lay," I force out through gritted teeth. "Don't think I'll be coming back for seconds on that one. Thanks, but no thanks."
His eyes snap to mine before he sits up a little straighter. "Watch it! Lord knows you don't have enough to pay for this dinner tonight. I should drop your poor ass with the check, and we'll see just who will be calling who later, Sweetheart."
He sets his wine glass back down on the table and starts to cut through his steak as the fire inside me explodes and I find it almost impossible to hold back on my earlier thoughts of punching his lights out.
Maybe gouging out his dark brown irises would be best. Would definitely help to save some other innocent female from his nasty habit of wandering eyes.
I take a deep breath and decide it's now or never, telling him off that is, not the eyes gouging bit - and hell if I've never been the girl to wait for anybody to give me a signal twice.
Standing, I adjust my dress and grab my clutch and jacket from the booth. "You're right, Reed. Maybe I will call you later."
His eyes smile as the smug bastard actually thinks that he has won.
"But you know," I say, leaning forward so we are eye to eye as I stand next to our table. "My poor ass prefers the company of a man who actually knows how to please a woman. Not a little boy who lives off Mommy and Daddy's trust fund."
I purposely hit his wine glass, causing the red liquid to spill all over the white table cloth and his white dress shirt.
As I turn to leave, the long line of obscenities thrown at my back makes me crack a smile and giggle.
I notice the girl from a few tables over rise and make her way towards him just as I pass a few waiters rushing past me to his rescue.
He is all yours, Honey! Enjoy! Not that any woman ever would!
I roll my eyes to myself knowing the poor truth the girl is about to stumble on, and then smile thinking it's perfect karma already kicking them both in the head.
After all, justice always feels too damn sweet. Serves the guy right. I should have known better than to let my boss set me up with one of his old college buddies.
My boss at the makeshift job the bureau set me up with, that is, while I've been stationed in New York on assignment.
Stepping outside, I wrap my warm coat around my shoulders as the chill in the air startles me. Opening my clutch, I pull my phone from inside as I make my way to the curb to hail a cab.
Working for the FBI has its benefits. Bouncing all over the place and moving around from town to town is not one of them.
Luckily, with no family to call my own, the toll is less on me than some that are in my line of work. Although, I can't deny that this time of year my reality really sucks and I'd do anything to not spend another holiday season alone. But Lord, that would take one hell of a miracle.
Figures! It's Christmas and this "lonely poor girl" has nowhere to go.
The lonely being true. Poor, not so much since the bureau makes sure I am paid more than my fair share, especially since I am not on the, shall we say "normal," payroll.
Since growing up bouncing in and out of foster care the last year before my 18th birthday, I always wanted a nice family Christmas and thought this year I might actually get the chance to have one. No such luck I guess.
But if I am being honest with myself, I wasn't really into the guy anyway, and it was probable the one excuse that kept me hanging around as long as I did.
His crappy frat boy attitude and lazy bedside manner the tip of the ice berg, and I am sure that we would have broken things off once the holidays were over anyway. Actually, he saved us both time and effort neither of us really wanted to put in the more I think about it.
He was my first love. And my first heartbreak. Now, he's back-with a ring, a contract, and a proposition I never saw coming. Darius Ferguson is a name that turns heads. Billionaire. Power player. The kind of man who can make or break anyone with a single deal. The world sees him as untouchable, unstoppable. But to me? He's the boy who disappeared without a goodbye. The one who left me picking up the pieces of a heart he had no right to break. Now, years later, he's standing in front of me with an offer too tempting-and too dangerous-to ignore. Marry him. Be his perfect wife in public. Play the role until the ink dries on his biggest business deal yet. In return, he'll make all my problems disappear. One year. No emotions. No messy entanglements. Just a means to an end. It should be easy. Except nothing about Liam has ever been easy. He still knows exactly how to make my pulse race. Still watches me like I belong to him. And when he touches me, I forget every reason I swore I'd never let him back in. But this isn't real. It can't be. Because I refuse to make the same mistake twice. Even if pretending to be his wife starts to feel a little too real.
Everything has with a price. Including her. I'm Damien Anderson. I run this city. Control is everything to me. In business, in pleasure-I never give up the upper hand. So when a stubborn little thing dares to defy me, it gets under my skin. Makes me want to break her, own her, make her beg for everything I know she needs. That fire in her green eyes? I want to watch it flicker and fade into sweet submission. I give her an offer she can't refuse-thirty days in my bed, and her money problems disappear. No strings. No emotions. Just my wealth in exchange for her innocence. But Lily isn't just another deal. She's an obsession. A weakness I never saw coming. And now? I don't care about the contract. She's mine. And I'm never letting her go.
One glance. One touch. One note of her mesmerizing voice, and I'm undone. Like a dream I never want to escape, she draws me in, wrapping me in her presence. Consumed. Overcome with need. Fueled by an unshakable desire to claim her as mine. One night, I take more than she's ever given, and it only leaves me craving more. Needing more. Desperate for more. She's the one I've waited for my entire life. And I'll be damned if I let anyone-our families included-stand between us. She trusts me. Yearns for me, just as I ache to possess her. Forever. But fate throws a twist we never saw coming. A curveball no one could have predicted. Still, I cling to her light. She's my Angel. Something about her-about us-makes me believe I've found heaven on earth. She's now my world and I'm never letting her go. Not now. Not ever.
Adeline I was already regretting this blind date when my ex walked into the restaurant-hand in hand with his new girlfriend. The urge to disappear hit me hard, so I did what any self-respecting woman would do . I ran to the ladies' room, unfortunately for me , it was a men's room... and so I had no choice but to climb out the window. Except I didn't exactly stick the landing. Instead, I tripped, tumbled into the dumpster, and almost got shot by a criminal who was on the run from a hot cop. --- Kenneth I was staking out a notorious drug dealer, waiting for the perfect moment to move in. Everything was going smoothly-when a woman fell-yes, fell-from the restroom window and almost got shot by the suspect. The suspect bolted. My cover was blown. And the woman? She looked up at me with the most stunning eyes I'd ever seen... and then tried to run. I caught her before she could get away. Annoyed as hell, I slapped cuffs on her. She was livid. I was livid. But the only thing worse than losing my target? The fact that I couldn't stop staring at her. And I had a feeling that wasn't going to change anytime soon.
He's not just a criminal-he's a king in the underworld. A ruthless leader who commands two of LA's most dangerous gangs. And now, I belong to him. Kidnapped. Trapped in a gilded cage with no escape. I should be terrified, desperate to run. But his touch is intoxicating, his presence irresistible. He says he took me for a reason. That my father wants him dead. Can I trust the man who stole me? Or is he playing a game far deadlier than I realize? The truth will shatter everything. And when it does, I'll have to make an impossible choice: Betray the family I've always known... Or surrender to the man who owns my soul.
"Hello , Nicholas" Eight years ago, Nicholas Chesterfield had made a wrong decision of choosing his father's attention and acceptance over Amelia and her father. He lost Amelia in the process and he regretted it ever since. Now as the CEO and partner in NW International, he needs to finalize a property deal but there is one major obstacle: Amelia is contract negotiator for the owner and she doesn't trust him. Amelia had sworn never to have anything to do with Nicholas Chesterfield again after her and her father lost everything years ago when Nicholas' father lied about his intentions for buying her family's resort. But now she's facing him across the negotiating table and sparks that had previously been stumped out re ingnite between them. Will Amelia be able to resist Nicholas' charm this time around or fall for him once again like she did years ago? Will they be able to put their past behind and act professionally? Could this deal be a second chance at love for both of them?
6 years ago, Lydia suffered a brutal betrayal orchestrated by her own husband and step-sister, who drugged her and framed her. In a twist of fate, she ended up having a one-night stand with a stranger. Don't even remember what he looked like. Later, in the throes of death, she discovered the truth about her mother's death all those years ago. In the blink of an eye, she lost everything. 6 years later, Lydia returned with her genius son, vowing to exact revenge on all her enemies! Little did she know, she encountered an incredibly familiar man at the airport! *** The man was briskly pushing open the door to the restroom, heading to the urinal. Even with such a mundane action, he did it with unparalleled elegance and grace. Lydia, following him in a daze, saw his fierce lower body and suddenly snapped back to reality. She let out a high-pitched scream, instinctively covering her eyes with her hands, her cheeks flushed, and stood there stiffly, unsure of what to do. Lambert furrowed his brows slightly but remained calm as he continued to relieve himself. The sound of water hitting the urinal made Lydia's face even redder. She angrily shouted, "You pervert!" Little did Lydia know that Lambert, seeing her in this state, had a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Memories from many years ago flashed through his mind, and his heart couldn't help but stir. It was her!
Rejected by her mate, who had been her long-time crush, Jasmine felt utterly humiliated. Seeking solace, she headed to a party to drown her sorrows. But things took a turn for the worse when her friends issued a cruel dare: kiss a stranger or beg her mate for forgiveness. With no other choice, Jasmine approached a stranger and kissed him, thinking that would be the end of it. However, the stranger unexpectedly wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear, "You're mine!" He growled, his words sending shivers down her spine. And then, he offered her a solution that would change everything...
After three secretive years of marriage, Eliana never met her enigmatic husband until she was served with divorce papers and learned of his extravagant pursuit of another. She snapped back to reality and secured a divorce. Thereafter, Eliana unveiled her various personas: an esteemed doctor, legendary secret agent, master hacker, celebrated designer, adept race car driver, and distinguished scientist. As her diverse talents became known, her ex-husband was consumed by remorse. Desperately, he pleaded, "Eliana, give me another chance! All my properties, even my life, are yours."
Five years ago, Alessia La Rosa's life took a drastic turn when, suffering from memory loss, she wed to Dominic Carter under her grandfather's mysterious arrangement. But their marriage was a facade, bringing her only humiliation and heartache as Dominic showed no love, and she couldn't conceive. Upon discovering Dominic's infidelity, Alessia sought liberation through divorce. Yet, fate had more in store for her. Five years later, spurred by an anonymous email hinting at her lost child's whereabouts, she returns to the city with her twin babies in tow, determined to uncover the truth. As she navigates the tangled web of her past, a surprising twist awaits. Dominic, upon meeting her again, finds himself drawn to the woman she has become, unaware of her true identity as his former wife. Little does he know, the woman he's falling for is not only his ex-wife but also a powerful Doctor and Master Hacker.
Kaelyn devoted three years tending to her husband after a terrible accident. But once he was fully recovered, he cast her aside and brought his first love back from abroad. Devastated, Kaelyn decided on a divorce as people mocked her for being discarded. She went on to reinvent herself, becoming a highly sought-after doctor, a champion racer, and an internationally renowned architectural designer. Even then, the traitors sneered in disdain, believing Kaelyn would never find someone. But then the ex-husband’s uncle, a powerful warlord, returned with his army to ask for Kaelyn’s hand in marriage.
"I'm going to tell you what I have in mind," he murmured. "First you're going to strip down until you're completely naked," he whispered against her ear. "Then I'm going to tie you up so you're completely powerless and subject to my every whim." "Mmm, sounds good so far," she murmured. "Then I'm going to insert a plug to prepare you for me. After that I'm going to spank that sweet ass of yours until it's rosy with my marks." She shivered uncontrollably, her mind exploding with the images he evoked. She let out a small whimper as he sucked the lobe of her ear into his mouth. God, she could cum with just his words. She was already aching with need. Her nipples tingled and hardened to painful points. Her clit pulsed and twitched between her legs until she clamped her thighs together to alleviate the burn. "And then I'm going to f**k your mouth. But I won't cum. Not yet. When I'm close, I'll flog you again until your ass is burning and you're on fire with the need for relief. And then I'm going to f**k that ass. I'm going to take you hard and rough, to the very limits of what you can withstand. I won't be gentle. Not tonight. I'm going to take you as roughly as you can stand. And then I'm going to cum all over your ass. Are you ready to be completely and utterly dominated?"