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.
ADELINE'S POV
My date lifts the butter knife a few inches off the table and takes yet another look at his reflection on its shiny surface.
He nods slightly to himself, satisfied that he is as gorgeous now as he was when he last looked-five minutes ago.
I knew this date was headed downhill once we sat down and he ordered for me.
Mushroom and Garlic pasta.
I hate mushrooms especially when they are cooked with garlic. I decided not to make a big deal and just order something else.
I signal to the waitress for another menu while my date looks at his smile on the surface of the knife, yet again.
Oh please, please let there be Arsenic on this dinner menu. I scour the menu-but unfortunately, there is no Arsenic pill that I can quietly swallow and end my life with, thereby escaping this horror show of a first date.
"How's your pasta? It's a specialty here. They only make it for select clientele such as myself," my date says.
"I don't like mushrooms. I tried to tell you that, but-"
"It's not like the others you've had. Here, try it," he says, reaching for my fork.
I pull my head back, but he follows me. I reluctantly open my mouth and let him feed me. It tastes awful.
I wait for him to look at his refection in the knife again and then I spit the mushy pasta into my napkin. As you can tell by now, I'm very classy.
"Jimmy, my sister tells me that you do a lot of charity work. What are some of the programs you work with?" I ask, determined to find something in common with him.
"Oh, no. I don't do charity. I mean really, people need to stop begging, go out and get a job already, am I right?" he says with a boisterous laugh.
"Mel told me she met you at the benefit to aid Haiti."
"Yeah, one of clients gave me a ticket, so I had to make an appearance. But other than that-it's not my thing."
"Charity isn't your thing?"
"No, but you know what is my thing?"
Crawling into children's rooms at night to swallow them whole?
"What is your thing?" I ask out loud.
"You," he says with a cocky smirk.
It's all I can do not to roll my eyes. Jimmy is a real estate mogul. One that my sister said was my type. But the truth is she probably saw his black card and thought, well, it was worth a shot.
But the fault lies with me. I knew better than to let my sister, Mel, set me up. This is not only my first date since Robbie , it will most likely be my last.
"Adeline, stop moping around the house. Robbie and you are over. Get out into the world," Mel said. She was right.
In the past few months since Robbie and I broke up, I happily gave my life over to Ken & Jerry ice cream and Netflix.
So I pushed myself. And in order to make sure I left my house, I made my sister change my Netflix password and swear she wouldn't give it to me until I started dating again.
I turned back in to Jimmy , hoping this date can still be salvaged. He's in the middle of sharing his latest venture-selling a twenty-million-dollar home to the latest Hollywood starlet.
"Her people were so happy with my work, they invited me to her movie premier next weekend. Now, I can't promise you will be my plus one-I mean, I do have two other dates lined up next week-but don't fret, sweetheart, so far, you're in the lead."
Seriously, someone shoot me.
Now.
In all fairness, I'm not sure I make the best person on a date. For one thing, I tend to live in my head-a lot. In addition, I'm also kind of a nerd.
I suddenly feel my purse vibrating. I don't need to look at it to know who's texting me. My sister has a superpower-she can always tell when my date is about to go up in smoke. That's usually when she texts me.
Mel: "Stop daydreaming and flirt with Jimmy"
"This guy sucks. This date sucks. Give me my password"
"Only after you have gone on at least a dozen dates," she writes.
"Give it to me now or I will never babysit for you again. You will spend the rest of your life at home-no hotel sex for you and Alex."
"Damn you!"
"Password. Now."
"Fine. My-Sis-is-the-best."
"Nice try," I text.
"Okay, okay. It's Millie's favorite snack," she admits.
I pull up the Netflix app on my cell, key in my niece's info, and suddenly, I'm in.
Yes! I stand up from the table and prepare to give him my standard sorry-this-won't-work-for-me speech, but he's not even facing me.
He's looking over at the waitress and flashing her his best "soap opera smile." She blushes shyly, looks down at the floor and then back up at him. She's giving him her "come do me" look.
Is this guy for real? Screw this. I'm out! I take my purse, place it on my shoulder, and march towards the door. I'm about to exit when a couple enters the restaurant, holding hands and smiling. It's Robbie and his new girlfriend!
Shit shit shit shit shit!
I can't let him see me. I'm not ready. This isn't the right outfit. These shoes don't send the right message. And I can only imagine what state my hair is in.
Okay, Adeline Berry. Keep it together. You are not here alone. You are on a date-a horrible one, but Robbie doesn't need to know that. Just go back to the table and look like you are having the time of your life.
I turn back towards the table only to watch what was once Jimmy's mild flirtation with the waitress progress into the actual exchanging of numbers.
Damn you Jimmy!
Robbie and his new super-hot model girlfriend are coming over. She's tall and has a long shiny "TV commercial" hair and lips that belong on makeup ads all over the world.
Bitch.
Here they come...No! I have to get out of here. Too late. He's coming my way.
A group of diners enter the foyer; I quickly duck behind them. I look around, and the only escape is the men's room.
"Hey, I think that girl over there is-Adeline!" Robbie says as he tries to get a good look at me from behind the crowd.
He comes closer, and I run to the men's room. He follows me in.
Seriously?!
I don't stop to think or reason in any way. I just open the window and hurl myself down to the dumpster below.
I land in the large metal bin filled with trash headfirst. My arm scrapes against a large glass fragment, causing a painful and bloody gash. I howl in pain as I place my hand over my wound.I frantically search for my purse, but it's nowhere to be found. I drag myself over to the side of the bin and climb out.
A few feet away, two dark figures are carrying on a conversation.
The alley is too dark to see them fully but I'm hoping they will see me as I wave my hand and call out, "Hey! Excuse me! Gentlemen, can I use your phone? I need to call a-"
"Get down!" someone shouts behind me. I turn just in time to see a large figure crash into me and send me flying to the concrete floor.
Shots are fired overhead, and the figure orders me to stay down.
Everything happens so fast, it's hard to know which came first-the sound of bullets, the shouting, or the sirens.
I shut my eyes and bury my face in my hands as if that could somehow stop the bullets from making contact with me.
"Vader is heading down Fifth Ave., cut him off!" he orders in a deep commanding voice on what sounds like a walkie-talkie.
"On it!" someone replies from the other end.
"What the hell is your problem, lady?" the man demands of me.
I open my eyes to curse him out like any true New Yorker would. I mean, yeah, he may have just saved my life but who the hell is he to talk to me like that?
But when I take my hand from my face, I find the most piercing ocean blue eyes looking back at me. His rich dirty dark hair and perfectly sculpted features cause my head to spin.
I look past his flawless face and down to his broad shoulders and burly yet agile body. There's a current of desire surging throughout my body that's so strong I have to close my eyes and remind myself to breathe.
Seriously, this guy has the kind of hotness that makes good girls lose their shit!
Luckily, I'm done with men. And yet, I hear a gasp escape my lips as I take him in.
Okay , okay , stay calm girl...
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.
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.
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?
Dear readers, this book has resumed daily updates. It took Sabrina three whole years to realize that her husband, Tyrone didn't have a heart. He was the coldest and most indifferent man she had ever met. He never smiled at her, let alone treated her like his wife. To make matters worse, the return of the woman he had eyes for brought Sabrina nothing but divorce papers. Sabrina's heart broke. Hoping that there was still a chance for them to work on their marriage, she asked, "Quick question,Tyrone. Would you still divorce me if I told you that I was pregnant?" "Absolutely!" he responded. Realizing that she didn't mean shit to him, Sabrina decided to let go. She signed the divorce agreement while lying on her sickbed with a broken heart. Surprisingly, that wasn't the end for the couple. It was as if scales fell off Tyrone's eyes after she signed the divorce agreement. The once so heartless man groveled at her bedside and pleaded, "Sabrina, I made a big mistake. Please don't divorce me. I promise to change." Sabrina smiled weakly, not knowing what to do...
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
She thought she was the love of his life, and he became the love of her life that fateful day she had seen him at the pack's party. Selene Grace was only a replica of Alpha Leo's real mate, and when he spotted her, Leo immediately claimed her as his Luna in order to suppress the rumors of him being mateless. Being unable to conceive turns Selene's marriage into a nightmare, and as if that wasn't enough, Alpha Leo finally reunites with his long time lover and mate, rejecting a pregnant Selene as a result. 5 years later, Selene, a now successful doctor, receives an invitation to the moon shadow pack in order to rid the pack of a deadly disease which has struck it. Will Selene return back to the pack which had caused her so much pain, and what would she do when she realizes that she is mated to the Alpha who had betrayed her in the past?
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"
Kara Martin was known as Miss Perfect. She was a beauty with good personality and successful career. Unfortunately, her life changed at one night. She was accused of adultery, losing her job, and abandoned by her fiance. The arrogant man who slept with her did not want to take responsibility. He even threatened to kill her if they met again. What's worse, Kara was pregnant with twins and she chose to give birth to them. Four and a half years later, Kara returned to work at a large company. As the secretary, she would frequently face their notorious CEO. Kara thought it wouldn't be a problem, but as it turned out ... the CEO was the father of the twins!
"I want a divorce!" Ryan demanded, despite the fact that he had cheated on her with his ex. ~ Serena is no longer the quiet, romantic lady Ryan Winters married and divorced five years ago. Now the CEO of Rocky's Designs, she is bright, unwavering, and unapologetic about her independence-a far cry from the woman Ryan remembers. When fate brings them back into one another's lives, Ryan is forced to confront the truth about their past, their newfound hot chemistry, and a surprising revelation; Serena has a daughter who may be his. But Ryan's girlfriend, Kate, isn't prepared to lose him again. She will do whatever it takes to keep Ryan in her grasp-even if it means destroying Serena's life and the corporate empire she has built. What happens when Serena's now peaceful life is being disrupted? Will Serena lose once again or will she seize this billionaire's heart?