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Tessa Marlowe
Tessa Marlowe
Author

Novels by Tessa Marlowe

Ruined by Desire

Ruined by Desire

Luca Moretti is the kind of man women are warned about. A billionaire playboy with a permanent smirk, a yacht full of secrets, and a reputation built on reckless nights and broken hearts, Luca lives for pleasure—not commitment. The tabloids worship him. The world envies him. And he’s never met a woman he couldn’t charm… until Sienna Vale. Independent, ambitious, and completely unimpressed by his money, Sienna crashes into Luca’s glamorous world by accident—and instantly becomes the one woman he can’t stop thinking about. What begins as shameless flirting and irresistible chemistry quickly spirals into something far more dangerous. Late nights in Monaco. Private jets. Hidden kisses. Headlines. Fights that burn as hot as their passion. For the first time in his life, Luca wants more than one night. But loving a man like Luca comes with a price. Because behind the charm and luxury is a man terrified of being truly known. And the deeper Sienna falls into his world, the harder it becomes to protect her heart from the chaos surrounding him. He was supposed to be a temporary mistake. Instead, he became her greatest temptation. And she might ruin herself loving him.
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Chapter: Ruined By Desire
The Menton morning light had changed over the past year. It still arrived softly, still slipped through the curtains in warm ribbons, still brushed the wooden floors with a golden glow — but now it touched a home that had grown fuller, louder, richer. A home that had learned the rhythm of family.Sienna woke slowly, her body warm beneath the sheets, her mind drifting in that quiet space between sleep and waking. She blinked against the soft light and turned her head.Luca was already awake.He lay on his side, propped up on one elbow, watching the small figure curled between them. Their daughter — now toddling, curious, endlessly expressive — slept with her cheek pressed against Luca’s chest, her tiny hand fisted in the fabric of his shirt. Her dark curls were a wild halo around her face, her breaths
Last Updated: 2026-07-30
Chapter: The Promise of What Comes Next
The late‑afternoon light drifted lazily through the Menton house, warm and golden, settling across the wooden floors like a soft blanket. The sea outside shimmered in the distance, calm and endless, its rhythm a steady heartbeat beneath the quiet of the home. Sienna stood by the open balcony doors, swaying gently with her daughter in her arms, the baby’s tiny fingers curled around the fabric of her shirt.It had been two weeks since they returned from the hospital. Two weeks of sleepless nights and soft mornings. Two weeks of learning the shape of their new life. Two weeks of falling in love with someone so small she fit perfectly in the crook of Sienna’s elbow.Luca appeared behind her, his footsteps soft, his presence warm. He wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder as he looked down at their daughter.
Last Updated: 2026-07-30
Chapter: The Story They Told, The Truth We Lived
The house was finally quiet.It was the kind of quiet that only came in the soft hours of the evening, when the sun had dipped low behind the Menton hills and the sea outside the windows had settled into a gentle, rhythmic hush. Their daughter slept in the bassinet beside the sofa, wrapped in a pale blanket, her tiny breaths steady and warm. The living room glowed with the soft amber light of a single lamp, casting long shadows across the walls.Sienna sat curled into the corner of the sofa, her legs tucked beneath her, her body still aching in ways she hadn’t known were possible. Luca sat beside her, one arm draped along the back of the sofa, the other resting lightly on her thigh, his thumb tracing slow, absent‑minded circles.It had been three days since they brought their daughter home.
Last Updated: 2026-07-30
Chapter: It's A...
The world felt impossibly small in the quiet hours before dawn, the Menton house wrapped in a hush so complete it felt sacred. Sienna lay in the hospital bed, exhausted and trembling, her hair damp against her forehead, her body still humming with the shock of what it had just done. The room was dim, lit only by the soft glow of a lamp and the faint spill of early morning light through the blinds.Luca sat beside her, his hand wrapped around hers, his thumb brushing slow circles over her knuckles. His eyes were red, his hair a mess, his shirt wrinkled from hours of pacing and worrying and refusing to leave her side.But he was smiling a soft, stunned, reverent smile. Sienna followed his gaze to the small bassinet beside the bed where their baby lay. Their daughter.Tiny, perfect, wrapped in a pale blanket, her little chest r
Last Updated: 2026-07-30
Chapter: The FIrst Vacation
The first vacation after moving into the Menton home came sooner than Sienna expected. Luca had insisted they needed a break — “a real one, not the kind where you pretend to relax while secretly reorganising the pantry,” he’d said — and the others had agreed with suspicious enthusiasm. It wasn’t until the group chat exploded with packing lists, chaotic suggestions, and Matteo’s insistence that he needed to bring a snorkel “just in case,” that Sienna realised this wasn’t going to be a quiet getaway.It was going to be all of them.Together.Their first holiday as a chosen family.They drove along the coast in two cars, the sea glittering beside them like a sheet of blue glass. Sienna sat in the passenger seat of Luca’s car, her hand
Last Updated: 2026-07-30
Chapter: The Move In
The morning of the move‑in dawned bright and warm, the kind of Mediterranean morning that made the air shimmer above the stone paths of the Moretti estate. Sienna stood on the balcony of the Monaco penthouse, watching the removal vans pull up below, her hands wrapped around a mug of ginger tea. She didn’t even like ginger tea, but Emilia had insisted it helped with nausea, and Luca had insisted she drink it “just in case.”She wasn’t even nauseous.But she was pregnant, and apparently that meant she wasn’t allowed to do anything anymore.She heard footsteps behind her and didn’t need to turn to know it was Luca. His hands slid around her waist, warm and protective, his chin resting on her shoulder.“Don’t lift anything today,” he murmured.
Last Updated: 2026-07-30
Signed In Silence

Signed In Silence

When rising film star Adrian Vale signs a contract to fake a relationship for publicity, he expects another performance — polished smiles, rehearsed chemistry, and a few months of pretending. What he doesn’t expect is Suzie Ellis, the childhood friend he left behind, now an artist struggling to make rent and rebuild her confidence. Their reunion is awkward, electric, and impossible to ignore. Suzie agrees to the arrangement out of necessity, not nostalgia. Adrian needs her authenticity; Suzie needs the money. Together, they step into a spotlight that blurs truth and illusion until neither can tell where the act ends. Behind the cameras, their old connection flickers back to life — quiet conversations, shared memories, and the kind of honesty Adrian hasn’t felt in years. But when the contract leaks, exposing every clause and every lie, their carefully constructed world collapses. Fame turns cruel. Trust shatters. Silence becomes the only language they share. Months later, Suzie’s art speaks what words never could — a gallery filled with paintings that capture heartbreak, longing, and the truth Adrian was too afraid to face. When he walks into that exhibition, he finds not a scandal, but a story written in colour and silence — and a chance to rewrite everything they lost. Signed in Silence is a slow‑burn romance about fame, forgiveness, and the quiet courage it takes to love someone when the world is watching.
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Chapter: Rules They Never Expected
Suzie had expected to spend the morning pretending to enjoy breakfast while photographers shouted questions from the pavement.Instead, Lila led them into another conference room."The paparazzi opportunity has been pushed back until this afternoon," she explained, placing two thick folders on the table. "Which gives us time for something considerably less exciting."Suzie eyed the folder suspiciously."What is it?""The relationship agreement.""I thought we already agreed.""You agreed to participate." Lila smiled. "This is the legal version."Adrian reached for his copy without hesitation.Suzie opened hers.The first page alone made her head ache.Relationship Representation Agreement.Confidentiality.Public Conduct.Media Obligations.Termination Clauses.She turned another page.Then another."Oh, you've got to be joking."Lila folded her hands calmly."Which part?"Suzie looked up."All of it."Adrian glanced across at her, amusement flickering across his face."You haven't ev
Last Updated: 2026-08-06
Chapter: PR Boot Camp
By nine o'clock the following morning, Suzie was beginning to suspect she'd made the worst decision of her life.The studio occupied the top two floors of a glass-fronted office building overlooking the Thames. Everything inside seemed aggressively expensive.Lila strode through reception without breaking pace."Conference Room Three. Coffee is on the side if anyone wants it. We have a full day ahead."Suzie followed, clutching a notebook she'd brought from home despite having no idea why. It felt like armour.Adrian was already there, sleeves rolled neatly to his forearms. He looked up as she entered."Morning."She managed something between a smile and a grimace."You planning to revise for an exam?" he asked, nodding at the notebook."I'm considering running away."His mouth twitched."Fair."Lila stepped to the front of the room."We have approximately thirty-six hours before this relationship becomes public enough that every interview from now until the film premieres will includ
Last Updated: 2026-08-06
Chapter: The Contract
Suzie barely slept.Every time she closed her eyes, the same thoughts chased each other through her mind. The eviction notice she knew was coming. The hotel commission that had disappeared with a single email. Adrian sitting alone on the bench after she'd walked away.By morning, the knot in her stomach had only tightened.She arrived at the café just before eight, tied on her apron and forced herself to smile."Morning, sunshine," Emma said. "You look like you've had about three minutes' sleep.""It feels like three."Emma slid a mug of tea across the counter."Bad day yesterday?""That's one way of putting it."The breakfast rush left no time for conversation. Coffee orders piled up and the queue barely moved.For a while, work distracted her.Then her phone vibrated.Unknown Number.She ignored it.A minute later it rang again.Emma glanced across."You going to answer that?"Suzie slipped into the storeroom."Hello?""Suzie?"She recognised Adrian's voice immediately."I know you
Last Updated: 2026-08-03
Chapter: Thirty Days
Suzie didn't look back.She kept walking along the riverside path, her footsteps quicker than usual despite the ache settling heavily in her chest. Around her, couples wandered hand in hand, tourists paused to photograph the skyline and cyclists wove between pedestrians, yet everything felt strangely distant.She could still hear Adrian's voice.Would you pretend to be my girlfriend?She had spent years wondering what it might be like to see him again.Never once had she imagined becoming part of a publicity campaign.By the time she reached her studio, the initial shock had given way to disappointment.She wasn't angry that he'd needed help.She understood pressure.She understood desperation.What hurt was believing, if only for a little while, that he'd wanted to find her because he'd missed her too.Instead, she'd become the answer to a problem.She unlocked the studio door and stepped inside.The familiar scent of oil paint and white spirit greeted her immediately. Usually it set
Last Updated: 2026-08-03
Chapter: An Impossible Favour
Adrian barely remembered the drive home after leaving the café.For the first time in weeks, his thoughts had drifted somewhere other than the scandal. They lingered instead on Suzie. On the easy conversation they'd shared. On the way she'd laughed until tears filled her eyes over the story of their disastrous treehouse. For an hour there had been no cameras, no rehearsed answers and no careful calculations. Just two old friends rediscovering each other.His phone vibrated before he reached his apartment."Lila.""Where are you?""On my way home.""Change of plan. The studio wants you here. Now. Not at 10am."Something in her voice made his stomach tighten.Twenty minutes later Adrian sat in the studio boardroom while the producers outlined the situation."The sponsors are still nervous," one of them said. "The film is too expensive to gamble on damaged publicity.""We've released statements," Adrian replied."And they've helped," Lila said, "but not enough."The senior producer leane
Last Updated: 2026-08-03
Chapter: Coffee and Memories
Suzie Ellis stood in front of her canvas for almost ten minutes without lifting her brush.Usually, painting quietened the noise in her head. Colour became thought. Brushstrokes became conversation. On good days she could lose hours without noticing time passing.Today every colour looked wrong.She sighed, dropped the brush into a jar of cloudy water and stepped away from the easel.The studio was silent in the dawn sunlight except for the ticking radiator and the distant rumble of traffic beyond the old warehouse windows. It wasn't perfect. The brickwork was cracked, the floor creaked and the heating only worked when it felt like it.She loved it anyway.It was home.Her phone buzzed on the workbench.A banking notification.Her balance had slipped below the figure she'd promised herself it never would.Rent was due next week.She still hadn't heard back about the hotel commission she'd spent nearly a month preparing.If that fell through...She forced herself to stop thinking about
Last Updated: 2026-08-03
The Things I Can't Do To You

The Things I Can't Do To You

Amelia Carter only wanted a quiet drink after work. Instead, she found herself trapped by a man who refused to take "no" for an answer. Luckily, a devastatingly handsome stranger slides into the empty seat beside her, slips an arm around her shoulders, and casually announces, "There you are, sweetheart. I've been looking everywhere for you." It's the perfect fake-boyfriend rescue. At least... it was supposed to be. Jake Harper only meant to save a woman from an uncomfortable situation. He definitely didn't expect the simple contact of his arm around her shoulders to send every instinct inside him into absolute chaos. Because Amelia isn't just any woman. She's his mate. The one person every werewolf spends a lifetime searching for. The problem? Amelia has absolutely no idea werewolves exist. Determined to let her fall for him before dropping the biggest supernatural bombshell in history, Jake agrees to keep dating her like a perfectly normal human boyfriend. There's just one tiny problem. Normal couples hold hands, cuddle, kiss and eventually end up in bed together. And every innocent touch has Jake's wolf snarling to claim her and make her his forever. Meanwhile, Amelia is becoming increasingly convinced she's somehow landed the world's hottest commitment-phobe. Why does he freeze every time she reaches for his hand? Why does he practically launch himself off the sofa when she tries to snuggle? And why does the man kiss like he's starving... only to sprint out of the room looking utterly traumatised? As Jake battles possessive instincts and a secret that grows harder to hide with every day, Amelia is determined to figure out what on earth is going on with her ridiculously attractive, maddeningly confusing new boyfriend. After all, love is complicated. Falling for a werewolf is a whole different beast.
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Chapter: 32
The late afternoon sun poured through Amelia's living room window, bathing everything in warm amber light. Amelia had been listening to Jake's heartbeat where her head rested against his shoulder. It was steady now, nothing like the frantic rhythm she'd felt after he'd pulled her away from the electric car.She wondered if he knew how reassuring it was. Jake shifted slightly."You've gone quiet.""I was thinking.""I should be worried."She smiled against his shoulder."You've started saying that every time I think.""Experience has taught me it's safest."She laughed softly."I'm not plotting anything.""Good.""I am wondering how many questions we've asked."Jake frowned thoughtfully."I've completely lost track.""I think we're somewhere around eleven.""So we're only halfway through.""The rules are the rules."He sighed dramatically."I should have negotiated before agreeing.""You absolutely should have."She reached for another strawberry from the plate balanced on the coffee t
Last Updated: 2026-08-03
Chapter: 31
Jake stood at the entrance to the strawberry field, basket in one hand, watching Amelia take in the endless rows of bright red fruit stretching across the gentle hillside. The near miss in the village still lingered at the edges of his thoughts but she smiled as though nothing had happened.He smiled because she could."You're staring.""I am.""Should I be worried?""No.""You've got your thoughtful face on.""I have different faces?""You definitely do.""And this one means?""You're thinking about something you don't want to tell me."He huffed a quiet laugh."You're getting good at reading me.""I've had an excellent teacher."She reached for an empty basket and held it up triumphantly."So.""So?""What's the strategy?""For strawberries?""Obviously."Jake looked towards the rows."We walk slowly.""Mm-hmm.""We only pick the ripe ones.""Very sensible.""And we definitely don't eat more than we collect.""That sounds suspiciously aimed at Noah.""It absolutely is."She laughed.
Last Updated: 2026-08-03
Chapter: 30
Jake arrived a few minutes early. He always did.It wasn't because he expected Amelia to mind if he were late. She had already shown him she was endlessly patient. He simply preferred arriving with enough time to settle himself. The picnic blanket was folded in the boot beside a cool bag containing sandwiches, coffee, bottles of water and a small box of chocolate-covered strawberries he'd quietly bought earlier in the week.You labelled the containers."They're organised."They're labelled.Jake smiled despite himself.The entrance door to Amelia's apartment opened and she stepped into the afternoon sunshine wearing a pale blue summer dress with white trainers and a cream cardigan draped over one arm. Her honey-blonde hair rested in loose waves around her shoulders, and the smile she gave him as soon as she spotted his car made every careful plan for the day worthwhile.Mate."I know."She climbed into the passenger seat."Morning.""Morning.""You were early.""I was.""I knew you wo
Last Updated: 2026-07-22
Chapter: 29
Amelia had barely managed to kick off her shoes before her phone started ringing. She smiled as Lucy's name lit up the screen."You're unbelievable," Amelia said, answering as she nudged her front door closed with her foot."I know.""You've been waiting.""I've been timing you since you messaged to say he's met you after work."Amelia laughed, dropping her handbag onto the kitchen counter."That's not even slightly normal.""I estimated how long it'd take you to get home, spend five awkward minutes smiling at your front door and then realise you hadn't told me everything.""I did not smile at my front door.""You absolutely did.""I smiled at the lift.""See? Progress."Amelia shook her head, still laughing as she wandered into the kitchen and filled the kettle."You're ridiculous.""And yet, here you are answering my call.""I knew you wouldn't leave me alone.""Correct. Right, tell me everything.""We went for a drink.""I know that bit.""He surprised me outside work.""Aww.""It
Last Updated: 2026-07-22
Chapter: 28
The air outside the pub felt cooler than either of them expected. Amelia paused on the pavement, drawing in a slow breath."I think I needed that.""The drink?""The company."Jake smiled."I was hoping you'd say that."She slipped her hands into the pockets of her coat and looked up at the evening sky. The last of the daylight had disappeared, leaving the city washed in amber streetlights and the glow of shop windows."So," she said. "Am I walking you home or are you walking me home?""I was planning on walking you.""I thought you might.""You don't mind?"She looked at him as though the answer should have been obvious."I'd like that."They set off at an unhurried pace, neither of them in any rush for the evenin
Last Updated: 2026-07-21
Chapter: 27
By the time their second drinks arrived, the pub had filled with the familiar rhythm of a Thursday evening. Conversation drifted between the old wooden beams, glasses clinked together behind the bar and someone near the fireplace was attempting to explain the rules of darts to a friend with very little success.Jake barely noticed any of it. His attention kept returning to Amelia. She had a habit of talking with her hands when she became animated, punctuating every story with tiny gestures that somehow made ordinary events sound far funnier than they had any right to be."...and then," she said, laughing at the memory, "he replied to his own email."Jake frowned."How do you reply to your own email?""I genuinely don't know.""And nobody stopped him?""We tried.""And?""He thanked us for our feed
Last Updated: 2026-07-21
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