Novels by Best Hope

Amelia awoke to something pressing down on her chest and feeling suffocated, she blinked her eyes open, only to find that a tanned, muscular arm completely blocked her vision.She raised her head slightly and Ryder was fast asleep, his head buried in her hair and memories of the previous night came rushing back and she blushed.Under the blanket, they were tangled in a naked embrace, his long and sturdy legs intertwined with hers. He hugged her tight, like he might a favorite pillow.Amelia had never known such an affectionate embrace not even her own mother had held her with such warmth.As her eyes roamed uneasily around the room, it occurred to her that she should find something to wear before he woke up because if he found her like this, he might…Burying her face in her hands, she recalled how she had writhed in his arms. How could she face him again?She would rather throw herself out the window because a proper lady would never have acted the way she had.Her nursemaid had made

Amelia looked up at him with wet eyes, overwhelmed by the closeness they shared.Their bodies were pressed together like two lumps of clay, and with every rhythmic movement, it felt as ig they were being kneaded and reshaped into something entirely new.She could barely tell where she ended and he began. How was it possible to feel another person so intimately? Every ragged breath, every quickened heartbeat, and every bit of warmth between them seemed to draw them closer.Their bodies moved together in a rhythm that felt almost natural, as if they had somehow become one. The sensation was overwhelming, leaving her breathless and unable to think clearly. “It feels so good…” he moaned, his voice thick with emotion as he drew her even closer into his arms.His heated skin glistened with sweat, and tiny droplets slipped down his chest, falling onto her breasts.He held her tightly against him, unwilling to allow even the smallest distance between them.Amelia looked up at his hardened fac

Amelia was suddenly overcome by fear, though she could hardly understand what frightened her so much.A deep flush had spread across her cheeks and down to her chest, leaving her skin burning with embarrassment.The unfamiliar sounds escaping her lips only made matters worse. She had never heard herself sound this way before, and the realization left her painfully shy.Her limbs seemed to lose all their strength, growing weak beneath the overwhelming sensations.Unable to bear the thought of Ryder hearing her helpless moans, she buried her burning face against his shoulder, hoping to muffle them but no matter how desperately she tried to compose herself, Ryder's unwavering attention to that most intimate part of her only intensified the unfamiliar warmth spreading through her body, until it became almost unbearable.“S-Stop…Ah!” Amelia whimpered and panted as her insides threatened to dissolve. “It’s all right....just let yourself feel.” He ignored her pleas and continued with his tor

Amelia nearly rolled her eyes. Patient? He had been shouting all this time!If this was patient, then Ryder placed his hands on the small of her back, and her thoughts came to a screeching halt.She froze as his hands inched downward, making their way beneath the blanket that covered her. “W-Wait…!” Amelia kicked her legs in alarm. She was wearing nothing but a thin tunic.Unperturbed, Ryder slid a hand under her buttocks and lifted her slightly.He pulled the blanket out from under her and tossed it to the floor.Amelia frantically pulled the tunic over her legs, but Ryder simply rolled up the tunic’s lower half and reached underneath to cup her high-perched breasts.She let out an unceremonious cry as the roughness of his warm hands brushed across her tender skin, sending strange and intense sensations coursing through her body. “W-W-Wait…”Ryder, who had been burying his nose in the nape of her neck, raised his head. He wore a disgruntled look. “Is that your favorite word? Or have

Amelia had been treading cautiously, but she could no longer suppress her curiosity. “W-Why are you t-taking me w-with you?”“What?” Ryder stopped in his tracks. He had been walking toward the door with the tray in his hands, but he now turned to examine her. “What do you mean?”“I kn-know you d-didn’t marry me b-because you wanted t-to…so I d-don’t know why you’re t-taking me w-with you…”His face hardened. She held her breath, unsure if it had been her stutter or the question that displeased him.She continued, her words stumbling over her trepidation. “W-We’re…W-What I mean to s-say is…We d-don’t kn-know each other w-well enough to be…to be m-man and w-wife…A m-man like you d-doesn’t have to t-take me…You c-could have any w-woman…”“Shut your mouth!” Ryder stomped back to her bed and slammed the tray down, his eyes smoldering with anger. “If you don’t want to come with me, just say so!”“N-No, th-that’s not w-what I....!”“Don’t try to fool me! My castle may not be as large as Whit

Amelia bit her lip, her heart heavy with anxiety. Ryder thought of her as his wife now, but he could change his mind at any moment, it was only a matter of time even now, it was clear that he disliked her, and he was bound to treat her with cruelty once he realized how useless she was.As a distinguished knight whose name was known throughout the continent, Ryder would find himself invited to countless festivities and banquets.Amelia knew better than anyone that she was not a wife he could proudly bring along. She was not worth showing off and before long, Ryder would realize that, too, and start abusing her.Would she be better off returning to Whitmore Castle sooner rather than later? If she begged, would her father show her mercy?Amelia pictured Ryder standing with a sword in his hand. It had taken him only a single swing to halve a monster three times his size.A whipping at his hands would cause her unthinkable harm but so far, he hasn’t struck me even once.She creased her brow

Isabella POVAdrian returned to work, and the four of us walked back to my gallery to say our goodbyes.Victoria had to get back to her shop, while Varos and Mirabel were expected at my parents' house for dinner. I wished we could spend a little more time together, but I was grateful they had come in the first place. “Thanks for coming down to see me,” I said, looking between them. It meant more than I could properly express, knowing that even during the darkest period of my life, I was never truly alone.My family had always been there for me, especially my brother. No matter how difficult things became or how undeserving I sometimes felt of his kindness, Varos never turned his back on me. I looked up to him in ways he would probably never understand. He had always been someone I could depend on, and I wasn't sure I told him that often enough. “Of course.” He pulled me into a one-armed hug, giving me a reassuring squeeze before releasing me. “It's nice to see that you're doing better

Isabella POVAdrian and Varos both turned to me at the same time. Varos glared at me, and Adrian seemed genuinely bewildered. “You’re just going to invite him to eat with us when you know nothing about him?”I asked in shock. “You don’t know anything about this guy. He could be a rapist or something.”Adrian lowered his hand, and instead of being offended, he smiled. “Uh…I’m not a rapist. Just so everyone knows…”Varos continued to glare at me. “Knock it off, Isabella. I’d like to meet your friend.”“You’ve never cared about any of my other friends before,” I snapped.“You never made an effort to....”“Isabella, be quiet.” Varos threatened me with his hostile gaze. “You’re overreacting.”The only reason why my brother was being so polite was because he wanted me to forget about Dante but if Adrian were just some random guy, he would have growled at him like a watchdog. Adrian picked up on the tension. “I’m going to grab a coffee. I’ll be right back.”He headed to the counter so we cou

Isabella POVA week passed, and I didn’t see Adrian. He seemed to give me the space I needed. I was in the gallery when my family surprised me. Varos and his wife stopped by, along with Victoria. “Wow, it looks so nice in here,”Mirabel said. “You’ve got paintings on every wall, and they’re all new.”“I make a few paintings every week to keep the walls stocked,” I said.“I’ve actually been selling paintings pretty consistently and I started an email list, so old clients come back and buy new paintings. I just ship them out.”“That’s awesome,” Varos said.“It sounds like your gallery is a success.”“Yeah, it is.” Thanks to one special person who made all of this possible. My father could have done the same for me, but I never would have accepted it. He’d done so much for me already. “How was the honeymoon?”“Beautiful,” Mirabel said with excitement. “I loved it there. We were right by the harbor with all the ships…and the food…I could go on and on about the food.”“Pregnancy will do th

Isabella POVI could do this forever too, and that’s what scared me. I liked everything about Adrian, from his personality to his confidence. I liked the way he carried himself, the way he created art. I liked the connection we had, as if we’d known each other before we even met but those feelings alarmed me and made me feel so much guilt that I despised myself. It’s been months since Dante left and he’d been with other women by now, but that didn’t change the way I felt.I stepped back, putting an end to the tenderness before I could enjoy it a second longer. “I should get going…”I turned my back on him before he even had the opportunity to say anything. His footsteps sounded as he followed me to the stairs. “Isabella.”I stepped on the first stair and gripped the rail. He spoke again, a little more authoritatively. “Isabella.”He didn’t reach out and grab me, but his voice was enough and I turned around, eye level with him. “How long has it been?”He moved his hands into his pocket

Isabella POVGetting coffee with Adrian was much better than I expected. The conversation unfolded naturally, and by the end, it seemed like I was getting coffee with an old friend.He was interesting, polite, and easy on the eyes. He never made it seem like a date. When we’d first walked into the coffee shop, he didn’t even try to pay for my drink and it was nice.I enjoyed his company because we had so much in common, and it was nice to talk to someone who had no tie to my past but with Adrian, I didn’t have to see him pity me like the rest of my family did. It felt like a fresh start, turning over a new leaf. He was the first friend I’d made in the city, and I hoped he would stay my friend.We left the coffee shop and walked back to my apartment, his arm almost touching my shoulder on the sidewalk. The streetlamps were on, and there were very few people passing through town. I was only a few blocks away and even though I told him I could make it back on my own, he insisted on escor

Isabella POVMy parents would never act that way. Whatever I wanted to do, they would always be supportive. When Varos wanted to venture into his business, they were supportive of that too.There was nothing we could do or say to make them disapprove of us then I remembered the one thing they could never accept…the one person they could never approve. It was the only instance when my parents didn’t give me what I wanted because it was too difficult for them to look past. “You proved him wrong a million times over…”He nodded, still smiling. “Yeah, I did and it felt good.” His collared shirt fit across his chest nicely, stretching over the muscles of his upper body. He was lean, but it was clear he was strong. I’d seen his sculpted arms before, and it seemed like everything else under his linen shirt was the same. “Can I ask you about the painting you bought from me?”I had it hanging in my living room, a perfect picture of the city. I could talk about artwork forever, so the question