2nd-glance

Emma Reed never expected temptation when she stayed over at her best friend’s house—but she got more than she bargained for. Luca Carter, her best friend’s dangerously attractive older brother, is reckless, charming, and untouchable—or so it seems. But Emma soon learns his playboy image is a carefully built shield, hiding a past heartbreak that left him wary of love. For Emma, desire is confusing. Friends have long whispered she might be lesbian. Even she has wondered if something is “wrong” with her, because men never stirred her in the way they stirred other girls. And yet, Luca awakens something deep and undeniable in her. As they give in to forbidden passion, secrets begin to unravel: Hannah, Emma's Best Friend, is Lesbian and she has been quietly in love with her for years. Mia, Emma’s roommate, secretly envies Emma and Hannah connection, and has her own feelings tangled in the mix. And Luca? He finds himself protecting Emma in ways he never intended, struggling to reconcile his longing with loyalty to his sister. Every stolen glance, every private touch, every whispered name becomes a dangerous game. Can Emma and Luca cross the line without destroying the bonds around them? Or will desire force truths into the open—and hearts into chaos?

Moving to another state seemed to be the most logical answer for my problems. My dad got a job as a wildlife tracker and in less than a week we were gone. I'm leaving some things behind, or rather two people. I was conflicted about the relocation, yet I knew that it's what I needed to do. I'll be with my dad until my sister and mom join us later. The past year has been difficult for my sister health wise, so we are hoping for a fresh start. Entering the diner outside Bluehills, I could taste the atmosphere of the place; my senses heightened as I felt on edge. An imposing man approached me right away. He appeared to be the father of five men arguing fiercely over something on someone? One of the guys is screaming: “Mine” and seem to be going insane. Something strange was happening and my dad wasn't telling me anything about it. One quick glance at one of them made my heart race; I felt connected to him, to this town and alive for the first time ever. The nature here was greener and more vibrant, while its inhabitants were large, intense and secretive.

"And Action!” I slowly lick my lips as I glance across the room at Trevor lying on the bed. His bare chest glows under the spotlights and practically begs to be touched. Can I keep myself under control? What am I thinking? I have to keep myself reined in. I don't want to ruin anything between us. We are good friends and nothing more, but I can't confess to him I've had wet dreams of him almost every night. Tiffany, a struggling up-and-coming actor, finally gets the break she has been wishing for and wins the leading role in a new drama. Her sexy co-star, Trevor, is someone she is familiar with and knows from her initial days of her first drama. They barely had any scenes together during that first drama, but they've developed a friendship and share the same agency and manager. When the fans initially saw them together, they immediately wanted them to be a couple. This new drama provides them exactly that. With her dreams finally coming true, will Tiffany be able to keep her secret hidden? Or will the intimate scenes with her handsome co-star unravel everything she has worked so hard to hide?

Victoria Calloway is the most pampered and radiant woman in the elite society of Dravenia. She's a gorgeous woman by nature—with just a glance from her alluring eyes, she can easily make heads turn. Everyone claims that the line of suitors attempting to woo Victoria can extend all the way to the moon and back. Unfortunately for them, Victoria never gives them the time of day. That is, until her best friend, Pamela Larkson, decides to place a bet with her. "Vicky, if you can capture the heart of my youngest uncle, Caden Larkson, you can pick any of my cherished cars from my garage!" Caden Larkson is the current head of Larkson Capital. He's known for his glacial personality and his disinterest in women. While he carries himself with a noble air, he's also extremely arrogant. To countless socialites, Caden is the unapproachable man whom they can only admire from afar. Rumors have it that no female lifeforms are capable of approaching him. But Victoria merely chuckles in return. She has never failed in obtaining whatever she wants in her entire life, after all. Alas, things don't progress in the direction she expects them to.

I thought rejection was the worst pain a wolf could endure. I was wrong. The night Damon Calder left me marked but unclaimed, he shattered me. My body burned for him, my wolf howled for him—but he walked away without looking back. Now fate has decided to twist the knife deeper. My mother has married his father. Which makes the boy who broke me…the stepbrother who haunts me across the dinner table. The bond between us is half-finished, raw and vicious, clawing through my veins. Every brush of his hand, every stolen glance, every growled word drags me closer to the edge I swore I’d never cross again. But Damon isn’t just my ex-mate. He’s the outlaw Alpha’s son. Dangerous. Reckless. Marked by secrets that could burn us all alive. I should stay away. I should hate him for what he did. But when his storm-gray eyes lock on mine and his voice drops low enough for only me to hear— “Run to whoever you want, Lyric. Your wolf will crawl back to me.” I realize the truth. No matter how hard I fight it… I’m already his.

Halo Remington has spent her entire life in the shadows of her perfect twin sister, Scarlet, the golden child, the chosen one, the family's heiress. No one ever sees Halo, and that’s just the way her family prefers it. Until Talon Ashwood walks into their home with a contract and a choice that was never meant to be hers. Talon needs a bride, quickly. His father had made it clear, no marriage, no inheriting the Ashwood empire. Choosing Scarlet should be simple, expected. But when a single glance at an old portrait reveals a hidden twin, Talon makes a last-minute decision that shatters the room’s expectations. He no longer wants the golden daughter. No, he wants the quiet lamb hidden in the shadows. Pulled from her place behind the closed doors of her room, Halo is thrust into a deal she never saw coming. Marry him, and she would finally be free of her family’s control. Walk away, and she would remain unseen and unwanted, a ghost in her own life and a shadow in the footsteps of her sister. After coming to a decision and going through with it, Halo steps into a world of power, deception, and an attraction she never anticipated. But as secrets unravel and ruthless tactics ensue, Halo realizes that this marriage harboured far more than just a business deal. It was the cost of being chosen by an Ashwood.

One day, a wealthy couple is invited to give a speech at my university. My childhood sweetheart, Henry McGregor, tugs me along, eager for us to sneak out to the cafeteria and do some part-time work. He tells me to go grab the empty bucket from the shelf. But just as I take a step, a flood of messages suddenly appears in front of my eyes. [Don't touch that bucket! It's filled with scalding soup that Henry prepared. He wants to ruin your face!] [Three years ago, Henry had his first love impersonate you, becoming the long-lost daughter of the Wright family. Now, he plans to disfigure you so you'll never be able to return.] [You'll endure severe burns all over your body and undergo countless skin grafts. In the end, the fake heiress will poison you by swapping your medicine.] [Meanwhile, that scumbag will marry into the Wright family. Along with the impostor, they'll drain the Wrights of everything they have.] [You need to go back right now and let Mrs. Wright see your face. This is your only chance to reclaim your rightful place as their daughter!] At that moment, I hear Henry urging me again to hurry and move the bucket. As I glance at the flood of messages once more, I freeze, stopping dead in my tracks.

In the split second when the research lab explodes, my boyfriend, Thomas Bastion, dashes to Melody Harper, who is standing furthest from the blast zone. He shields her from the impact with his own body. When the sounds of the explosion stop, the first thing he does is carry Melody to the hospital. I'm lying on the floor. My body is covered in fresh blood, but he doesn't spare a single glance at me. Thomas has taken care of Melody for the past 18 years. His heart is filled with nothing but her. There's no space for anyone else. I only survived because my colleagues rushed me to the hospital. When I am discharged from the ICU, I call my teacher, Louis Carpenter. Both my eyes are swollen from how much I've been crying. "Mr. Carpenter, I've made up my mind. I'm willing to join you for the confidential research. It's fine if we have to leave in one month. I don't care that I'll be unable to contact anyone for the next five years." The wedding ceremony that I have been dreaming of is supposed to take place in a month's time. However, I no longer want to get married.

The sound of glass crashing against a hard surface echoed in the room as I aimed for Ethan’s head, missing by an inch. “Get away from me!” I screamed, but that didn’t seem to do anything as he only rushed towards me before I could grab anything else to chuck at him and hugged me as an attempt to calm me down. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, my husband walked into the room, watching the scene before him, and there was one thing that I knew for sure – he would think I was cheating on him with my ex-husband. ~ Angela Diaz has always dreamed of not just the perfect wedding, but the perfect marriage to her childhood crush – Ethan Ambrose. She always knew that Ethan never liked her back, and he wouldn’t even spare her a glance if she was two feet away from him, but she is shocked when Ethan Ambrose turns around all of a sudden and confesses his hidden feelings for her. Ignoring her parents’ continuous warnings and taking the risk of going from the flamboyant comfort of her parents’ home to Ethan’s family house, Angela is only about to realize that everything about her relationship with Ethan has been a lie, and her “perfect marriage” is nothing but a nightmare in disguise.

“I’ve warned you from the beginning. Don’t marry him, but you won’t listen.” Darcy stood close to me and smiled with concern. “You’re not a woman worthy of a man as handsome, rich, smart, and virile as Blaze.” My whole body trembled at her words. “Have you no shame?” I asked. “Take a good look at yourself, Heather.” She stared at me in the mirror. “You can’t even glance at your ugly face. Do you think Blaze can endure a lifetime of gazing at that scar?” Heather Bailey got a surprise from her husband: a divorce agreement. After a year of marriage and facing ups and downs, she couldn’t believe Blaze intended to divorce her. She was devastated when she saw him gazing lovingly at another woman. After signing the divorce papers, shockwaves caught her up. Her flower shop was burned to the ground. Her father’s company collapsed, and her parents blamed her. She struggled to rebuild her life from the ground up and became more successful than ever. Having many customers from influential families, she started her revenge on Blaze. She won the very thing he wanted, but that was just the beginning.