Caressing Cheek

On our seventh wedding anniversary, I was straddling my Mafia husband, Lucian, kissing him deeply. My fingers fumbled in the pocket of my expensive silk dress, searching for the pregnancy test I'd hidden there. I wanted to save the news of my unexpected pregnancy for the end of the evening. Lucian's right-hand man, Marco, asked with a suggestive smile in Italian: "Don, your new little canary, Sophia. How does she taste?" Lucian's mocking laughter vibrated through my chest, sending a chill down my spine. He replied, also in Italian: "Like an unripe peach. Fresh and tender." His hand was still caressing my waist, but his gaze was distant. "Just keep this between us. If my Donna finds out, I'm a dead man." His men chuckled knowingly, raising their glasses and swearing their silence. The warmth in my blood turned to ice, inch by inch. The one thing they didn’t know was that my grandmother was from Sicily, so I understood every word. I forced myself to remain calm, keeping the perfect smile of a Donna fixed in place, but the hand holding my champagne flute trembled. Instead of making a scene, I opened my phone, found the invitation I had received a few days ago for a private international medical research project, and tapped "Accept." In three days, I would disappear from Lucian's world completely.

"Master, do you miss this apprentice?" Lips painted in bright red ticked up in a sharp smile. Her eyes were a pool of dark red, like a swirl of the finest wine. One jaded hand in his throat, nails slightly digging in the skin there, the other was on his cheek carefully caressing. The clashing of both gestures were confusing, but Rion's mind only provided one instinctual response; to run away as far as possible. ----- Rion Ren, one of the strongest sword masters in the world, had to make a difficult decision to hand over his apprentice, Ruby, to the Demon Master when Ruby's real identity as a descendant of Demon Sovereign was revealed. Three years later, Ruby who had successfully taken the reign of the Demon Realm, came back to take revenge on her master that had betrayed and abandoned her in the hand of cruel demons. Rion swore on his life as a sword master, he only wanted to protect those who were precious to him, but how did it manage to turn the whole world into chaos? How would Rion face his own apprentice in a battle between life and death?!

“Trying to seduce me?” He asked, stepping into her personal space. She gulped. Why was he so sexy and looking at her like that, besides she was only in her towel and there was nothing underneath. That made her more insecure and scared. Scared that she would fall into his arms out of need. He caressed her cheek with one hand, “Can't answer me?” He muttered huskily, staring deep into her eyes. She blinked her eyes, “No, I-I didn't know the door was open,” He smirked, "Are you sure, because your body says differently,” “Uhm… I…” He suddenly leaned in closer, bringing his mouth to her ear, “If you're trying to seduce me next time, leave the towel in the bathroom.” She shuddered. *************************** Alva Garcia got arranged in a cold marriage with a sexy hot man, Jaxon Smith, who happens to be the new successor of his father's biggest internet company in America. What happens when two billionaires are arranged together in a marriage with plenty of secrets and emotions going on within them, will they be able to unveil it or act up until they depart from each other?

Rafael Achilles Cordova is the notoriously cold CEO of Cordova Industries, unrivaled in the business world. Raised as the successor of his father's company, he poured his life into preparing to inherit the company and grew up with no other interests. No care for women, money, or life in general. For all 29 years of his life, he lived purely for the sake of carrying out his duty without divulging into a single frivolity. And yet, why couldn't he get his mind off of the bright violet eyes of a particular little lady who randomly entered his life one day? Why was there a fuzzy feeling in his chest at a mere glimpse of her? Why did it feel like his entire world was collapsing with only a single tear running down her cheek? Where were all these feelings coming from? Unfamiliar feelings that he had not once ever felt before in his entire life. Little did he know that those were the feelings of a king who finally found his queen, one who he would lay his entire empire down to stay by her side.

On the day of our engagement, my girlfriend, Jean Sullivan, is nowhere to be found until late at night. Beside myself with worry, I, Seth Lloyd, frantically reach out to our mutual friends and even consider calling the police. Suddenly, I come across a post about her from her assistant, Callum Cox. "My manager came over to discuss some plans, but the door lock suddenly broke. Does this mean we're going to be stuck in the same room tonight? I can't help feeling a little excited." When I like the post, Jean immediately calls me, furious. "Don't you have any idea how much I earn in a year? Just one day of my lost income would cover what you make in a whole week. "All I did was skip that stupid engagement party, and you start acting all snide. I don't have time to deal with your stingy relatives." My mom, Teresa Whitfield, stays silent, her eyes sweeping over the gold, eight sets of haute couture jewelry, and several property transfer deeds in the private room. With a forced smile, she asks, "Seth, have all these wedding gifts we've prepared embarrassed you?" I sneer, caressing the keys to the luxury car I'm about to give Jean. "No, it's me who's being too generous to her."

Anita," her angelic voice calls to me. Thunder rumbles in the distance. Her soft, delicate hands caressing my face, sparkling green eyes grounding me from the dark past I wish I could forget. "You're safe, it's okay." I bring my hand up, running my finger over the mound of scar tissue. The constant reminder of that night. The raised bump covers the bullet fragment embedded in my sternum. She takes my hands as more thunder rumbles and tears roll down my cheeks. "Breathe Anita," she says in a soothing whisper. My lungs were burning with the need for air and it was then that I realized I'd been holding it. I take in a gasping breath and recall the first time my eyes met her green eyes. My sister had been lifted off me and my eyes opening had startled her. The first time she touched me gave me strength to hold on. I held her hand tight, trying to tell her what happened, but couldn't get enough breath to form words. Sitting in the present going through the same as I had five years ago. "They were all found, Anita. They can't hurt you anymore. It's just a storm. All the doors and windows are locked, the alarm is set. It's just you and me." "Will you keep the light on tonight, please?"

I grew up alongside Griffith, the Alpha of the Avalora Pack. Everyone said I was the luckiest woman in the entire kingdom of Mycintia. Griffith rejected the mate bond arranged for him by the Moon Goddess to be with me. He declared to the world that I was his one and only love. But after my miscarriage, I accidentally overheard him speaking to the healer, "Find a way to drug the Luna and remove her womb. Make sure she can never bear children again." Then, I saw him gently caressing another woman's stomach and saying, "Give her the best prenatal medicine. I want her to give birth to the strongest and most intelligent child." I knew that woman. She was Giselle, the fated mate the Moon Goddess had originally chosen for him. Griffith's voice turned grave as he issued his next command. "The Luna must never find out about this. And you must take care of her health at all costs. Otherwise, you'll suffer the consequences." Pain sliced through me. I had never imagined that the man who once swore he loved me more than life itself could betray me so cruelly. In the end, I left without a word. Since they wanted to be together so much, I stepped aside to let him and his destined mate be together. Yet, he told me later that after losing me, he lost the ability to love.

Winner of The People Choice Awards (Fiction) 2019 for Best Diverse Books When "Gossip " meets "Pretty Little Liars" and had a kid with "Sherlock Holmes". That kid is "The Bad Nerd Boy". "You know my secret now. That's really bad, Summers." He smirked. That nerd smirked! And call me crazy but at this moment, he looked goddamn hot.      "I won't tell others." I blurted the words out, hoping it gave the assurance he needed so he would let me go because even though he looked damn hot, he also looked dangerous. Trying to stop myself from trembling, I bit my lips.  His eyes caught the movement and he bent forward, filling my nostrils with the smell of dope he smoked earlier. Tilting his head, he clicked his tongue and smiled. "Wrong move." With that, he slammed his lips against mine, knocking all the air from my lungs. He kissed me with no mercy. His tongue slipped at the seam of my mouth, and my mind went blank when I felt the tip of his tongue caressing mine. Pulling away he watched me with a mischievous look on his face as he said, "now I'm going to be yours." * * * Professionally edited by Fernanda Lemos. All Rights Reserved 2018 © agatharoza

"Good morning.” She greeted as she peeked on my male's cheek with so much affection. And I could feel my heart start to bleed as the male destined for me smiled down at the female and kissed her temple with his heart oozing adoration. My wolf was on her hind legs staring at the female through my eyes. She fisted her hair and knotted them in a bun and my eyes fell on the glorifying fresh mark on her neck. I return my eyes to the male standing in front of me. That is when I noticed the angry red mark on his neck. And I could feel my heart shatter into a million pieces. The moment I found out that there was another life growing inside me, I was scared, I was terrified. But the instant I knew it was his, I was on my way to find him, to reclaim him after all those years of waiting. But fate had other plans, and I suppose the Goddess loved making my life a living hell. He was supposed to choose me, he was meant to love me, he was born to be mine. He was my other half, my soul mate. But he bore another's mark…he was mated to another.  

“You have no idea what you’re asking for, do you?” he said.   I felt a slight sting of offence. “And what was that supposed to mean?”   He took a step closer, his face dangerously close to mine. I could feel the air shift. His presence filled the room. His hand moved to my cheek, stroking it lightly.   “I have a good feeling this isn’t your thing because you look like a doe in a den of wolves.” His voice dropped to a quiet, low rumble, making my stomach flip with excitement. Ayra had been the perfect wife—loyal, accomplished, and willing to sacrifice everything for the man she loved. But when he betrayed her with the one person she despised most, she didn't beg or cry. Instead, she slammed the divorce papers in his face and walked away. A reckless one-night stand with this dangerously charming stranger seems like freedom until she discovers his true identity. As Ayra fights to rebuild her life, a figure from her forgotten past reappears, threatening to change everything. She’s not just leaving her old life behind, she’s determined to create a better one.