Christmas Dances

During Christmas dinner, my mother-in-law hinted for the umpteenth time that she wanted a grandchild. However, my husband, Zachary Cole, who had insisted on staying child-free in the past decade, only smiled and filled her plate. After dinner, he slipped onto the balcony. "There, there. Daddy will come see you on New Year's Day," he whispered. I stood in the corner of the living room with a glass of water in my hand, feeling cold as the words sank in. I stepped forward and forced a playful tone. "I just heard you say 'Daddy.' Got a secret kid stashed somewhere?" He rubbed his nose, his voice stiff. "You must've misheard. That's… just a friend's kid." My heart sank. I'd been married to him for a decade, so I knew exactly what he looked like when he was lying.

My boyfriend, Miles, finally invited me to his family’s Christmas dinner. I passed out on the way there. Half-conscious, I heard him whisper, “Sorry, Eva. Those thugs said you’re just their boss’s type. Too pretty for your own good, babe. Blame that—not me.” “Don’t be scared. If you help me pay off the debt… maybe they’ll let me have you back. I’ll make it up to you. For the rest of your life, I swear.” He wheeled me through the back of a casino. My family’s casino. The boss he was selling me to… was my brother. Ever since our parents died in a crossfire, my brother had taken full responsibility for me. More than a brother, he’d become a father figure—a protector. My stupid boyfriend should be scared—he had no idea how fiercely my brother protected me, or how ruthless he could be to anyone who dared hurt me.

During Black Friday, the intelligent system I develop helps the company run highly targeted ads and brings in 30 million dollars in revenue. But when I apply for the project bonus, the director rejects it. "The system is just an auxiliary tool. The performance belongs to the sales department." I hold back my frustration and pull up the system logs. "88% of the orders come from the system's targeted pushes. According to company policy, I should receive a 0.5% commission." The director glances at me, twirling his pen. "If the sales commission doesn't go to the sales department, should it go to you? And your lousy system exceeds the API limit and racks up extra fees. You still owe us a hundred thousand dollars. We'll deduct that from your salary." Three days before Christmas sales are set to begin, the system completely shuts down because of API restrictions. Late at night, the director calls me. I stare at my computer screen. "Since the system is just an auxiliary tool, why don't you start with manual targeting?"

Grace dreamt of a threesome with her husband and his brother she woke up to something far worse. After a brutal accident at a Christmas resort, Grace pretends to lose her memory to test her husband Mason's love. His response? He claims his brother Aiden is her real husband and walks away. Stunned, Grace plays along, moving into Aiden's cabin while Mason disappears into the arms of someone else. As she digs deeper, Grace uncovers seven years of lies, a hidden affair with her best friend Sophia, and Mason's dark secret life. But the biggest shock? Aiden, the brother she's resented since he tried to ruin her wedding, might be the only man who's ever truly loved her. Now Grace is caught in a dangerous game where love and hatred blur, where her best friend wants her dead, and where choosing the wrong brother could cost her everything. The lies are unraveling, and someone won't make it out of this holiday alive.

Reese: I know all too well the sting of heartbreak and rejection. Not a lot of men can handle a woman of my stature. I only hope that love is out there. When I agreed to meet up with my Frost cousins and their kids for a Christmas event after another breakup, I didn't expect sparks to fly with their friend Don Hunter. Don: I was surprised to be invited by my coworker Darius Frost to join his family and friends at the holiday lights at the park. It's not like I have family in the area, and I'm self-aware enough to know I wouldn't have some hot date. So why is the gorgeous Reese Nikolaidis giving me the time of day? It has to be a joke because she is out of my league. This is a standalone story but is the four book in the Ravenwood series. Book 1 - The Princess of Ravenwood Book 2 - Chasing Kitsune Book 3 - Expect The Unexpected Book 4 - Out Of My League Book 5 - Man's Best Wingman

The summer that Allison Hart graduates from high school, she has one thing on her mind- to lose her virginity before she goes away to college in the fall. The only problem is she doesn’t want a random one night stand with a stranger. So when her stepbrother James Carter comes home for the summer, it seems like her problem finally has a solution. At first James is apprehensive about the entire thing, but then gives in to Allison’s request. They both swear that it will be just a weekend of sex and fun, but then the weekend turns into an entire summer of sneaky sex. As the summer comes to a close and both prepare to go off to college, both realize that they have fallen in love with each other. Neither of them are brave enough to tell the other, so they go off to college, both confused about their situation. When they finally reunite for Christmas, James confesses his feelings for Ali and asks her to run away and travel the world with him. She accepts and once school ends for the summer, they run off to start their adventure.

“What are you going to do with him? Take him back???" Brion demanded, his gaze incredulous. "Take him back?" I scoffed, a smirk coming over my face as I stared at the picture in my hand.  "I have no plans to do that, BRION. I want him to fall for me, then push him down like he did to me. I want to make him feel the pain I passed through in his hands." I got to my feet and threw the picture on the floor. "It's time he dances to the tune of his music," I gritted out as I stomped hard on the picture. *** A loveless marriage wasn't part of Nova's plans for the future, but a one-night stand with a stranger changed her life forever. Bound to a man, who only saw her as a means to an end, Nova tried to salvage the relationship. However, things spiralled out of control with the return of his ex-girlfriend, and first love, and the realization that Nova was pregnant.  Her life was threatened, but she survived with the help of her secret admirer, who took care of her for five years until she was ready to stand on her feet. However, a business deal took her back to the country she left years ago.  With her return, Nova was ready to prove to the world that she didn't need her ex-husband by her side, but Dashiell was desperate. Knowing how much he loved her, he was reluctant to let go. But Nova wasn't ready to take him back, not until she had made him experience the heartache of those years ago.

18+ Erotic Werewolf romance book Olivia Sold to pay off a debt, sinfully hot Matteo has thrown me into his dark mansion, with no intention of letting me go. He’s dominant, ruthless, cold… And he’s also something wicked—a sexy as hell alpha male. I should run the second he puts his rough hands all over my innocent body. I shouldn’t let him tear my panties off. But I do. He’s going to break me, turning me into his slave. He demands complete obedience, and I want to resist. I do. But my dark, rebellious heart won’t let me. Matteo I’ve never wanted to ruin someone as much as I want to ruin her. She’s the picture of innocence. Soft skin free from the toil of real work, pretty lips for sucking and the defiance in her eyes. I can’t wait to break her. To make her beg for mercy. To cry out my name when I steal the one thing she’s never given to another man. She thinks she can charm me into letting her go. But she doesn’t recognize the way the devil dances in my soul. I never expected her to become my obsession. But she is. And now I need to get rid of her before she consumes me.

Inés never wanted to be saved. When her mother married a dying billionaire, it came with a price: living under the same roof as Miguel Alvarez, the cold, arrogant heir who treats her like she's dirt on his expensive shoes. But her mother's new marriage isn't about love. It's about survival. Because back in their old life, they owe dangerous people dangerous money. And those people don't forget. So every night while everyone thinks she's at the library, Inés dances under red lights at P-Valley, the city's most exclusive strip club. Behind a mask and a wig, she's not the boring stepsister. She's Red, untouchable, mysterious and free. Until the night Miguel walks in. He doesn't recognize her. But he can't stop watching and wanting her. At home, he ignores her. At the club, he's obsessed with her. Inés knows she should run before he discovers the truth. But she doesn't because as much as she hates him, her body betrays her every time he's near. But secrets buried in the dark always come to light. And when Miguel discovers that the girl he craves and the stepsister he despises are the same person, it won't just shatter them, it'll burn down everything they thought they knew.

Safina “Safi” Brooks is a struggling writer who works as a personal assistant by day and as an exotic dancer by night in one of the most popular strip clubs in New York appropriately named “Fire and Desire” where she performs under the name of “Angel” unbeknownst to everyone except her roommate who is also her co-worker on her day job. After catching her boyfriend (who also happened to be the CEO of the company that she works for) cheating on her, she gets unlawfully fired and gets blacklisted on almost every corporate company in Seattle, Washington. Heartbroken by this, she decided to accept one of the private dances later that night for the club owner’s friend and breaks her own rule of strictly not sleeping with a client. And it was a rule worth breaking... Henry Alexander “Lex” Moore is the CEO and founder of Moore Industries. A widower of six years, his focus had only been in the company and his young adoptive daughter Rosella and his friends kept pushing him to loosen up and have fun ever since his wife had died of ovarian and breast cancer. He reluctantly had given in on his 46th birthday, with one of his friends booking him a private dance with one of the most sought after girls of the club, Angel. And it was the best birthday he’s had in recent years. And ever since that night, Angel never left his mind... What if the pair met again unexpectedly in a new and different environment where she is his newly hired secretary?