Christmas

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.

Even before marrying Wayne Cooper, I knew he had a fierce sister-in-law. He would always tell me to never get into a fight with her. After we marry, we spend Christmas Eve at his parents' house for the first time. I'm forced to bustle around in the kitchen as I prepare a feast for over a dozen people. Meanwhile, Wayne's family lounges in the living room. They chatter away while enjoying the fruits I've washed and sliced. As I place the last dish on the table, Wayne's brother and sister-in-law, Kyle Cooper and Lucy Wren, arrive. When I want to take my seat, I discover there isn't one for me. That's when Lucy snorts and says sarcastically, "I heard you're a good wife who's obedient and easygoing, Melanie. I have to say that your cooking is… mediocre, though." This infuriates me. I'm about to retort when she turns to my mother-in-law. She says, "I think you should do the cooking from now on, Gloria. Your food is delicious…"

During Christmas break, my boyfriend, Trevor Hayes, asks me to stop by and feed the dog that his childhood friend, Evelyn Summers, keeps at her place. I bring a bag of kibble over. But the second I open the door, a huge pit bull lunges at me and bites into my face and arms. Luckily, a neighbor hears me screaming and pulls me out of its jaws, but the damage is already done. The scars will stay with me forever. I break down, but Trevor blames me instead. "You must've done something wrong when you fed Mojo and set him off. You just got a scar, but Mojo's dead!" The weight of it all crushes me until I climb a rooftop and jump. After dying, I see Trevor holding Evelyn in his arms. "Honey, you're so clever. Starving Mojo for a few days really worked. Now, she's dead. We can finally be together." When I open my eyes again, I'm back on the day Trevor asks me to go feed that dog.

On Christmas Eve, my six-year-old, Yule, was dying from cancer, and all he wanted was a gift from his dad dressed as Santa. I called Peter, my husband, begging him to come. His reply? "Can you stop blowing up my phone? I don't have time for this! I'm helping Tracey find Puffy. Do you know how upset she is?" Oh, Tracey. His first love. And Puffy? Her dog. I told him Yule might not make it through the night. His response? A straight-up dagger: "Don't act like this isn't your fault, Freya. If Yule hadn't kicked Puffy, none of this would've happened. Tomorrow, make sure he apologizes to Tracey." Then he hung up. That night, I sat with Yule, crying as I helped him celebrate his last Christmas. By morning, Peter's social medias were still full of posts about that freaking dog. Mine? Yule's obituary. Ten years of marriage, gone.

We're releasing balloons on Christmas Eve when Milton Jenning's lover deliberately sets off fireworks. They explode on me, burning me severely. My back, already torn and raw from skin grafts for her, becomes even more of a bloodied mess. However, I don't ask Milton for help. Instead, I shield a recently reunited heir of a wealthy family beneath me, risking everything to save him. In my past life, Milton kicked me in the back and told me not to stand in the way of him taking his lover to the hospital. "Is it funny to you to use a child as a cover, Larissa? Even if you're pregnant, you and your baby are just walking skin providers for Rita! I must've spoiled you—how dare you do something as heinous as this!" I was blacklisted by all hospitals and ended up dying while pregnant. My heart was filled with hatred as I breathed my last breath. When I open my eyes again, I see Rita Atkinson secretly aim fireworks at the night sky and set them off. I hear her laugh manically as she says, "You and your child can die together!"

One scorching night was all it took for the ruthless billionaire…Damien Voss to haunt Isabella Barnes' dreams. He took her body, shattered her trust, and vanished, leaving her with scars deeper than the secret she buried alone. Now, on a Christmas getaway meant to heal her, Isabella wakes in chains. Her captor? The same man who ruined her. Damien mistakes her for the daughter of his sworn rival and vows to break her as leverage in his brutal corporate war. But as days bleed into nights of dark pleasure and forbidden surrender, the truth unravels: he's been hunting those unforgettable eyes ever since that fateful night. And he has no intention of letting her go. Trapped in his luxurious prison, Isabella fights the pull of his possessive touch. But still, anger and pain burns in her veins... until his obsession awakens something twisted and intoxicating in her own soul. Once he claims her, escape isn't an option…she might not even want it. In a world of betrayal, deadly rivals, and unrelenting passion, will she shatter her captor when she discovers that he’s the same man that has haunted her dreams for years...or become his forever?

Harriet thought the worst thing she’d done this December was surrender to a stranger in a dark room one reckless night that left her shaking, breathless, and certain she’d never see him again. She was wrong. The next morning, she arrives home for Christmas only to learn her parents have rushed off on an emergency trip, leaving her alone to supervise the renovation of their house. Except… she’s not alone. Devon, the boy who grew up in their home like family, the “almost-brother” she hasn’t seen in years, opens the door older now, broader, too handsome for her peace of mind. And when he looks at her, she feels it in her bones. Because he isn’t just Devon. He’s the stranger from last night. The man who took her virginity. The man she swore she’d forget. Now they’re trapped in the same house for the holidays, two people who should never have crossed that line, pretending not to remember the way his hands fit her body, the way she whispered his name without knowing it was his.

Ericka Matthews has been in love with her roommate for two years. The problem? Dominic Anderson made her sign a contract when she moved in: no romance allowed, or she's out. She's respected that boundary, hidden her feelings, and watched him from across the breakfast table every morning without letting on. Then Dominic kisses her. And immediately tells her not to kiss him back. Heartbroken and humiliated, Ericka decides to disappear. She has a backup plan, savings, and an apartment lined up. She'll be gone before he even notices. But when she collapses on campus and ends up in the hospital, Dominic is forced to confront what losing her actually means. The contract gets torn up. Confessions are made. And it turns out their mothers have been running a secret spy network dedicated to getting them together for three years. Now they just have to survive Sunday dinner with both families and Aunt Linda's unopened Christmas presents. A contemporary romance about two idiots who wasted three years pretending to be "just roommates," the meddling families who saw right through them, and the kiss that finally broke all the rules.

When Edna Crossby ditches the marriage registration for the fifth time, I block her contact number and social media accounts on the spot. If she's in any of the social gatherings, I turn down the invitations right away. I'd rather take the long route than walk past the cafe Edna frequents. If she attends a team-building session, I take the day off without hesitation. Even when Edna shows up on my doorstep with gifts in hand on Christmas Eve, I pretend that I'm not home at all. I don't answer any calls from her. I don't respond to texts she sends me. Just like that, I completely fade away from Edna's world. In the past, Edna used to be the focus of my life. My emotions fluctuated all the time because of her. When Edna flakes out on me for the fifth time, I finally snap out of my lovesick stupor. I don't want to live life like this anymore. Rather than getting abandoned time and again, I might as well live my life on my own happily.

Sarah has been dating her boyfriend for a year now and is waiting for him to propose to her. They were invited to a Christmas Eve party from his job. Sarah believes this will be the perfect setting for John to propose. However, during the party, she discovered John having sex with another woman. She confronted them both, but John became aggressive. Out of nowhere, a handsome stranger came to her rescue. The rest of the night, Sarah was drinking to erase the pain while the handsome stranger kept an eye on her to make sure she was safe. Sarah was so drunk that she wound up kissing the handsome stranger under the mistletoe, not knowing he was claiming her as his mate. The handsome stranger was determined not to leave Sarah and her drunken state at the party alone. He didn't know where she lived, so he took her to his penthousein the city. Sarah was the type of person who didn't believe in the supernatural. However, she finds out that this handsome stranger is not only her mate but also a werewolf. Will Sarah accept him as her mate, or will she run away scared? Only time will tell.