Contra Costa Library Hours Novels & Stories

She rubbed her forehead profusely, "You do, you could walk away and save yourself now and I will be fine and I will understand." He glanced at her and his gaze locked and there was a level of sincerity in them, "If I save myself, who's going to save you?" ***** Jasmin Whyte was a twenty-six-year-old thief who ran away from her boyfriend after she caught him cheating, an excuse to finally leave her old life behind and start over, but when she discovered that she was two weeks pregnant for her him, she began back to her old ways. It wasn't long before she fell into trouble which was how she ran into billionaire Cainan Inferno and her life took an unexpected turn. Cainan Inferno was a thirty-three-year-old Billionaire and the CEO of The Inferno group which was the largest company in the country. He once had it all with money and looks, but his life took a sour turn after he lost his wife Neriah Gomez to cancer. Meeting Jasmin Whyte sparked the feeling he thought was long dead and he knew the only one capable of helping him move on from his late wife was her. He tracked her down and made her an offer she couldn't refuse while ignoring all the threats her past posed to his name, reputation and social status. All he asks in return was for her to steal his heart. Will she be able to do the one thing he asks or will she lose her heart in the process?

“Fine, I accept your pathetic rejection, but mark my words, I, Abigail, vow to make you regret this decision!” I screamed, my voice shaking with the raw pain tearing through me. I locked eyes with him—the man I had loved with every fiber of my being. But he stared back, his expression cold and unmoved, as though the years we’d spent together meant nothing. How could he be so blind? I was his wife, bound to him by sacred vows, while Amanda was merely his mistress. Yet he chose her over me, casting aside our bond as though it were nothing but dust. --- Abigail had endured years of neglect, overlooked, and discarded like a shadow in her own home. She was Luna, yet she’d never known the respect or love that came with the title. Her one failure? She hadn’t given Alpha Chris a child, an heir to strengthen their pack. But when Amanda, his first love, returned, Chris became ruthless, flaunting his betrayal before her eyes. But destiny has a way of bringing light to the darkest of hearts. He’s everything Chris isn’t: strong, compassionate, and willing to break all rules for her. His heartbeat calls to hers, but can her shattered heart ever learn to love again? Will Abigail risk opening herself to the possibility of new love and redemption, or will her thirst for revenge consume her completely?

Elara Hayes had no idea that one night her life would end. Elara is forced into a contract marriage with Alessandro De Luca, the cold, ruthless CEO of a global empire, after being betrayed by her fiancé, burdened by the crushing debts of her family, and cornered by circumstances she can no longer escape. Their marriage is a calculated alliance to the outside world. Alessandro views it as a business arrangement designed to safeguard his position and silence internal threats. It is a cage that Elara never asked to enter. Elara is obligated to learn how to survive in Alessandro's perilous world, which is ruled by power, secrets, and enemies hidden behind polished smiles, and is bound by a contract with strict rules and an even stricter expiration date. She discovers that the man she married is far more complicated than his icy reputation suggests as she struggles to protect her family and maintain her independence. Despite the fact that Alessandro is in charge, guarded, and emotionally untouchable, his focus on Elara grows dangerously intense. What initially appears to be forced proximity gradually develops into an unspoken tension that neither of them is willing to admit. However, secrets do not remain hidden forever. Elara is forced to reevaluate everything, including her marriage, her own heart, and her safety, as resurfaced betrayals and hidden enemies draw near. Additionally, she must make a decision when she discovers information that could cost her everything and bring down Alessandro's empire: When the contract expires, will she terminate it? or put her heart at risk for a man she never intended to love? There are rules in the contract. However, love was not one of them.

Desperate times calls for Desperate Measures was a phrase Janelle fully got to understand when financial challenges forced her to get into a contract Marriage with a stranger she never saw coming. Janelle Hughes was a very Ambitious Investigative journalist willing and determined to get to the highest level of her job, while still living her very soft life, but obviously life had more in store for her when her father’s business begins to decline rapidly, with a bedridden mother due for urgent Surgery and an heavily broken heart from being betrayed by her fiancé and bestfriend, She was left no choice than to get married on contract to the delectable Adil Carter. From pretending to be a couple to managing their own secrets, will their hearts play by the rule?! Or will they find out that Love has a way of rewriting contracts?! This is the chronicles of a Contract Marriage, an heartwarming tale of love, tears and laughter and the unpredictable turns that Life and Marriage can take.

Emily Hayes was the perfect wife—until she walked away from her marriage without warning, leaving only a contract in her place. Now, George is left with Luna Ward, a beautiful stranger hired to fill Emily’s role. She was meant to be temporary. Emotionless. A distraction from heartbreak. But Luna has secrets of her own. And as grief and guilt give way to unexpected connection, George must face an impossible question: Can he open his heart to the woman sent to replace the one he still loves? And when the truth behind Emily’s disappearance comes to light… will it destroy them both?

When Ruby's heart gets dumped, she seeks solace in a sizzling one-night stand with a mysterious stranger. After making a promise never to meet him again. But, fate has a wicked sense of humor - her mysterious hot stranger turns out to be her new boss, Jaxon! As they navigate their forbidden workplace romance, Ruby hides a secret that could ruin everything that she has kept hidden for a long time. Meanwhile, Jaxon's social anxiety has him locked down, except when Ruby's around. For them to get what they both want, they decided to play the fake couple card. As they pretend to be a couple to keep up appearances, real feelings spark. Can Ruby and Jaxon confront their fears, confess their secrets, and find love in the unlikeliest of places? Will Ruby's secret get exposed before the end of their fake relationship?

Claire got pregnant by a stranger she had a one night stand with. Being born from a political and business clan, she knew her family would disown her once they found out her situation. So she tries to find the man who impregnated her and offered him a proposition—to be her contract husband.

“Sign the contract and your heart, body and soul will forever be mine,” Adonis said, a wicked glint in his eyes. *** I saw the signs coming, but I was blinded by love, and the desire to believe that my marriage was as perfect as it seemed. That all came crashing down when I found my husband in bed with my cousin. The man I thought I knew was a monster. He shattered my heart, my dreams and my life. But I wasn't going to let him get away with it. I was going to make him pay. He had taken everything away from me, and now was my turn to return the favor. That was when I devised a plan to bring his empire crashing down around him. I would get close to his half-brother, Adonis Sandoval, a man as cold and ruthless as the devil himself. They say keep your friends close and your enemies closer. My ex-husband would pay for what he’d done to me, and Adonis Sandoval would be the instrument of his downfall. But it wasn't going to be that easy. Adonis was no fool; he was as dangerous and cunning as they say. But he stirred a desire in me I thought I’d buried, igniting my passion. As we grew closer, my plan for revenge blurred, but I couldn’t forget why I was here. I had already handed my soul to the devil on a contract, and the path I’d chosen was a dark one, but I was no longer afraid of the shadows. I would get my revenge. But at what cost?

Sylvie Wilfred, a 23-year-old rebellious heiress, suddenly finds her freedom stripped away when her strict billionaire father hires Ryan, an infuriatingly disciplined bodyguard she clashes with from the moment they meet. Neither of them is prepared for what grows in the silence between them. When the Wilfred empire suffers a sabotage, Sylvie is forced into an impossible choice: To save the empire, she has to marry Zade, a young mafia boss with his own dangerous agenda.

A San Francisco boy. Famous actor and model. Renowned playboy. Damaged lover. And a heartless robot. He needs to fix his reputation. I need money for my sister's treatment. Everything about us is fake ... but sometimes the line between fake and real can get blurred. Enrique Blackburn turned himself into a robot. Untouchable. Emotionless. The quintessential bachelor of the silver screen. He doesn't do love. He can never say the words. Especially not to me, his contracted phony girlfriend. But despite the consequences I let him take my breath and steal the things I know. Like fire on fire, he burns himself into my heart. And that's the last place I want him to be. We made an arrangement. We agreed to a contract. No sex. No love. No relationship. Can I unfold him? Can I make this real? Can I make him find his heart? But most importantly - can I make him say the words?