Emotionally Unavailable

The Heart Beneath the Thorn — A Modern Beauty and the Beast Retelling 💔 In a glittering city of fortunes and façades, The Heart Beneath the Thorn reimagines Beauty and the Beast through the broken glass of betrayal, redemption, and forbidden love. Emilia Grace, a fierce yet quietly bruised soul, is just trying to survive. Between juggling hospital shifts, family debts, and the ghosts of her past, she’s never had the luxury of dreaming. But fate has a cruel sense of humor when she’s assigned to care for Max Carter—the cold-hearted billionaire who once made her school years a waking nightmare. Max was the golden boy with the cruel smirk—the privileged heir with everything, except peace. Years later, a tragic accident leaves him scarred, not just physically but emotionally. Isolated and emotionally exiled, Max is now a man haunted by his past choices and a legacy wrapped in barbed wire. When Emilia walks back into his life, she's no longer the girl he mocked—she's the woman who might just be his undoing. Forced into each other’s orbit, what begins as a war of words slowly melts into lingering stares, late-night confessions, and an unraveling of everything they thought they knew. Max, the beast of her memories, begins to reveal the tender man beneath the mask—a man who collects poetry he never shares, who builds gardens no one sees, and who might have always loved the girl he couldn’t protect. But trust doesn’t bloom easily in thorn-covered soil. And when old enemies, buried secrets, and a scandalous inheritance come to light, Emilia must decide: can she love the man who once broke her, now that he’s the only one trying to piece her back together? A tale of enemies-to-lovers, second chances.

"I know you want me, cupcake!" His deep husky voice ignited the fire within me and I clutched into his shoulder for support, otherwise I knew I was going to fall anytime soon. "You desire me, not only emotionally but also physically!" The touch of his lips near my ear made me shiver in need. "You like it when I touch you, don't you?" He asked, touching my thigh with his warm hand, making me curl my toes. I wanted to scream at him how much I wanted him to fuck me like it was going to be his last fuck, how much hurt I get when I see him with his fiance, and how much I truly loved him. But I couldn't, I just couldn't get the guts to say it aloud because he was my step-uncle, he was a forbidden fruit for me which I could only stare at from afar. But I could see the determination in his eyes which was trying to tell me that he would do anything to break through the wall I have created around my heart. Before I could guess his next movement, in one swift motion, he tore my white shirt, taking me aback and I felt paralyzed like I couldn't even move an inch, I could only stare up at his dark desireful eyes. "Tonight, I will show you how much I desire you!" Oh shit! * When Dawn's mother got married into the influential Playford family after her father's demise, no one accepted her as a family member except the youngest heir, Hunter Playford who is cold as ice. She started trying her best to befriend him but can they become something more beyond their step relationship? * This book has no incest relationship, the leads are not related by blood.

"You are mine! I will kill any fucker who dares to even look at your shadow!” Xavier growled angrily, spreading Reina's legs, his fingers traveling down her inner thighs.   "I'm not yours, bastard! I will never be yours.” Reina retorted, arching her back when Xavier lurched his fingers forward, pressing against her soaked panties, and began rubbing his fingers against the soaked fabric. "Dare me, woman, and your dear husband will be the first!”  "I hate you!” Reina cried, her voice cracking under the weight of an undeniable attraction. ~~~ Reina had everything growing up as the pampered princess and only heir of mafia boss Don Santiago and Lucas, her doting husband who put her first. Reina's fairytale turned into a nightmare after an accident claimed her parents’ lives, and her loving and doting husband, who pampered her and wouldn't even let her lift a speck of dust, began abusing her physically, emotionally, and mentally; cheating on her with her best friend, she became a shadow of herself.    With Reina's husband back to being doting overnight. They went on vacation in another country to rekindle their love. However, Reina found herself in another man's bed, labeling her as an adulterer. What would Reina do when her only hope in a foreign country is the man who made her an adulterer and homeless? Will she submit to him when all she feels for him is pure hatred? What will she do when she finds out her husband is not innocent either? ***  Xavier Romano is a ruthless mafia boss known as the "Devil" following his inhumane ways. After an event that put the woman who had been tormenting his dream for ages in his grasp, he swore to protect and heal her.  He will bring everyone who hurt her begging at her feet.

“Shut your fucking damn mouth!” Zach’s voice echoed through the room, raw and sharp with anger. Madison didn’t flinch. If anything, the fire in her eyes only burned brighter. She had been pushing his buttons for days—emotionally, mentally. And it tore at him, deep down where no one could see. “I thought you liked it open,” she said with a wicked smirk, sauntering toward his desk like she owned the place. His body betrayed him, twitching at her dirty words. Of course she knew exactly what to say. She always did. “I’m not quitting!” she snapped. “I am a doctor. A damn good one. Who do you think you are to tell me to give that up?!” Zach rose from behind his desk, calm yet dangerous. His hands moved to open his suit jacket, revealing that familiar tension in his shoulders—the one that made her heart race. “Wha—what are you doing?” He closed the space between them in two strides. “I’m your Daddy,” he growled, low and close, “like you cried out last night. And you… you’re mine.” And then his lips crashed into hers before she could breathe another word. ~~ Darly Madison—respected surgeon, focused, disciplined, and just a little stubborn—had her world under control. That is, until her best friend dragged her to a luxurious night party at one of the city’s most exclusive hotels. One night. One mistake. One man who turned her world upside down. Zach Westley. Mafia boss. Dominant. Dangerous. Possessive to the core. She thought it was just a one-night stand. He had other plans. Now her life as a surgeon collides with a dark underworld she never saw coming. And whether she likes it or not… she’s been claimed by the Mafia.

I am the sole heir to the Alpha King of Northaria, but I'm an Omega. All of Northaria awaits the day I come of age, hoping I'll awaken the kind of Alpha bloodline strong enough to claim the throne. But when the day finally comes, I'm still just a low-rank Omega. So, they say that the true heir must be one of the three "pledged Alphas" my father adopted from the major tribes. Whichever one of them marks me becomes the ruler of all Northaria packs. But none of them have ever truly looked at me. The one I like most is Quin Lawson. When I fainted on the snowy plains as a child, it was he who carried me back to the pack. I've tried countless times to get close to him, only to be met with nothing but cold, contemptuous stares. I used to think he was just emotionally distant—until the Moon Goddess Festival. That night, I saw him kneel before Silvia Anderson, the daughter of my father's second-in-command. His voice is soft, and his gaze is tender. "I'm marrying Evelyn only to repay the Alpha King's kindness. Once I get the inheritance, I'll make you my Luna. As long as she doesn't harm you, I'll even grant her a piece of land to live out her life in peace. You're my true mate." The night before the marking ceremony, my father asks me who I choose. I think of the way all three of the pledged Alphas look away whenever our eyes meet. I smile and say, "I'm the rightful heir of Northaria. My mate should be someone who brings the greatest strength to our pack. And so, I choose Alpha Heath of the Pyraxis pack." The air goes still. My father frowns. "Him? Are you sure? Every one of his mates has died under mysterious circumstances. His wolf is known to be vicious—no one dares get close to him. You truly want to be his mate?"

I slide into the bath and let my muscles melt. My mind drifts—back to dinner, the city skyline glittering behind Tommy’s head. I close my eyes, biting my lip. One hand trails beneath the water, slow and lazy. I don’t mean to. But it’s all still so fresh—the way his hands felt on my skin, how deeply he— Except, it’s not Tommy I’m imagining anymore. It’s the doctor. Suddenly, it’s his fingers I’m imagining spreading me open. That cool composure cracking as he groans my name into my neck. “Oh, fuck,” I moan, breath catching as the orgasm rips through me like a shot of white lightning. My back arches against the porcelain. Water sloshes. “Dr. Cole,” I gasp before I can stop it. And then I freeze. What. The. Hell. **************************************************** He’s her gynecologist. Her client. And her boyfriend’s father. What could possibly go wrong? Beth thought dating Tommy was the start of something stable. Sure, he was cocky and impulsive—but charming, right? Until the red flags started piling up. The gambling. The secrets. The mood swings. The way he always blamed her when things went wrong. But then she meets his father. Dr. Stacy Cole. Silver fox. Calm. Collected. Everything Tommy wasn’t. And she already know him. He’s her OB/GYN. Her firm’s newest client. And the man who makes her body betray her every time he’s near. Beth knows she should stay away. But when Tommy starts spiraling and Stacy starts looking less like a boundary and more like a lifeline… she’s forced to face a terrifying truth: She might be falling for the one man who could destroy everything. Taboo. Addictive. Slow burning. Emotionally dangerous. This isn’t your average age-gap romance.