I Pulled You Closer To My Chest Novels & Stories

Old commander, Peter Howell, slipped and fell into the water, while his guard—my brother, Joe Castro—was off setting off fireworks with our foster sister, Felicity Castro. After getting a second chance at life, I didn't run to find Joe like I had before. I jumped in without hesitation and dragged Peter out. Last time, I went to get Joe. He made it in time and saved Peter, and from that day on, Peter treated him like a hero. His career took off. But Felicity had started a fire with the fireworks. Her face was badly burned, and she couldn't handle it. In the end, she took her own life. Joe stayed eerily calm and told me it was just an accident. But the day my college acceptance letter came, he grabbed the iron poker from the fireplace and smashed my leg. His face twisted with hatred. "Commander Howell knows how to swim. Why did you have to drag me there? "If you weren't trying to get my attention, Felicity wouldn't have gotten hurt. She wouldn't have died! And now you think you get to go off to college and start fresh? Not happening. "Your future, your life, you'll use it to pay her back!" He beat me until everything went black. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day Peter fell into the water.

Years ago, I, Ella Marin, became the wife of Andrew Lorenzo, the underboss of the Lorenzo family. Sadly, my last three years were spent in prison after I caused a fatal car accident. I heard plenty of “good news” about my husband while I did my time. Andrew had officially taken over the Lorenzo family once the Don had stepped down. He then spent a fortune on a woman called Rose Gunfire and was rumored to have had a one-night stand with a rival. He was also seen acting intimately with Sophia, the Principessa of the Rossi family, and private photos of them kept appearing online. When the underboss came to warn me about Andrew, I remained calm. “The Don says that as long as you don’t cry or make a scene, you’ll still have a place in the Lorenzo family after your release.” I replied quietly, “So he has women on the side. I can handle that.” Three days before that, the church’s hospital had called to tell me that my mother was terminally ill. Since the Lorenzo family could help find a kidney donor, I agreed to a marriage in name only. All for my mother’s sake.

Tell me you're happy with him." I looked away and that was all the answer Luca needed. Seven years ago, my stepbrother shattered my heart and disappeared from my life. Now he's back...richer, more powerful, and my new boss. My husband is cheating and my marriage is falling apart. And the one man I should never want is looking at me like I still belong to him. Some secrets should stay buried. Unfortunately, Luca and I were never good at letting go.

Rejected by her father and betrayed by Nathan Crawford, the man she had loved all her life, Ava Parish leaves town on the brink of death six years ago, but now she returns to New York, now known as Ava Smith, a successful product manager, using her twins as her excuse to cover up her secret of returning to town. Her return stirs up an already brewing war and just when she thinks she was safe, she receives the surprise she never expected. “Will you marry me?” Noah Bright asks Ava, shocking everyone in the room, now Ava is stuck between her ex-husband, her new lover, and the man who admires her as the suspense of their unknown past unfolds.

On the day I was supposed to swap marriages with my sister, Sylvia Hayes, I chose to be a battalion commander's wife instead. Then, watching Sylvia wither away from late-stage stomach cancer until she was nothing but skin and bones, a few strange lines suddenly appeared before my eyes. [Great news! The heroine is about to be reborn!] [What a joke. What good is being an officer's wife? That scumbag will take his mistress to live on base with him, leaving her to starve in that old house!] [After she's reborn, she should pick Miles Williams, the steel factory director! He secretly kept her photo and loved her his whole life!] Miles, the husband Sylvia used to mock as 'nothing but a money-grubbing brute,' was holding a tin cup, trying to give her water. Sylvia suddenly grabbed his wrist, her bulging eyes boring into me. "Laura Hayes...you had food saved up. Why wouldn't you help me?!" She died with her finger pointed at me. Miles' jaw was clenched so tightly that the muscles in his cheeks bulged, and then he suddenly lunged forward and wrapped his hands around my throat. When I opened my eyes again, the room's blackened mud walls were hung with an old, faded calendar.

There's a rule in Pine Ridge—women are only allowed to leave the mountain seven times in their lives. If they aren't able to marry a foreigner who's not from Pine Ridge, they can only marry a local mountaineer and become a guardian of the mountain. Because of that, I've borrowed some cosmetics from my grandma seven times in a row. Every time, I'm often wearing my prettiest dress and waiting for the man, who has promised to whisk me away from Pine Ridge, to marry me. But despite having crossed the mountain and reached the same town seven times in a row, Joseph Kingsley is never there. In the village, the village chief, Arthur Langley, has a smoke pipe dangling from his lips. "This is your seventh time leaving Pine Ridge just to get your marriage registered. That director boyfriend of yours has gone over to the next village just to shoot more footage of the lass who has a really pretty smile. "Caroline, your boyfriend is already behaving like this. Why are you still waiting for him?" I clumsily pull out the phone Joseph has given me before keying in his number. The dial tone goes off three times before the call goes through. Only then does Joseph explain the truth to me. "When Gemma took us on a foraging trip, she got trapped by one of the bear traps in the mountain! You do realize that if a woman from Pine Ridge were to get crippled, no villager would want to marry her at all because she'd be a burden to them! "If I were to leave Gemma alone, her life would be ruined! This is the last time, Caroline! Once I ensure that Gemma's leg gets healed, I'll come marry you right away!" Joseph has been in Pine Ridge for four years so far. Throughout these years, I've hiked the mountain and braved the elements for him seven times in a row. But Gemma Watson keeps getting into trouble. Whenever that happens, Joseph will abandon me without hesitation. As I gaze at the phone, which shows that the call has gotten disconnected, I wipe away my tears quietly. There won't be a last time anymore. In three days, I will be marrying someone else.

"I want you... right here... right now." I breathed. His lips hovered over mine, his breath mingling with my own as he spoke. "Once I start, there's no turning back." I swallowed hard and nodded. My gaze dropped to his lips, full and tempting. I watched, craving, as his tongue swept across his bottom lip "How could I possibly want you to stop when my body is aching for your touch?" The words slipped before I could stop them. For a second, I thought he would push me away again, but then something in him snapped. His lips inched closer to mine, and his fingers lightly stroked my cleavage. The touch made my breasts push higher against my dress, my nipples tightening, my chest heaving as my heartbeat raced. It was all getting too intense, and I was tempted to run and pretend this never happened. But the ache between my legs was too strong to ignore. I wasn’t about to let this moment slip away. “Kiss me," I whispered, pressing my body closer to his in a slow, seductive tease. “Make me forget him....” A dark and intense forbidden love story about a good girl gone bad, Clairessa Hartwood thought she had it all—until heartbreak drove her to revenge. After catching her boyfriend, Adrian Storm, cheating, she seduces his powerful father, Gabriel Storm, while withholding the truth about her previous relationship with his son. Gabriel finally gives in, and they begin a passionate affair, even as Adrian tries to win Clairessa back. Clairessa wants more from the relationship, but Gabriel, still haunted by past betrayals, refuses to commit and ultimately breaks things off. Clairessa navigates heartbreak, desire, and love, she finds herself trapped in a dangerous love triangle between father and son.

Kelly had everything she could ever want. A loving family and a devoted boyfriend, Leo, who also happened to be the Alpha of their pack. But all of that changed the day her father adopted her half-sister, Merry. From that moment on, Kelly’s world turned upside down. She lost her father's affection, and worst of all, Leo broke off their relationship without any explanation. But that didn’t stop Kelly from winning Leo back. And just when she thought all hope was lost, Kelly discovered she was pregnant with Leo’s child. Her dream of building a family with Leo was finally coming true. But before she could even say anything, the truth cut even deeper than she could imagine, after finding out the reason why Leo had left her. He left her for her adoptive sister Merry. But that’s not all, Merry was now carrying the Alpha’s heir.

Alice is heartbroken after her husband, Ethan, cheats on her with her best friend. As she tries to pick up the pieces of her life, she unexpectedly has a one-night stand with Jake Astor, the wealthiest CEO in the state and beyond. Ethan soon discovers that Alice has moved on in such a short time. He confronts her, demanding to know who the new man in her life is. Alice replies that he lost that right the day he signed the divorce papers. In that moment, Ethan sinks to his knees, pleading with her, admitting he made a terrible mistake by letting her go and asking for another chance. Alice firmly refuses, telling him she has moved on. Just when Alice feels like she’s starting to heal, she learns she’s pregnant. The news hits her hard, especially since she had recently slept with both Ethan and Jake. Confused and scared, Alice struggles with the question: who is the father?

When Lana’s fated mate rejects her, she’s left with nothing but a burning desire for revenge. Her only option? Strike a dangerous pact with her mate’s fiercest rival, the cold and powerful Alpha Warren. His price? She must become his mate and Luna of Red Moon. As she’s pulled into Warren’s world, hatred and attraction blur, and Lana finds herself questioning her heart and her alliances. But when long-buried secrets and old flames ignite a deadly conflict, Lana must decide if she’s ready to fight for love or risk losing everything forever. POV: First person POV alternating between Lana, Warren and Callen