Ice Breaking

BLURB “This…this is wrong.” I whispered, shivering as Rowan’s fingers traced along the lines of my slit. “Wrong?” Ellis’ lips brushed my neck, his teeth grazing my skin. “Honey, forbidden is what makes it irresistible.” Noah’s lips grazed my ear, his warm breath fanning my ears as his soft voice slipped in. “And you’ll learn… We take what we want.” ***** Isla North had always followed her brother's rules, until she tasted what it was like to break them. Her brother, Asher North, captain of the college hockey team, made one rule when his sister resumed freshman year: “You can fuck with other girls for all I care, but do not go close to my sister.” They all easily agreed; after all, brotherhood came first. Until three men broke that rule—his best friends. Rowan, the teasing and sinfully hot strategist. Ellis, the calm, gorgeously hot destruction, and Noah, the reckless, untamed, and sexily wild. Between secret locker room encounters, broken rules, and nights ending in trembling submission, Isla discovers that forbidden desire is intoxicating and dangerous. The ice isn’t the only thing Isla is playing on. Power, lust, and obsession blur the lines, and once she surrenders… there’s no going back.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned... Hopeless romanticist Doris Evans is convinced she wants nothing more to do with romance after one too many betrayals and broken hearts. But then she crosses paths with the man who made her vow not to pursue love ever again. Just one look at him and she could feel herself melting like chocolate... She wants him but his heart is still as cold as ever. Now, she's had enough of being rejected and she's determined to make him taste a bit of his own medicine. But does she have what it takes to defrost his frozen heart and exert her big revenge plan? Workaholic Brad Bruce wants no woman in his life. Especially, not Doris Evans. She possessed all the attributes he disapproved of in a partner: Clingy, long-winded, and above all, Immature— Extremely immature! But still, she is like a fresh breeze to his all-work, no-play life. And, though he doesn't appreciate her carefree lifestyle, he knows more than anyone how strong the influence she has on him. Will he finally learn to loosen his tie—and open his heart? Or will he cling to his safe and predictable life, even if it means missing out on true happiness?

...everywhere shook. Tornados destroyed the earth. He stood there and did nothing while she almost died... She's fire, he's ice. Her powers could destroy the whole universe. His powers could undo the what her powers could do, but it was only going to happen with a price. She's hot blooded, he's cold blooded. He was too indifferent, until he finds out that...

On her wedding day, Alpha Princess Leah lost everything. Her groom was killed at the altar. Her father was dragged in chains. And she was thrown at the mercy of the man who hated her bloodline more than anyone. King Ares. He should have killed her. Instead, he claimed her. She was the mate he didn't want but couldn’t resist. Not as his queen. Not as his Luna. But as his breeder. “I’ll make you mine until there’s nothing left of you, Princess. You’ll give me heirs until I’m done, and then, I’ll kill you.” Leah swore she would never bow to him. She would escape with her tortured father, free her people, and watch Ares bleed for what he’s done. But the longer she spends in his grasp, the more the bond between them twists into something far more dangerous. Hate. Obsession. Desire. He wants vengeance. She wants freedom. But between hunger and hatred, one of them will break. And when the Alpha King who swore to ruin her becomes the only man she can’t resist— And the daughter of his greatest enemy becomes the only woman who plagues his mind— A war of bodies and hearts begins. Ruin me, Alpha… or I’ll ruin you.

As a low-income student who's specifically recruited by the elite college this year, I can still feel my hands trembling as I clutch the letter that tells me I get to study for free. Not only are my tuition and miscellaneous fees waived, but I also get to receive 30 thousand dollars' worth of student grant per year. I even get to have free access to the leather seats inside the library, the equipment inside the gym, as well as the aerial garden on the roof. The best surprise for me has to be the cafeteria. All low-income students get a 50% discount on their meals, but the quality of their food doesn't decrease at all. Best beef is used in the steak dinners offered by the cafeteria, whereas a seafood platter showcases the entire huge lobster. Even the most basic mac and cheese meal has different types of freshly grated cheese baked into it. As I sit in the brightly lit classroom and look at the rich students around me, who wear custom-made uniforms and have branded watches latched around their wrists, all I have is one thought. I must be on good terms with them. But my seatmate, who's also a low-income student, isn't as thrilled as me. In fact, she just looks at the people around her with disdain in her eyes. After the first lesson, a rich student arrives at our table. He might not sound polite at all, but at least he's not putting on airs. "Do any of you have time to head over to the cafeteria and buy me breakfast?" I'm about to respond to him when a shrill voice booms out next to me. "You're so annoying! What, you think you rule the campus since you're rich? Had I known that this classroom is filled with useless scions like you who just waste their lives away on nothing, I wouldn't have enrolled in this college in the first place!"

Two years ago, Fabiola Cruz walked out of Alessandro’s life without warning, taking his heart and vanishing into the shadows. Now, he’s no longer the reckless man who once whispered forever into her skin. He’s Alessandro Armani, a ruthless billionaire kingpin feared across continents. He’s a feared Mafia Don with ice in his veins and blood on his hands. Love is a weakness. And Fabiola? She’s the ghost who made him ruthless. So when fate throws her into his world again, working as a waitress in a club, desperate to pay for her daughter’s hospital bills and pay her father’s debts. One night, thugs cornered her, and it's Alessandro who saves her. And he’s not interested in forgiveness. He wants her to be his mistress. And pawn. As past secrets resurface and enemies circle like wolves, Fabiola and Alessandro find themselves trapped in a game of lust, lies, and betrayal. Fabiola wants out of the business once she’s done, because of her daughter, but Alessandro calls her out. “Amore mio,” he smirked, his eyes gave me a thorough stare down. It was slow and deliberate. My heart was a high-speed train. I could feel my face burning, turning a shade that betrayed everything I was trying to hide. “When I said you were mine, I meant it.” He said. He stood and closed the gap between us. I tried to leave. “Stop!” and I froze. “Look at me.” It was an order, and I did exactly that. He gave me his evil half smile. “Fa,” he paused. “Bi,” another pause. “Ola,” he rasped. “You know you will always be mine,” he paused as if to let that sink in, with his laser icy blues staring right into mine. “Right?”

The Ravennites: children of the lost Seluitah tribe and the white refugees from the Old World. For generations their civilization had remained hidden and kept secret from the constant, prying eyes of the Outside. Life as the Ravennites once knew it, however, would soon fall to bitter change when enemies from the Outside world seek to take away from them everything they had always known and loved. Lost and helpless, the Ravennite civilization has all but fallen into ruin. That is, until a young outsider named Alex Lee discovers the hidden culture and the dire situation that has overshadowed them. Suddenly thrown into the middle of the conflict, Alex feels as though he has no choice but to make a stand and help his brave new friends in the fight to take back what is being stolen from them; while along the way gaining an incredible new insight on the life which he had left behind, and developing a powerful bond with a young Ravennite girl. The choice is his to make: to join with the Ravennites in their fight against their greatest enemies, or to fall into darkness along with all that is left of their hidden civilization, running away is no option. Whatever the path he chooses to take, however, what Alex does not yet realize is the exact nature of the mysterious forces which he constantly senses continue to surround him, and that they have had their sights set on his bloodline for a long time.

A story about two people using each other and how they end up in love instead. After killing her parents, Katherine's cousin sends her to an earl of the enemy nation for marriage. Of course, she doesn't want to be a plaything – neither of the earl nor her murderous cousin – but what can she do being a seventeen-year-old girl in a men-controlled country? Having healing as her magic, while all other have some awesome attacking skills? Katherine vows to get her revenge anyway, and the first hurdle to a self-determined life is to seduce the earl to get his resources and connections. It couldn't be that hard, right? Just that after arriving in the earl's territory he tells her that he doesn't even want to marry her but only wants her to work for him. No, no, that can't be! She needs to make him change his mind!

My younger brother, Owen Rivera, and I are playing in Dad's refrigerated truck. Owen wants to grab my ice cream from me, but I refuse to let him have his way. He shoves me forcefully, causing me to lose my balance and fall to the floor, knocking me out on the spot. When I finally wake up and locate him in the freezer, I find out that he's gotten reduced to a frozen statue. The security footage shows that Owen has been screaming the words "Mommy, help me!" hysterically for three hours before his death. After Mom is done watching the footage, she breaks down on the spot. Then, she yanks me by my hair before slamming me against the wall. "What were you doing? You were at the entrance, dammit! Why didn't you open the door for Owen?" With reddened eyes, Dad throws me into the freezer. "Owen was cold and frightened in the freezer! You should have a taste of the same thing too!" The thick and heavy door is slammed in my face. Darkness and a bone-chilling coldness devour me instantly. I curl into a small ball in the corner Owen has just died in. My teeth are starting to chatter, and my consciousness is starting to slip away. I'm sorry, Mom and Dad. I don't feel cold. I'm not cold at all. I will never eat ice cream ever again in my next lifetime.

Noah’s a rising hockey star with a mouth that gets him in trouble and a body built to break rules. Sterling is the team's billionaire owner—older, untouchable, and dangerously in control. They were never supposed to cross that line. But one reckless moment changes everything. Now, Noah can’t stop thinking about the man who sees right through him. And Sterling? He’s losing control in ways he swore he never would. It was supposed to be a mistake. It’s starting to feel like an obsession.