Intertwining Fingers

I should step back. But I don’t. His hand slides to my waist, firm, deliberate. Not asking. Claiming. My stomach tightens, heat curling low, and I feel every inch of him before I even see him. He’s behind me, close enough that I can feel his breath at my neck. My pulse stutters as his fingers trace slow, unhurried circles up my back, and I know I should pull away… but I can’t. His lips brush my neck. Not a kiss yet, just the promise of it. My head tilts back before I can stop myself, back arching like my body is betraying me. Then he speaks. Low, calm, in control “Don’t make a sound.” A shiver runs through me. Not from fear. Not exactly. From… him. He’s in control. I can’t fight it. I don’t want to. And somewhere deep inside, I realize the terrifying truth: I’m letting him have me.

"If it's a sin to touch you, then I'll burn just to have you." Nik Velasquez. *** Like the ocean—wild, deep, mysterious, and dangerous, Nik would never allow anyone to control him like an obedient robot. He would break free from anyone who’s trying to have their fingers wrapped around his neck but how can a single woman—with a freaking innocent face— stir emotions in him that he didn’t know existed? Blakely Velasquez, Nik's nominal sister. The perfect daughter, a masterpiece of his controlling parents. Yet this seemingly obedient girl had a forbidden craving for her adoptive brother. A mistake she made six years ago pushed him far away. And when she was about to drop her illusion and marry someone else, the man returned. Just one sight, the feelings she tried to bury started coming back. Blakely hoped not to make any more mistakes but after an accidental one-night stand, could they still repress this forbidden attraction? And what would they have to face when this forbidden relationship was exposed under the sun?

Desire licked along my spine. I forgot about his monstrosity of a cock. All I could think of was feeling his warmth envelop me. “Don't be scared,” he whispered, running his fingers down my jaw. “I will never hurt you.” Fear and passion warred in my eyes as I complied. I'll give him the benefit of a doubt. For once, I'll trust his words. ... KIELAN Forbidden yet irresistible. Obsessed with the one I shouldn't have. She's the sun to my darkness, the light that fuels my every waking thought. But she's forbidden, a fleeting dream I'll never grasp. The truth should have been enough to quell the hunger, to sate the desires coursing through my veins, but it didn't. She's got my heart. Lylah, the only woman I shouldn't crave, but the one who sends my blood pumping. When the opportunity to have her as mine presented itself, I couldn't help but grasp it strongly, with both arms. Six months, I promised, knowing it was more than enough to win her over.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” Imani whispered, her voice trembling more from want than from fear of her brother barging in and catching her leaning in to kiss his ex-best-friend now turned enemy. “Then stop me,” he murmured back, his fingers brushing her jaw, his breath hot against her skin. But neither of them moved. The distance between them had already disappeared, along with every rule she’d promised not to break. *** When Imani Grayson, a quiet psychology major, is assigned to mentor the university’s star hockey captain, Nicolas Jameson, she expects arrogance not the kind of chemistry that keeps her up at night. What begins as a simple assignment spirals into late-night tutoring sessions, stolen glances, and kisses that blur every boundary she’s ever set. But with jealous teammates watching, old wounds resurfacing, and a love too intense to hide, the game they started might be the one that shatters them both. Imani will soon learn that some games can’t be won without losing everything, and Nicolas, that even in the game of hearts, the strongest player can fall to his knees.

During the five years I was in a vegetative state, all ten family soldiers assigned to guard me were murdered. One of them merely smoked a cigarette outside my hospital room. The next day, he was found upside down, drowned in a toilet. Another simply adjusted my pillow. The next day, he took a dive from a skyscraper rooftop. The Corleone family was in chaos, but they couldn't find a single trace of the killer. With no other choice, the ten executions, all textbook Mafia hits, became cold cases. Strangely, the very second the tenth guard's heart stopped, I opened my eyes. The first thing I did upon waking was call the FBI and turn myself in. The agents were stunned. "Miss Corleone, are you saying that while in a coma for five years, you planned and executed the murders of ten fully armed Mafia soldiers?" My fingers tapped lightly on the table, a faint smile playing on my lips. "That's right." "Being in a vegetative state only means I couldn't move." "Who ever told you that killing, something so crude, required me to get my hands dirty?"

My best friend, Cassidy Braun, earned a modest monthly salary of 2,800 dollars, only to constantly trash her doting husband with an annual income of 600,000 dollars, labelling him a broke loser. “That incompetent husband of mine can’t even afford a 20-carat diamond ring! “I have the looks that can bag me a billionaire. I must have been out of my mind to marry that piece of trash.” I chimed in. “You’re right. You’re practically a goddess. Only a Greek God stands a chance with you.” Eventually, Cassidy left her husband and hooked up with a trust-fund kid, just as she wanted. A year later, she was scammed out of every penny she owned and diagnosed with cancer. Fragile and broken, she came to me. “I heard that ex-husband of mine remarried and that he’s loaded now. Judging by the way he used to worship the ground I walked on, I bet he’ll drop the woman in a heartbeat if I ask to get back together.” I gave a dismissive nod while running my fingers along the new Birkin bag my husband had bought. “Oh, absolutely. He’s pretty wealthy now.”

Clarence, the Vampire Prince, fell for me the moment he laid eyes on me. And I fell for him just as hard, just as hopelessly. I accepted his Embrace. The whole dark world knew he loved me more than life itself. He branded the rune of our blood bond directly over his heart. That lasted five centuries. Then I got the video from his new blood doll—a human stripper named Seraphina. She was sprawled naked in his lap, fresh bite marks dotting her throat. Using her own blood, she’d painted a crude sigil right beside the sacred rune meant only for me. And my mate had let her. “Clarence says my young blood is the only thing that makes him feel alive anymore,” she purred. “He says you’re a dead fish in bed, darling Molly. Time for the new generation to take over.” I didn't bother to reply. My fingers were steady as I contacted an ancient witch. “I need a glamour,” I said, my voice even and low. “A perfect human shell. One that will hide everything—my scent, my trail. All of it.”

My heart raced wildly as he leaned in, his warm breath brushing my ear. "The next time I see you kiss anyone else..." he whispered, his voice dark and lethal, " I'll make sure these pretty lips of yours are stitched shut." He wasn't supposed to care. I wasn't supposed to matter. But one kiss was all it took to turn control into obsession. I'm bound to him by a dangerous deal, living on the edge of fear and desire, never quite sure where the line is, or if it ever existed at all. Mr. Hanson is cold, powerful, and terrifyingly possessive. He thrives on control, and he hates how I slip through his fingers no matter how tightly he grips me. Every touch feels like a warning. Every breath between us feels like a threat. As fear, power, and longing blur into something I no longer recognize, I'm forced to decide how far I'm willing to go to survive a man who doesn't just want my obedience. He wants my silence. My loyalty. My heart. Because with him, love isn't gentle. It's a weapon.

“You must think I am some kind of fool to take you back,” my voice was cold, devoid of emotion. “I gave everything up because of you. I bled silently, got depressed, and almost chewed out my fingers because I wanted to be the perfect wife. But what did you do? You spat in my face.” I scoffed. “You do not deserve forgiveness. You deserve to face every single ounce of my wrath.” **** Delores sacrificed everything—her dreams, her career, even her health—for the sake of her husband and family. But instead of love, she received silence and scorn. Renal failure stole her strength. Betrayal stole her hope. And an unexpected accident stole the last of her life. Yet destiny was not finished with her. Sent back to her prime, Delores finds herself once again on the bright stage of fame. This time, she refuses to bow. She will choose herself. She will fight for everything she lost. But the greatest twist is the man she once thought hated her… now wants her more than ever. Only, Delores no longer believes in love. Not when revenge tastes sweeter.

They had brought Olive into the Levine family under the shadow of illegitimacy, living a life concealed from the world. However, one day, her stepmother concocted a plan for a marriage replacement, coercing her into wedlock with Edward Johnson. She demanded that Olive take on the role of her stepsister. Olive found herself bound to a man notorious as ‘The Devil,’ an unsightly and disfigured villain. Little did she know, he harbored a well-kept secret. His mother had perished in a blaze, ignited by his stepbrother, transforming him into a vengeful figure. To pursue his vendetta, he sought to marry Olive’s stepsister, believing her to be entangled with his stepbrother. And he was deceived by them again... What would transpire when Edward uncovered the ruse? Would he spare her life? Could Olive soften the heart of this ruthless beast? __ The room was dark when he emerged behind me. His fingers skimmed against my bare shoulder, making me flinch, and his warm breath caressed my ear while his hand slipped down my navel. "Your body is mine, if not your heart." His hoarse voice made me close my eyes shut.