It Was Always You By Maroon 5

I've crushed on Ethan McKay since the moment I laid eyes on him. After a year and a half of going to the same college, he still has no clue I exist. Aside from my best friend, I'm practically invisible since I've spent the last seven years of my life purposefully living in the shadows, just waiting for my life to begin. Not that it matters. He's got his own life to live anyway. Parties to attend. Girls to see. And a father to impress so he can regain his trust, and earn back his rightful place in the family business. So, how is it that one night, one party, changes everything for the both of us?

Five years ago, I entered a marriage of convenience with the most powerful man in Z City to escape a family determined to control my life. I believed it was a transaction—protection in exchange for my name. I never expected to fall in love. And I never expected to leave. When misunderstandings, silence, and the shadow of his past shattered what we built, I signed the divorce papers and disappeared, carrying a secret he was never meant to know. Now I’m back. Stronger. Independent. And no longer alone. The man I once walked away from has discovered the truth: the twins at my side are his heirs. He wants answers. He wants his children. And he wants the woman he lost back in his life. But love born from power and deception does not earn forgiveness easily. As inheritance battles erupt, old truths surface, and control gives way to consequence, I must decide whether the man who once broke my trust deserves a second chance. This time, I’m not choosing survival. I’m choosing freely — on my own terms.

The things that have to happen in the universe to lead us to a very particular moment in time are often a mystery but for Pearl and Corey, just getting them in the same room isn’t enough. They both fight their attraction to each other for different reasons, but their fire is an eruption in the making. Pearl has a nine to five during the day, but plays the guitar and dreams of making it big at night. Her long time fiance and her best friend have a nasty secret that forever alters her life. Corey is a bass player in the hard rock band Feisty, determined to be a bachelor for life even though two of his best friends have tied the knot. Can these two come together and accept that the universe is determined to win? **This is book three of five, of my Feisty series. This can be read as a stand alone book but you will be better able to follow if you read them in order.**

BOOK ONE of COALESCENCE OF THE FIVE: After being rejected by 5 mates, Gamma Lucianne pleaded with the Moon Goddess to spare her from any further mate-bonds. To her dismay, she is being bonded for the sixth time. What’s worse is that her sixth-chance mate is the most powerful creature ruling over all werewolves and Lycans - the Lycan King himself. She is certain, dead certain, that a rejection would come sooner or later, though she hopes for it to be sooner. King Alexandar was ecstatic to meet his bonded mate, and couldn’t thank their Goddess enough for gifting him someone so perfect. However, he soon realizes that this gift is reluctant to accept him, and more than willing to sever their bond. He tries to connect with her but she seems so far away. He is desperate to get intimate with her but she seems reluctant to open up to him. He tries to tell her that he is willing to commit to her for the rest of his life but she doesn’t seem to believe him. He is pleading for a chance: a chance to get to know her; a chance to show her that he’s different; and a chance to love her. But when not-so-subtle crushes, jealous suitors, self-entitled Queen-wannabes, an old flame, a silent protector and a past wedding engagement threaten to jeopardize their relationship, will Lucianne and Xandar still choose to be together? Is their love strong enough to overcome everything and everyone? Or will Lucianne resort to enduring a sixth rejection from the one person she thought she could entrust her heart with? *** BOOK TWO: The Rogues Who Went Rogue BOOK THREE: The Indomitable Huntress & the Hardened Duke

Everyone knew I’d do anything for Lucius Falcone. I was his shadow, his most devoted follower… or, to be blunt, his lapdog. For three years, I trailed after him, indulging his every mafia-heir whim. When he went street racing at midnight, I was in the passenger seat, even when I was burning up with a 104-degree fever. When he was screwing some other woman, he’d call me to bring toys, and I’d show up, no questions asked. Finally, Lucius started to soften. Just when everyone thought I was about to finally get what I’d been working for… At the party celebrating his taking over as Don of the Falcone family, he showed up with some bombshell on his arm. He gave me a bored look and said, "You're dull in bed. Tina, on the other hand, knows how to get me off." The whole room was waiting for me to break down. Instead, I just gave a small smile. "Then congratulations to you both." Then I turned, walked out, and got on a plane to Paris. Lucius was already making bets that I’d come crawling back within three days. What he didn't know was that his mother had paid me five million dollars to do it all. The contract was up. The money was in my account. I was finally free to leave him and to finally chase my own dream in Paris.

I double over in pain after assisting Adrian Randall with a late-night operation. He immediately carries me to a ward to check on me. However, before he can do that, he receives a call from a patient and hurries off. That night, I miscarry. When I come out of the operating theater, I see his childhood friend's social media update. She's shared a photo of her baby bump. "He hurried to come to my side just because I was lost. You have to treat Adrian well in the future, my darling!" I rub my belly, which throbs with a dull ache. I don't cry and demand an explanation from Adrian as I would have in the past. Instead, I like the post and apply for a position on the Borderless Medical Assistance Program. The day I leave, the high and mighty Dr. Randall looks at me with red-rimmed eyes. He asks, "How can you bear to leave me behind?"

When Bettina started to rebuild herself her first love came back from abroad. He was sceptical trying to hide her feelings. But little she know that the person she used to love before was not the same man before. He was eaten by power and greediness. Repeated cheating that causes Bettina lost her credibility as a Surgeon. A hidden conspiracy will reveal in the middle of the story. Her accidental meeting with Miguel who was a successful bachelor where the real romance begin.

IIn the heart of Russo Enterprises and UCLA, a fascinating story unfolds. Meet the enigmatic Dante Russo, the youngest CEO and eligible bachelor, along with his charming and warm-hearted younger brother, Matteo Russo. Dante's structured life takes an unexpected turn when he encounters a mysterious brunette who challenges his established rules. Meanwhile, Matteo's life undergoes a transformation as he unexpectedly falls for his sister's roommate. Olivia, the central figure, becomes the key to a story that explores the boundaries of passion and the power of destiny. Dive into a narrative filled with charm, mysteries, and an unpredictable dance of fate. Follow these characters as they navigate through love, loyalty, and unexpected turns.

From two different worlds. They are both broken and yet they peiced both their broken halfs to form a heart. Didn't they know love wasn't made for them ? They knew but yet they fell for each other. Quinn Fields is a young clumsy lieutenant returning to the police force after cutting all ties from her abusive ex. She moves on renting a quiet apartment in Portland and works hard volunteering non stop so she can get promoted. On a night patrol she contacts a handsome stranger who was bruised and unconscious, being the generous and naive young woman she is, she takes him back to her apartment and cleans his wounds and the next morning the stranger is gone. Two weeks later she comes in contact with AXE-L one of the notorious and dangerous uprising gangsters. The leader of the gang is none other than the man she shared her kindness to and he returned her kindness with a gun pointed to her head.

She survived a marriage that could have broken her. She certainly never expected to fall in love with the man who helped her rebuild it. After leaving a cheating husband, Layla Morgan is determined to reclaim her life. But healing is a slow process made of small victories and quiet realisations. Enter Rider Steele. He is patient, gentle, and endlessly loyal. He never pushes nor demands; he simply stands with her. And somewhere between shared meals, harbour walks, and whispered confessions, Layla learns what trust feels like again. A deeply emotional, slow-burn romance about betrayal, healing, homecoming, and the bravery it takes to believe you deserve happiness.