Leaned

Excerpt “Did he touch you?” Nicholas leaned in, his face inches away from mine. His closeness was suffocating,stealing the breath in my lungs. “Nic, stop!” My breath hitched and I shrank back. “I’ll take that as a yes, which hand?” He questioned again, clenching his jaws so hard that I could see the muscles rippling. “It was a mistake..” I whispered. “That doesn’t look like a mistake, Mira..” he moved closer to me. “It was, please let it go” I pleaded with my last bit of energy. “If you don’t tell me, I’ll bring both hands for you to choose,”. ********. Mira Cavallo thought she could leave her dangerous past behind and stay safe with her five-year-old son, Rocco but unknown to her, safety is an illusion in the mafia world. Her peaceful life is shattered when armed men break into her home, rips her son from her arms and forces her back into the clutches of her former boss, Lucius Moretti also known as the bloodhound. To save her child, Mira must return to the mafia world, seduce a very dangerous Mafia leader, Nicholas Sterling and uncover his secrets that would pull him down or kill him. As Mira inches closer to the truth, Mira discovers some hidden truth about Lucuis and Nicholas and she also realizes that she isn’t just fighting for her son but for her freedom in a dangerous game of power and desire.

"I have never done this," I muttered, hypnotized by his eyes. "Nobody knows everything." He answered and gave me his hand. "You are so... so... So... beautiful." He was whispering his secret and I had his chiselled jaw wrapped in a small stubble beard in my hands. "You don't have to know anything. Follow me." He pulled me into his arms, he mumbled, I leaned over and kissed him. I cupped his cheeks and pulled him to kiss my lips. I want to savour those lips. He obeyed. He stormed into my life on a rainy day, one day just to shelter me. He was always uninvited into my life but once I tasted him, I realised I am more than I can be. He became My Taste I Like until I learnt his truth.

“Give me your hands,” he ordered, coldly. I froze, watching him loosen his tie as he walked closer. Something about him felt… off. Mean. Distant. My throat went dry, but I gave him my hands anyway. He gripped my wrists—tight enough for my pulse to throb under his fingers. He wrapped the tie around them and pulled, dragging me up the bed like an animal on a leash. My back hit the headboard. Before I could react, he tied the other end of the tie to the frame. Then he reached for the veil on the nightstand. “What are you doing?” I asked, heart racing. He didn’t answer….just placed the veil over my head like I was a doll. “Making sure I don’t see your face and wish it was hers,” he said, unbuttoning his shirt. I blinked. “Hers?” He leaned in. His jaw clenched. “Your twin sister,” he said. “I wanted her. Not you.” His words felt like someone yanked the floor right under me. “I should be with her,” he added cruelly. “Loving her. Worshiping her. Not stuck with a knockoff pretending to be my wife.” I couldn’t breathe. My hands fought the tie, but it was useless. I was trapped, veiled and bound. Lucian didn’t want me. He wanted ‘her’ instead. —------------- Losing her clinic was devastating. Facing eviction was worse. But accepting a mysterious nursing job? That was desperation at its finest. What Scarlett Ashford didn’t expect was that her patient would be her terminally ill twin, the same sister she’d cut ties with. And Lucian Montgomery, her sister’s cold billionaire husband, offered her a proposition far beyond medical care. He wanted her to be his surrogate. Scarlett wonders—what twisted melodrama has she gotten herself into?

Family is everything. Blood is everything. You only live, die and kill for your family." Born and raised in secret, like a ghost who never existed, Lilliana Moretti was brought up to be used as a secret weapon against one of the most ruthless crime families-the Romanos. And when she walked into the devil's lair willingly-pretending to be in love with the second-in-command of the Romano Empire, Dominic Romano-too many buried secrets were unearthed, leaving her shattered. An uphill battle between two crime families unleashed chaos like never before. While two people were out for each other's blood with bleeding hearts, little did they realize their love was more lethal than their hatred for each other. ************************* E X C E R P T - My fingers tangled in her hair as I forced her downward. “I’m not going to kneel before you like you’re some kind of god,” she snarled. The corner of my mouth curved into a slow, dark smile. “No,” I agreed, voice low and steady. “You’re not going to kneel for me.” I leaned in closer, eyes locked on hers. “You’re going to spread your legs for me, Lilliana—because I’m the monster, baby. The real one.”

Lena’s voice trembled, barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed you away. I...I made a mistake.” Grayson’s cold laughter cut through the air. He stepped closer, his towering presence suffocating. “A mistake?” His tone was sharp, dangerous. “Dropping a glass is a mistake. What you did?” He leaned in, his breath brushing her ear. “That was a choice.” Lena flinched, her chest tightening. “I didn’t know...” “You knew exactly what you were doing.” He grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his icy gaze. “And now you’re here, begging for something. Redemption? Love?” His lips curled into a cruel smirk. “Don’t insult me.” “I don’t want anything from you,” she shot back, her voice faltering. Grayson’s soft, mocking laugh made her stomach twist. “You always want something, Lena. What is it now? A second chance to ruin me?” Her heart pounded. The man before her was no longer the one she thought she’d left behind...he was powerful, ruthless, and untouchable. And she feared she’d lost him forever. *** Lena married Grayson for his potential, believing she could manipulate him to secure her family’s fortune. Once the deal was done, she discarded him without remorse. But time has changed everything. Grayson has returned, no longer desperate, but a powerful man who has made it clear he wants nothing to do with her. Regret weighs heavy on Lena, but her reasons for seeking him now remain unclear. Is it guilt? Love? Or something far more dangerous? Grayson’s world is ruthless, offering no room for second chances. Yet, beneath his hardened exterior, a question lingers: Can he forgive her, or will he ensure she pays the ultimate price?

“So turns out Daddy Dearest didn’t just screw us over emotionally,” Luca muttered. “He was busy committing financial crimes too.” No one said anything. Not even Leo. Luca went on… “I should’ve known. The old fool always had something cooking. Even in his grave, the man’s stirring the damn pot.” He chuckled bitterly, standing up and walking to the bar. “Other fathers leave mansions, yachts, inheritance,” Luca poured a shot of whiskey, “that bastard leaves lawsuits, scandals, and a lovely side dish of FBI raids.” He downed the shot, smacking the glass on the counter. “Old fool left nothing but chaos.” Still, no one said a word. Luca leaned back against the counter and sneered. “What? Nobody gonna say anything?" After the death of billionaire tycoon Robert Van Driscoll, his final will leaves behind chaos. His three estranged sons—Leo, Jace, and Luca—must run the family company together for one year or lose everything. Leo feels betrayed after dedicating his life to the business. Jace wants nothing to do with the family. And Luca? He just wants to be free. They clash, resist, and nearly walk away. But when outside enemies begin to threaten the empire, the brothers have no choice but to unite. As they fight for control, each of them faces personal battles—old wounds, painful sacrifices, and unexpected love. Leo is haunted by a past relationship he never truly let go. Jace finds himself drawn to a woman who challenges everything he’s buried. And Luca? He falls for someone who refuses to be tamed. In the end, it’s not just about saving the company... it’s about healing, brotherhood, and risking everything for the kind of love that refuses to be bought. Written by: Terasomdi || Ogwu Kosiso

He took a menacing step closer to me. I wanted to step back but I was already pressed on the wall. He leaned towards me and whispered in my right ear. "Run as far as you can. Hide as long as you want." I closed my eyes when his lips travelled to my cheeks. "But if I find you..." his lips stopped in the corner of my lips, "I'll punish you in more ways than one." >>•<< Dada Cordova's successive misfortunes started after her sister came back. Until her long-time boyfriend cheated on her with her sister. Hurt and betrayed, she went to the bar, drowned herself in alcohol and came across the most sought-after bachelor in town, Elijah Fuentaverde. And due to excessive intoxication, she did something she deeply regretted the next day—she slept with him. So she did the most reasonable thing to do—she ran away with the decision of just forgetting what happened. But Elijah was determined to melt the ice protecting her heart. And she can't deny the fact that he's slowly succeeding in entering her life, the same time the fire between them intensified. Then suddenly a nerve-wrecking storm came that wrecked her life which proves that no secret will lasts forever.. Everyone had their own skeleton hidden in their closet... And Elijah is not an exemption. Will she still let the fire between them rekindle even if it will cost her peace of mind? Or she'll extinguish the flame even if it means being broken hearted again?

"Jealous?" He repeated. "I have no reason to be jealous of him." He leaned in, our faces inches apart. "If I wanted to, I'd have you." He whispered, his breath hot against my skin. "But you can't." I swallowed. "We're just friends." "Friends." He breathed. "And friends don't get jealous." I whispered, my lips brushing against his. "Friends don't 'have' each other." Yet here I was, straddling him in the front seat of my car, my legs on either side of his hips, our bodies pressed together. I could feel his arousal through the fabric of our clothes, and I unconsciously rubbed against him, seeking friction. He groaned, his hands gripping my hips, holding me still. "Fuck, Jo." He brushed his lips against mine in a teasing kiss, and I let out a whimper, my hips jerking. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer as I deepened the kiss. As our tongues slid against each other, I tasted the familiar taste of his lips, like burnt honey mixed with whiskey. It suddenly dawned on me that friends shouldn't know how they tasted. * * * Josette Wynters has spent her life moving from town to town because of her parents demanding job. She had looked forward to building her life at Cedarville and for the first time in her life, Josette felt like she was finally happy. That was until she caught the eye of Evander Lloyd. The notorious bad boy of Cedarville high. She had tried to avoid him, yet it seemed fate had other plans and she soon became his obsession.

"Let’s go on a proper date, with flowers and candles, his lips twitched in a cocky smile, he leaned in forward, inhaling my scent like a drug he was addicted to. “And then what?” I replied, quivering. His lips were too distracting as they stood dangerously close to mine. "We can pretend to get to know each other if you want. And after that, I can fuck you senseless." Looking up to meet his dark gaze. I swallowed hard, I had only two choices, but whichever I chose, I knew I was screwed. Zach always knew his mate was out there, but at 25, after searching every pack, he had nearly given up hope. Then came Nicole, on the run from a broken past, scarred by betrayal after a humiliating scandal with her crush who sinisterly released a sex tape of her that would haunt her for life. She’s sworn never to trust any man, but destiny had other plans. What happens when the one person you’re meant to love is the last person you think you can trust?

“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” he murmured, his voice strained. “Yes, I do,” I said, my lips trembling as I leaned closer, tilting my face toward his. “Please… I need this. I need you.” “Fuck,” he muttered under his breath. Before I could say anything else, his lips crashed into mine. A moan tore from my throat as I clung to him, pulling him closer, my body pressing against his. **** Thea Leighton had it all; wealth, power, and a marriage to Curtis Blackwood, the man she thought she loved. But in one devastating night, it was all ripped away. Betrayed, penniless, and desperate, she finds herself at rock bottom… until a mysterious stranger rescues her from the darkness. Noah Blackwood is ruthless, powerful, and dangerously irresistible. The black sheep of the Blackwood family, he built his empire in Europe, far from the chaos of his bloodline. But when fate brings Thea into his orbit, he sees an opportunity. One that involves a billion-dollar deal and the chance to dismantle the man who destroyed her. In the crazy world Thea now finds herself in, she is forced to ask herself; Can she truly trust the devil she married? Or is this nothing but a game to him? Flip the page and find out!