Leaned

His face was inches from mine. His breath ghosted over my lips—warm, whiskey-scented from dinner and my body remembered him instantly: the way he’d pinned my wrists, the slow grind of his hips, the filthy things he’d growled in my ear while I came apart beneath him. He leaned in. I felt the pull—like gravity, like hunger. My lips parted on instinct. Just one more inch and we’d be kissing again, messy and desperate, right here in his car like teenagers who couldn’t wait. But reality crashed in. I jerked back, pressing myself against the door. “We can’t.” His jaw ticked. “Why not?” "Because I practically raised you.” My voice shook. “Because your mom is my best friend and I'm way older than you..." "I don't care" he bit out, shocking me even further. "I’ve wanted you since I was old enough to know what wanting meant. And don’t pretend like you don't feel something too." Sophie helped raise him. She was there for homework, school runs, and the lonely years when his parents were too busy. To her, he was just her best friend’s son. Years later, she catches her husband cheating on their anniversary and loses her unborn child due to the shock, Sophie spends the night with a stranger that she never expects to see again. But the stranger is Antonio — the boy she once helped raise. Now he’s all grown up. Powerful. Successful. And off limits. She manages to escape from him — so she thinks — until days later, she gets hired in a fashion company where Antonio is the CEO.

ADRIAN'S POV My head was pounding, a dull throb that echoed the frantic beat of my heart. I was hot, too hot, my skin slick with an unfamiliar sweat. I knew it instantly: drugged. One moment I was escorting Aria, basking in the glittering lights and dancing with her in the ballroom at her birthday party. Next, a wine from a waiter, a trip to the bathroom, and then… darkness. I blinked, trying to focus on the blur above me. Damien. My stalker. The man who’d been haunting the edges of my life for weeks, whispering cryptic claims of a shared past I couldn’t recall. He was on top of me, pinning me to the plush velvet of some unfamiliar bed. His eyes, usually so intense and unsettling, were filled with a disturbing mix of guilt and desperation. "I’m sorry, Adrian, I'm so sorry I had to do this, but I can't stand seeing you with her. Watching you rewrite our history... please, remember me. Remember us." He leaned down, his breath hot against my ear. "I promise, I'll cherish you this time." Then, his lips crashed onto mine, a fierce, possessive kiss that stole my breath away. His hands moved over me, desperate and knowing, igniting a fire that both terrified and strangely thrilled me. Maybe it was the drug blurring the lines of reason. Or maybe… just maybe, deep down, my body recognized something my mind couldn’t. It responded to his touch with a shameful eagerness, a desperate need that mirrored his own. All I could do was surrender to the moment, to the heat, to the undeniable connection I felt with this man, Damien, as I returned his kiss with a fervor that shocked us both.

“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?

****Excerpt**** “You see yourself as ordinary,” he said softly. “But entire worlds have crumbled and come apart for far less than a woman of your beauty.” He pushed his horn further again, filling her another inch. Her flame flared white-hot behind her ribs. Begging, pleading, clawing. “That’s it, my little whore. You like that, don’t you?” he preened against the corner of her mouth. His voice hit her harder than the horn. Dirty, cruel, worshipful. The word whore sent heat spiralling down her spine, making her clench around the invasion. She hated the word. She loved how he said it. “Please…” She started. He squeezed her throat, cutting off the rest of her words. Her breath hitched violently at the pressure, but she surrendered to the feeling. “Unless you are about to beg me to fuck your ass harder with this horn, I don’t want to hear how you can’t take any more.” He growled, low and threatening. A wave of want crashed into her so hard she whimpered. Adelaide should have been scared. In a way, she was. It wasn’t fear that made her heart pound, it was the terrifying realisation that she wanted exactly what he demanded. She wanted to feel the thickness of his horn deep inside her, wanted the stretch, the pain, the pleasure. She wanted all of what she knew he could give her. She leaned her head back to run her tongue over the seam of his lips. “Fuck me harder.” She said softly, the words barely a whisper. They carried the desperation, surrender, hunger, devotion, need. Her voice trembled with the weight of what she was giving him. Of what she was asking him to do to her. He growled. The sound vibrated through her, deep and possessive.

As I laid there waiting for sleep to take me. I was startled as my eyes drifted they landed on a human shaped shadow again by the bathroom door. I tried to roll. Nothing happened. Scared now, I tried to reach my phone. My arms wouldn’t move. My breathing was getting rapid. The only thing that would move is my eyes. Why can’t I move? From the corner of my eye, I saw it. The shadow moved from the doorframe towards me. It was an ambiguous huge male human shape with a hat on its head. Once it reached the bed, it stopped. Less than a foot from me and I couldn’t make out any details. My heart was racing, and my breathing was ragged. Male knuckles traced my jaw from my ear to my chin. The touch was gentle. Intimate even. A husky, seductive chuckle filled the air that still smelt of the candle. “I know what you need little gazelle.” The shadow shimmered. Now I could see the details. He was at least six foot two. Dark skin, bald head, and wearing jeans that clung to his muscled legs. An unbuttoned dark purple shirt displayed his taunt chest. The moonlight showed his beautiful smile as he leaned towards me. I tried to speak, but nothing came out. “Shhh. I’m going to make it all better.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was supposed to be a relaxing vacation. Vivienne needed a get away from the stress of her life. Having heard her best friend sing the praises of Helen, GA. she decided to spend a week in cute cabin and decompress. Instead her dreams are invaded by a mysterious sensual man with swirling purple eyes. Soon she wonders if he’s more than just the man of her dreams.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Kitten,” he warned, his eyes cold as he watched her hand slowly trace his exposed abs. The corner of her lips quirked up, and then she leaned forward, stuck out her tongue, and then lapped at his ear slowly and sensually. In a split second, she was flipped over and then pinned to the wall. “You asked for this, Kitten.” His emotionless face finally changed as he revealed a scorching gaze that surprised her. She wanted to protest, but it became a gasp when she realized his hand had crept beneath her gown. His hand began to move, and her gasp soon changed into moans. His other hand had never let her neck go as he squeezed tighter. “That’s right! That is what I want to hear. Since you asked for it, I’ll make you moan till your voice is no more and you have reached your limit. Even then, I won’t stop.” Jasmine was plus-sized, but she was happy because she had a fiance who she believed loved her, a step-sister who could die for her, and loved ones who treated her like a princess. Well, that all changes when her fiancee dumps her at the altar after body shaming and scamming her of all she had. To worsen things, she finds him in bed with her step-sister. Left with no one, as even those she believed to be her loved ones deserted her, she supposedly committed suicide. Three years later, she turns up at her step-sister’s and ex-fiance’s wedding, looking astonishingly different. As if that weren’t enough shock, she suddenly declares that she isn’t back for her ex-fiancee but his gorgeous hunk of a father. And to their utter disbelief, he accepts her proposal.

> “Stay still, Little Thorn… I want to taste you slowly.” His voice was velvet and ruin. His mouth, a weapon. And I—fool that I was—leaned closer. Before death wore a suit and called itself a lover, I used to believe in beauty. Before the blood. Before the runes. Before I painted the image that killed my parents—I believed my art could save me. Now I know better. I was just weeks from graduating when the painting came to me like a fever. I didn’t choose it. I didn’t plan it. My hands moved, possessed, dragging symbols I’d never seen and a face I’d never forgotten—his. Eyes red as wine. A crown pierced with thorns. And a girl in the center… me. Offering herself. I signed it with a mark I didn’t recognize. I sold it to a stranger. And days later, my parents were dead—no wounds, no reason, just... gone. The police said stress. I say fate. Now I’m being hunted by a world I didn’t know existed. Vampires with ancient courts and older grudges. Symbols that whisper in my blood. And Lucien D’Aragon—the vampire who says I summoned him with my brushstroke. That I belong to him. He says I’m his prophecy. His ruin. His Little Thorn. But I’m not just prey. Something is waking in me. Something hungry. Something I was never meant to survive. If I give in, I lose everything. If I fight, I might finally learn the truth. About my art. About my bloodline. About what really happened that night. And why he keeps whispering that I was painted for ruin... but made for him.

A desperate young woman, Lucy, enters into a contract marriage with the cold-hearted CEO, Drey Jackson, to save her mother’s life. But as their lives collide, hidden secrets lie around Drey’s family, and a dangerous rivalry emerges to tear them apart. Stuck between love and loyalty, Lucy and Drey must navigate a treacherous path where trust is shattered, and survival becomes their only choice. Will they overcome the darkness, or will the price of love and power destroy them both? ******** “So, a contract marriage,” I said slowly, testing the idea. “What makes you think I would even consider something like that? And with you?” I asked, letting out a little laughter. She leaned in slightly, her lips curving into a small, confident smile. “Because it’s the perfect solution for both of us. You need the public to believe you’re happily married. And I need the money. We both walk away with exactly what we want—no strings attached.” I chuckled, feeling I was on the edge of it. “You’re a bartender. What makes you think you can play the part of a billionaire’s wife?” I chuckled darkly as my breathtaking face twisted into a Mona Lisa. “I can have you fired for this, you know.” She didn’t flinch, but I noticed her sweaty palms. She could lose her only surviving job if I wanted that to happen. It was obvious how desperate she needed money but I couldn’t just agree with her even if it was a good idea. “I think you’re misunderstanding me. I’m not some desperate woman trying to snag a rich man,” She suddenly snapped. She was only an inch away from me now, trying to avoid any direct touch. “We don't have to be in love.”

“Promise me, you will marry me?” Kylie asked Damon. “Yes. I promise you. I will marry you, my love." Damon answered and kissed Kylie passionately. ••• “Will you accept Damon Blake as your lawful husband?” The priest asked the bride. “I Do." The Bride answered with a bright smile on her face. “Will you accept Riya Reymond as your lawful wife?” The priest asked the groom. “Yes.” The Groom answered after taking a deep breath. "I hereby announce that Mr. Damon Blake and Mrs. Riya Reymond are lawfully Husband and Wife. You may kiss the bride now." The priest said smiling. Damon leaned in and pressed his lips against Riya's lips. ••• “Marry me to take revenge on your brother, Asher?” Kylie asked. “Are you out of your mind?” Asher asked. “No. But you promised me that you will bring me and your brother together again? Remember or you forgot your promises too?” Kylie asked. “No. I don’t. But, marrying me won’t get you my brother.” Asher answered. “I have no choice left. Either marry me… or get lost from my life and never show me your face to me.” Kylie said. “Okay… I will marry you.” Asher replied. ~~~ Kylie was betrayed by Damon, her only first love. But, Damon was forced to get married to someone he doesn’t love and Kylie married Damon’s brother to get revenge on the man who betrayed her? Read this story of four different people who chose four different ways of life and got entangled with each other in a way even their fate couldn't comprehend. What happens... when these four people were forced into forced marriage. Will they find love or would they find hatred? Or would they come to an acceptance like many of those 'accepting' married couple?

The wild Garvey clan is back. Jodi Garvey and Matt Kirby finally tie the knot. A lost love returns to Gabriella Garvey, but will she be smart enough to hold on to it this time? Jackie has grabbed the attention of a particular deputy who she despises. The deputy is not discouraged and goes to romantic and amusing lengths to make Jackie his. He wants to learn every inch of her body and all of her secrets. Yet, he finds out more than he wants to know. How will he handle it? In the meantime, Patty can no longer hide her feelings for a man who is a true playboy in his heart. Will she go for it or walk away crushed? And we find out what happens after happily ever after begins as a long, lost Garvey returns for his birthright. ******** He knew the contest hadn't started yet, but Jackie had to be the hottest woman in the room. Her long legs and hips were magnificent. Jackie's voice was like velvet on the mic. He continued to gawk at her. Dalton!” Goldman yelled. Nick snapped out of the haze he was in.“What?” Goldman smirked. "Close your mouth.” He frowned. "Not bad for - what did you call her? A rigid anal repressive,” Goldman teased. Nick didn't know what to say. "You may as well shake that bulge off. You said yourself, she hates you. You're not getting any from her." Nick felt an excitement that he hadn't felt in over a year. It would happen when he would see a woman he liked, especially when she was a challenge. He smirked and leaned over to Goldman and stared him straight in the eye. "Where there's a will there's a way, old friend. And I just found my muse.”