Limestone Skin Tone

Eight months into my pregnancy, my husband finally makes time from his police duties to go to a prenatal checkup with me for the first time. The moment we step into the hospital, his satellite-encrypted phone buzzes urgently. The caller ID flashes briefly, and just like that, the man who's always calm and collected panics. "Honey, it's a red alert. Another international fugitive just crossed the border. I… I'm sorry…" He's clearly anxious, yet his tone is firm, leaving no room for argument. After apologizing, he rushes off. As I watch his SUV speed out of sight, my fist clenches tightly, crumpling the prenatal checkup sheet. I flag down a cab, slide into the car, and swiftly instruct the driver, "Follow that car. Don't lose it." A Red Notice for a fugitive? What a joke. My father, who works at the National Security Agency, barely catches wind of a notice like that. Yet, somehow, a mere police chief who only assists with cases is suddenly tasked with catching a high-priority criminal. Fine, then. I can't wait to meet the superior who's given him such an urgent assignment.

On my birthday, Connor Simpson's first love jumped off a building due to depression. She died on the spot. Connor blamed everything on me. I never celebrated my birthday again after she died. After the murderer electrocuted me for more than ten hours, they forced me to call Connor. "Connor, it's my 25th birthday today. Can you come over and spend time with me?" However, Connor did not notice anything unusual. His voice was laced with venomous iciness. "Clarisse Winter, Audrey wouldn't have died if it weren't for you. How dare you ask me to celebrate your birthday? If only you were the one who died." I heard him coaxing a woman on the other end just before he hung up on me. That low and gentle tone was what I loved to hear the most in the past. That night, the murderer cut my body into countless pieces, packed them in bags, and threw them in front of the police station. Connor was summoned back overnight. He spent two days and two nights piecing together the body parts, but he did not realize that the dead person was the wife that he hated the most.

“What’s the first thing about me?” And I dare not forget. “You’re reserved…god!” “And by reserved, I mean…?” He asks gently, a tone that’s opposite from the strength in his action. “Talk to me, Milaya. By reserved, I mean what?” “You don’t share…” My teeth clenches hard. “And I’m yours…” Then light explodes behind my eyelids. "Good girl," he praises. *** Liliana Hoxha's fairytale life shatters when her sister is killed and her husband is kidnapped and brutally murdered. What she doesn't expect next is to be abducted by Damian Kastorov, a ruthless Mafia Don driven by rage and revenge, who believes Liliana's husband is connected to his girlfriend's death... As Liliana's held captive in Damian's mansion, hatred ignites into passion, and Liliana soon uncovers a shocking truth: her sister's tragic fate is tied to Damian's past and her husband's dark secrets. Trapped, Liliana must choose between escaping the monster she's fallen for or succumbing to his dangerous allure. Will their forbidden love be their salvation, or will it destroy everything? What if it's the latter?

For five years of our marriage, Matthew Spark was my entire world. I abandoned my career, severed ties with my family, and molded myself into the perfect wife for him. I believed our love was unshakable, and that our marriage certificate was the ultimate proof of it. Until the day I saw him with my own eyes—holding another woman in his arms as he stepped into our home. “Ava, let me introduce you,” he said, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather. “This is Sophie Spears, and her daughter, Ella. They’ll be living here from now on.” I froze. I had seen her face before—tucked in the drawer of his desk, in his wallet, even as the wallpaper on his phone. And in that instant, I realized the cruel truth: I was the unnecessary outsider. The interloper. The greater insult came when I confronted him. He calmly produced a marriage certificate—his and Sophie’s marriage was three months before ours. That was the moment I learned my marriage had been nothing but a farce. That I wasn’t even significant enough to be a mistress. And in that moment, I laughed. Oh, Matthew. Did you forget who the largest investor in Spark Enterprise was?

"This is my first time... it hurts... oh, it’s bleeding..." Allie winced as a cut from the kitchen knife throbbed on her finger. Liam glanced at her, his face full of concern, and applied the medicine with a sharp, almost angry tone: "I’ve told you not to go near the kitchen! Just tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll make it for you!" For Allie, her 20th birthday gift was discovering her boyfriend's betrayal with her best friend in bed. Furious, she turned her back on Nick and married Liam Hart, the city’s most influential and untouchable man. From that moment, she faced endless challenges: Nick’s constant manipulations, Liam’s family scheming against her, and the toxic people in their lives. Everyone sees Liam as the perfect, doting husband—no one knows the price she pays for his love. Exhausted, Allie faced Liam one night, her voice trembling with frustration: "Liam Hart, you are a monster in disguise." Liam, looking hurt, replied with a soft grin, “You wound me, darling. How could I possibly be a monster when I’m the one who’s supposed to protect you?”

Heat: Fifty Erotic Fictions for the Fevered Mind By Gem-Ma No fade to black. No soft focus. Just the edge of pleasure. Step into a world where boundaries melt, clothes fall, and fantasies ignite. From secret pillow fights and forbidden fittings to rough backseat confessions and whispered sins behind bookstore shelves, HEAT delivers 50 scorching tales of seduction, kink, and raw, unfiltered desire. Whether it's soft sighs in a steamy bath or the slap of skin in a dark alley, each story plunges you deep into lust, longing, and the edge of surrender. M/F. F/F. M/M. Threesomes. Strangers. Exes. Teachers. Brides. Bosses. No fantasy is off-limits. Multiple kinks. All orientations. One rule: never look away. Perfect for readers who crave vivid scenes, dirty talk, and characters who always cross the line-again and again.

BLURB Clara Langford once had everything until a plane crash stole her family and her future. Now she’s broke, alone, and fighting to rebuild her shattered life at Westbridge University. She promised herself no distractions. No love. No more heartbreak. Then she meets Alexander Robert, arrogant, magnetic, dangerous. He gets under her skin with one look, one smirk, one touch she should never want. And just when she thinks trouble has a name and a face… Adrian Hale appears. Gentle. Charming. Hiding secrets that shake her world. Two men. One girl with a past built on lies. Because the boy she’s falling for is linked to the man who destroyed her life. And Clara is about to learn that nothing about her tragedy was an accident.

With raven hair, lips as red as blood and smooth sun kissed skin, without a doubt she was a delicate flower against bouquet of red roses. No man could deny such a delicate flower such as Aurora. Not even the most cold hearted and ruthless creatures that lurk in the shadows. They would stop at nothing to have her even if it meant breaking her in the process. And when they get her they wouldn't share her with a soul. What they failed to notice was that Aurora was a tough nut to crack and the moment she submitted to a man was the day her corpse laid six feet underground. The only good that exists within a cruel world. Every man wants a chance to claim her as theirs. Every woman woman wants to end her life. Read this novel to discover what lies ahead and which path Aurora will choose.

My mate, Carter, sent me to a werewolf prison for four years. On the day I was released, he arrived holding the hand of his pregnant mistress. “This is what your parents owe me.” “From today on, you’ll take care of Amelia.” I nodded obediently. She made me pick roses with my bare hands. Made me plant a hundred pots under the scorching sun. Made me scrub my allergic, ulcerated skin with alcohol. And I did everything she asked. Until the day they brought me back to my old home. The house was gone. In its place stretched an endless rose garden. And my only sister— had become nothing but a box of ashes. That was the moment I understood. I survived not to atone. I survived to take revenge.

"I would rather die than become his wife, Father," I said, followed by the startled noise of the crowd. "Amber, please don't. You know that I have always loved--," "Love, you said?" I cried out. I could feel that my skin tighten and my breath flared. Then again, the recollection of that night flashing before my eyes. What had happened that day didn't kill me, but something inside me died that day.Amber Durant was born a girl in the wrong place and time. By the ages of 16 years old Amber was forced into some sick twisted fate that shatters everything she knows. Love, hate, trauma, desire to be free, and longing for revenge have led her to other shades of life. Will she survive the monster within her?