Linger Lyrics Novels & Stories

The things we want are so very rarely the things we need. Clifton Heights, a modest Adirondack town, offers many unique attractions. Arcane Delights sells both paperbacks and hard-to-find limited editions. The Skylark Diner serves the best home-cooked meals around, with friendly service and a smile. Every August, Mr. Jingo’s County Fair visits, to the delight of children and adults. In essence, Clifton Heights is the quintessential small American town. Everyone knows everyone else, and everyone is treated like family. It is quiet, simple, and peaceful. But shadows linger here. Flitting in dark corners, from the corner of the eye. If you walk down Main Street after dark, the slight scrape of shoes on asphalt whispers you're not alone, but when you look over your shoulder, no one is there. The moon shines high and bright in the night sky, but instead of throwing light, it only seems to make the shadows lengthen. Children disappear. Teens run away. Hunters get lost in the woods with frightening regularity. Husbands go mad, and wives vanish in the dead of night. And still, when the sun rises in the morning, you are greeted by townspeople with warm waves and friendly smiles, and the shivers pass as everything seems fresh and new... Until night falls once more. Handy's Pawn and Thrift sits several blocks down from Arcane Delights. Like any thrift store, its wares range from the mundane to the bizarre. By daylight, it seems just another slice of small town Americana. But in its window hangs a sign which reads: We Have Things You Need. And when a lonely traveling salesman comes looking for something he desperately wants, after normal visiting hours, after night has fallen, he will face a harsh truth among the shelves of Handy’s Pawn and Thrift: the things we want are rarely the things we need. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

On our wedding day, my boyfriend, Hayden Grant, had me thrown out of the chapel. Instead, he walked down the aisle hand-in-hand with his childhood sweetheart. I went back in and collapsed at the side of the aisle. The bouquet slipped from my hands, and scattered petals fell everywhere. However, his eyes did not linger on me for even half a second. "Selena's child needs a dad. Once that's taken care of, I'll marry you." Everyone thought I, the lovesick fool, would willingly wait another month. After all, I had already waited for him for seven years. However, that night, I did something no one expected. I agreed to my parents' arranged marriage and left the country. Three years later, I returned home to visit my parents. My husband, William Fields, was the CEO of a multinational corporation. When an unexpected, important meeting came up, he asked me to head to the company's branch back home ahead of him, where his subordinates would take care of me. To my surprise, one of those subordinates turned out to be Hayden, the man I had not seen in three years. His eyes went straight to the sparkling diamond on my ring finger. "Is this a knockoff of that pink diamond Mr. Fields bought for his wife that's worth five million dollars? I didn't expect you to become so vain after all these years. "You've stirred up enough drama. Come home. Selena's kid is in school now, so it's the perfect chance for you to take care of his lunches." I did not say a word and just traced the ring with my fingertips. He had no idea that this was the cheapest of all the gems William had ever given me.

*Emily 🖤* Just one night. That’s all it was supposed to be. I never knew one night could change everything. Could burn through every wall I’ve built. Could leave me craving someone I should’ve walked away from. He’s handsome—dark in the way shadows linger even when the lights are on. Powerful. Dangerous. Magnetic. Everyone says he’s a hero. That he’s the man who takes down the monsters hiding in plain sight. But he doesn’t look like the hero to me. Not when I’ve seen the way he watches me. Not when I’ve felt the way his hands command and control. There’s something he’s not telling me. Something I shouldn’t have seen… something I can’t unfeel. And now my sister is involved — and that’s when the truth dawned. This isn't just danger. It's a storm. I should run. He’s mafia. I’m just a college girl with a sharp tongue, a guarded heart——and one secret. I’m not built for his world. But near him, all the strength I thought I had crumbles. I’m bold. I don’t bend. But with him, I shatter. And the worst part? I don’t want to be saved from it. I want him. All of him — the light, the dark, the secrets, the sins. But one thing I know for sure: Love like this? It always ends in blood. *Xavier.* ⬛ One night. That’s all it took. She thinks it was nothing, but from the moment I saw her, I knew. She was mine—her body, her mind, her chaos. She cracked the Omertà file. She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s already in my world. In my world… There’s no way out. ---

“Stay low, Omega. Unless you want to be flattened.” On the ice, I am not a girl. I am a liability. At least, that’s what Jaxon Thorne tells me every time his skates spray ice over my gear. As the only female on the university’s elite hockey team, I expected the chirping. I didn’t expect the suffocating, predatory shadow of our coach. Jaxon is a True Alpha in every sense—brutal, commanding, and obsessed with purity on his team. He hates that I’m here. He hates that my scent messes with his focus. And he spends every practice making my life a living hell. But his hatred feels… heavy. It’s in the way he traps me against the boards during drills, his massive frame pinning me until I can feel the thrum of his heart through our pads. He says he’s "fixing my stance," but his hands linger too long on my hips, and his growl sounds less like a coach and more like a beast claiming its prey. Then comes the ultimate penalty: a housing error makes us roommates. Now, there’s no rink to separate us. Just thin walls and the agonizing pull of our biology. He glares at me across the kitchen table with eyes that want to ruin me, yet he’s the one sliding the bolt shut on the front door. He says Omegas don’t belong in his sport. But the way he looks at me when I’m cornered says he thinks I belong exactly where he can keep me: on my knees, under his command, and utterly his. ************************** Trigger Warnings: 18+ Content/Hardcore: Graphic sexual content, CNC (Consensual Non-Consent) elements, dub-con (due to biological "Heat/Scent" influences), aggressive Alpha behavior, and language.

After awakening years before the demise that once destroyed me, I, Lucy Hale, swear I will never again fall for Adrian Hawthorne. In my last life, loving him earned me nothing but humiliation, betrayal, and a future broken beyond repair. Now, armed with memories I shouldn't possess, I tuck myself away inside my boutique, determined to avoid him, avoid fate, avoid everything. But the universe has never been kind to my plans. No matter how I twist the timeline, Adrian keeps slipping back into my life, closer, impossibly entangled. His eyes linger longer than they should. His questions cut deeper than I’m ready to admit. And worst of all, he seems drawn to me in ways he never was before. And then there is Elias Ward, quiet, observant with eyes sharp enough to see through any disguise. Elias is nothing like Adrian. Where Adrian gleams with cold polish and empty promises, Elias is warmth wrapped in quiet mystery. A man who shouldn’t matter to me. Yet, somehow, he does. As I try to distance myself from the Hawthornes, Elias drifts steadily closer, noticing the cracks in my composure, the ache beneath my smile, the truth I’ve fought so hard to hide. He becomes the one thread I can’t cut, no matter how much I fear being stitched into someone else’s future again. With Adrian circling me like a ghost from the life I escaped, Elias begins to draw me toward a fate I never expected, a fate where for once, I might finally choose myself. And maybe him, too. But the past doesn't release its hold so easily. And neither do the Hawthornes.

My eyes linger on her mouth, and the desperate urge to kiss away the pain she is going through begins to twist deep inside me. "Dane… " I watch her enticing lips whisper my name quietly, like a plea for me to fucking say or do something. Not able to deny the urge any longer, I lean down, pressing my mouth to hers in a passionate kiss that instantly erupts pleasurable sparks inside me. Goddess…. the taste and softness of her lips against mine is fucking more than exquisite. Always more than exquisite. The instant she fully parts her lips and begins to kiss me back, I lose all control. This is everything I have ever wanted, but everything I know I should not fucking want. ☆☆☆☆☆ Tempting fate can be a cruel game, and Dane knows better than to fall for Cara, his bestfriend's little sister who is likely going to be mated to another. What they currently share is an addictive, 'no strings attached relationship', but Dane is beginning to lose control, and he knows the only way out is to break things off between them. So, under the moonlight night sky, he ends his 'no strings attached' relationship with Cara, ignoring her true love confession to him. Haunted with shame, fear, guilt and brokenheartedness, he flees his pack, leaving behind a broken soul to pick up the pieces he painfully shattered. However, no one can run away from fate forever. When duty calls, Dane is plunged back to his pack, crossing paths again with the one girl who still owns every bit of his heart. With the shadows of an evil omen hovering over their pack, Dane and Cara must set their conflicts aside to protect the people they love, or they risk losing everything they hold dear.

Kathalina Ruiz never believed in fairy tales. Her mother's dying wish bound her to enigmatic CEO Thirdie Stone in an arranged marriage she accepted out of duty, not romance. Yet somewhere between quiet nights and fragile smiles, Kathalina fell deeply for her distant husband only to keep her love locked away, too afraid it would never be returned. For three years, their marriage balanced on politeness and silence. Then one stormy afternoon shattered it all. Kathalina walked into Thirdie's office and found another woman-half-naked-sitting on his lap. Without demanding an explanation, she signed the divorce papers he placed before her, his gaze as cold as the ink that sealed their separation. What she never knew was that Thirdie's betrayal was a lie... a desperate act to protect her from the dangerous threats circling his empire. Heartbroken and grieving, Kathalina fled abroad. From the ashes of her pain, she rebuilt herself into a celebrated jewelry designer, admired for her elegance and independence. But fate had other plans. Years later, her mother's lawyer makes a revelation she has inherited a vast fortune and controlling shares in Stone Corporation. The life and the man she tried to escape are waiting for her return. Back in the city where it all began, Kathalina comes face-to-face with Thirdie once more. Old wounds resurface, secrets linger in every shadow, and danger draws closer than ever. Now, she must decide to protect her heart from the man who once broke it or uncover the truth he buried......a truth that could change everything she thought she knew about their past. A story of love, sacrifice, and second chances, The Stones We Keep asks.....is it ever too late to believe in a love that never truly died?

Lila Reid’s life of privilege has always felt like a gilded cage. As the wallflower daughter of the powerful Richard Reid, she has always shy away from the cameras due to her traumatic experience when she was a kid. But when a series of sinister threats against her family emerge, her father hires his best friend, Caleb Marshall to be her bodyguard. Caleb Marshall with his commanding presence and rugged good looks, awakens something dark and primal within Lila. She can't help but be drawn to the way his eyes linger on her, the subtle brush of his hand against hers that sends shivers down her spine. The forbidden nature of their attraction only intensifies her desire. Every stolen glance and accidental touch fuels a hunger she’s never felt before, a need she knows is dangerous but impossible to resist. Caleb Marshall known in his other life as Alpha Marshall has always been a man of honor, fiercely loyal to his best friend Richard Reid. Protecting Richard’s daughter, Lila, was supposed to be a straightforward task, but the moment he saw her, he felt an overwhelming pull. She is his second chance mate, a bond he thought he’d never feel again. The fact that Lila is human and already promised to another man only adds to the torment. Every moment he spends with Lila is a test of his restraint. Her scent, her closeness, the way she looks at him with a mix of innocence and desire—it drives him to the edge. He is consumed by a dark, primal need to claim her, to mark her as his despite knowing the consequences. The forbidden nature of their attraction gnaws at his control, making every touch, every heated gaze a battle against his deepest instincts

Emily Watson is the next heiress to a multi-billionaire industry company. Instead of taking her fortune and next step as royalty, she let it all go for a man she fell in love with for 7 years. Little did she know that the 3 years of her marriage was going to be cold and distant. Her husband has never touched her since that night, her mother-in-law hates her. Her life was miserable. Yet, she linger on because she loves him. Even if she watched him from a distance, it was fine with her for he was her every breath. Until one day he divorce her to be with the woman he loves. What's this? The woman is pregnant. Heartbroken she left her husband and the home she had called for so many years. 6 months later she showed up at the biggest and grandest Watson's ball. There Emily stood, the next heiress to the multi trillionaire of the century. Her ex-husband, Joshua MacClare was shocked that the woman he have divorce have made him yearend for her. His heart was beating rapidly for her, his eyes followed her every movement, his breathing was unsteady as she was close to him. He gulped as he wanted her. Wanted her as his wife again. "We're divorced," said Emily. "No, we're not," said Joshua. "Huh?" questioned Emily. Joshua smiled at her and said, "On that night, a rainy night if you have forgotten, the documents were destroyed." "What?" asked Emily. "You see, you threw our divorce paper into the stormy rain. So, the rain have washed away our prints." Emily's breath quickened. "So, since there is no legible signatures on the divorce paper, we're never divorce." Emily backed away from him. Joshua walked over to her and said, "You're still my wife."

"Why did you poison my drink?" Yelled a woman, her gaze glaring daggers at the man who stood with a brazen look as he placed both his hands in his pocket simply watching her. His steps echoed his movement as he entered the room, his presence filled the air. "Because you want to leave me" he said, his words angering the woman who reached out to strike him but stumbled in the process, her body swaying to the ground but right before she could fall, she was pulled into a firm sturdy chest. "I hate it when you run from me. I hate it when men linger around you. I hate it when they touch what's mine" he said stroking her head. "You lost the right to call me that Mr DONOVAN. I don't belong to you" With a smirk playing on his lips he said. "If I can't have you, then no one can" *** Never did Lilly realize her peaceful life could turn into her worst nightmare when she fell in love with her childhood crush. 15yrs ago she had brought him into her home. 15yrs later, he reigned down chaos, destroying her peaceful home. He blamed her for the death of his parents, treated her like a slave and left her for dead. But 5yrs later, she returned. She was no longer the weak being she once were. But all hell broke lose when after so long, she crossed paths with him. In her heart she despised him but in his heart, a sudden sense of obsession emerged. A dark desire to keep her with him. Will Lilly be able to forgive him? What happens when she harbours a great secret from him? "Mom, who is that man on the television?" "No one dear. He's your worst nightmare"