Linger Synonyms

"I need you to smile, darling," Adrian whispers, his fingers digging into Isabella's waist as cameras flash. "Your father's business empire depends on it." The champagne in her glass trembles as Isabella forces herself to play the perfect mafia bride. She hasn't told him about the baby yet. Hasn't mentioned the way his eyes linger on the judge's daughter, Elena. Hasn't revealed that she knows about the poison they've planned for her "tragic accident." But Isabella Romano isn't going down without a fight. "Please," she whispers to Santa Muerte as poison burns through her veins. "Give me a chance to make them pay." Death has a price. Isabella awakens in the body of Valentina Salvatore—wife to Adrian's greatest rival and mother to twin girls who somehow see through her deception. She has 150 days to either claim vengeance or find true love. The clock is ticking, and Nicolas Salvatore, her new "husband," is proving dangerously easy to fall for. "You're not really her, are you?" Nicolas murmurs one night, his fingers tracing her jaw. "My Valentina never looked at me the way you do." But as Isabella navigates the deadly waters of rival crime families, she discovers Valentina had secrets of her own—secrets worth dying for. Now, with her father plotting a takeover, Adrian suspicious of her resurrection, and her borrowed body slowly rejecting her soul, Isabella must choose: the revenge she died for, or the love she never expected to find. In this dangerous game of second chances, some fates are worse than death. And some loves are worth dying for twice.

I stared, I gulped, my heart skipped a beat, my stomach twisted and I can feel the butterflies, a linger and a cold chill ran and travelled through my vein, flowing through my blood like lava. The man before me was heavenly, I could barely look away. From the way his dark grey orbs stared back at me to the way his jet black hair fell spikingly on his shoulder, my whole body shuddered uncontrollably from the sensation growing in my system. My eyes trailed up to his sharp jawline, his straight pointed nose, his tick, long eyebrows and eyelashes to his sinful, tempting, luscious lips. Consciously, I ran a over my lips but the sound of my dad clearing his throat pulled me out from my trace as a slightly jerked, feeling electrified. "Tristan, I went you to meet my friend, Dr Sean" My dad introduced the sexy, demigod man with that sinful body of his. I quivered again. "Sean, meet my son Tristan" Dad introduced me but my eyes remained cemented on him and I could swore I saw a spark in those dark orbs but it was gone as soon as it came, making me doubt if I really saw it. I watched him run his over his reddish, luring lips while his ran down my body, making my inside burn with a sudden fire I had never felt before...and then, he spoke.... "Nice to meet you kitten" And from that moment no, I knew it was over for my heart. From that moment I knew I was in love with MY FATHER'S FRIEND!

Warning: Smut! Smut!! Smut!!! Rated 18. Captured by an Alpha Daddy for Christmas contains possessive alpha behavior, forced proximity, age-gap romance, plus-size heroine, daddy-dom dynamics, jealousy, obsessive protectiveness, power imbalance, and holiday-season intimacy. Not suitable for readers under 18. ~~~ Dumped a week before Christmas, Annabelle “Belle” Evans forfeits her plan to spend Christmas with her narcissistic boyfriend in New York, and agrees to travel back home to Big Bear Lake with her perfect model sister and her nerdy brother-in-law. But a funny Christmas wish has other plans for her. When their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, Belle wanders off for help and finds herself cornered by a wolf in the snowy woods. Just when she thinks she’s about to be torn to pieces, a massive stranger appears—tall, broad, and sinfully hot, his eyes glowing amber in the moonlight. He saves her life… and then claims her as his. He takes her to his secluded cabin deep in the woods, refusing to let her leave until she’s “healed.” But the way his hands linger on her skin, the way he looks at her curves like she’s a meal he needs to taste, Belle starts to realize the wound he really wants to tend to is the one between her thighs. He’s dangerous. He’s dominant. He’s sexy. He’s everything she wished for when she jokingly wrote to Santa for a “hot werewolf boyfriend.” Now she’s trapped in his arms, a prisoner to his touch, his heat, his growl, and the wild, wicked love burning between them might just make this her best Christmas ever.

Ciara Mendes is a talented and captivating journalist at Flare Magazine, the best, where she tirelessly chases compelling stories while grappling with the emotional fallout of a recent heartbreak. Her journalistic prowess is matched only by her determination to heal personally, as she balances the demands of her high-pressure career with her pursuit of emotional recovery. Meanwhile, Giovanni Haynes, a strikingly handsome and enigmatic CEO of Anton Industry, captivates everyone around him with his undeniable charm and affluent lifestyle. Widely regarded as L.A.'s ultimate womanizer, Giovanni embodies a magnetic confidence that conceals a haunted past filled with betrayals and unfulfilled desires that linger like shadows in his life. As fate intertwines their paths, tensions rise, and the undeniable chemistry between Ciara and Giovanni ignites a spark that neither can resist, drawing them into an intoxicating whirlwind of passion and vulnerability. Their lives grow increasingly intertwined as they confront unresolved issues from their pasts, leading to a cascade of secrets surfacing that reveal a world rife with deception, lies, and hidden agendas. Each revelation pulls them deeper into the complexities of their connection, forcing them to navigate a maze of ambition, longing, and trepidation. Torn between their professional ambitions and the burgeoning attraction they cannot deny, Ciara and Giovanni find themselves at a crossroads where love becomes both a beautiful gift and a perilous gamble. Ultimately, they will come to understand that the most powerful stories are the ones that unfold in the depths of the heart, guiding them toward a reckoning that could change everything they thought they knew about love, trust, and forgiveness. In a city beautiful city defined by ambition and allure, where the glimmer of neon lights often masks the shadows of hidden agendas, Ciara Mendes and Giovanni Haynes find themselves at a crucial juncture.

I take a step back, ready to change course and leave, but the Lycan King closes the distance between us. He’s dangerously close to me now, his body in full display and sending my whole body aflame. The familiar heat between my legs starts to appear. “Where are you going?” he whispers, his breath hot against the top of my head. “Are you really trying to leave?” I don’t say anything. I can’t. All I can think about is how his length would feel like inside me, and that’s not something I want to linger on right now. I need to focus. He laughs softly. “I know you feel it too. There’s no denying it. You’re mine.” * * * Outcast. Freak. Cursed. These are things that Beta heiress Valeria Ross is used to hearing. After all, with her otherwordly appearance, and her cursed white wolf, she’s bound to be set apart from everyone else. So much so that even her mate who promised her eternal love casts her aside, choosing her much better stepsister as a partner. Deciding that things should end on her terms, she decides to flee her pack. Only to run into the arms of the Lycan King, Ares Ryder, who’s spent centuries looking for his mate and finally found it in her. Now Valeria is faced with a hard choice. Will she stay in the shadows of her family, forever tormented with the sight of her mate with her sister? Will she exchange that hell for a softer one, a life with a cruel King who’s known for collecting women like trophies?

"You're an average" Nathan spat out angrily. "You're not half as sexy or pretty like most girls I know so why the fuck am I attracted to you?" I clearly understood the anger behind Nathan's tone. This was wrong. WE were wrong. I mean, we're supposed to be step-siblings so why did this feeling of lust linger between us. "You just want to sleep with me" I say, answering his question with a tone I wasn't so sure of myself. "You aren't attracted to me" "Oh, yeah?" Nathan questioned, ridiculously. "Fine, then let's have sex" *** Abigail Esquire Maya is the your typical school nerd. Throwing herself into her books was the only form of escape Abigail had from her family drama as she didn't have friend or anyone she could share her problems with and to top it off, her mother instantly insists they move in with her new "boyfriend". Nathan Heartfilia is your typical school playboy. An image he'd kept to distract himself from the emptiness he hides within himself as he suffers from a broken home. His world turns upside down when his father lets him know that his new "woman" and her daughter would be moving in with them soon. As Abigail and Nathan struggle to live under the same roof together while denying themselves at school, what happens when the most absurd thing that could ever happen between two step-siblings take place as they both start to feel sexual intentions towards each other?. Find out in this fun-filled ride!.

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

A growl escaped his throat as my scent hit his nostrils, sitting beside him was unbearable and I was Unknowingly creating havoc in his head as he created on my body. He was a stranger, yet he looked and smelled like someone I had met before, my brain couldn't process where we had met, but this stranger felt familiar.  He tilted his head towards me and said, "Why do I feel I know this scent." He inhaled more but I tried to mask the feelings he was creating in me, his voice was alluring.  "was that one of your pickup links, oh please, it's old, how old are you?"  I said avoiding his gaze while I shut my eyes tight, with my thighs pressed tightly together. He moved his eyes to my legs and murmured.  "Why do I need a pick-up line when I could get what I want in a blink and you are not an exception, I could make you wet your pants without moving a muscle."  ======= In a werewolf world where friendship is difficult to build, the future Alpha of Shadow Moom, Jamie formed a friendship that is inseparable with Princess Tiffany. Their bond was unbreakable. Until one faithful day, When a rogue attacked him and Tiffany, which led to their separation. Jamie's life is shattered with the guilt of not being able to save his best friend. Memories of her linger in his head. But what happened when he found her and wanted more than just friendship yet she wasn't his mate?  Is she worth leaving his fated mate for? ======== Mate to whom? Book 1: The Alpha is My Mate. Although this book can be read as a standalone, it will not be a bad idea, if you read the parent's book, which is, Mate to whom.

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.

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?