Lingered Antonyms

Even after more than three years of marriage, Samuel Ferguson still seemed impossible to satisfy. After the third round, he brushed a tear from the corner of Tania Russell's eye, a roguish smile playing at his lips. "Did you cry from the pleasure? Want me to carry you to the shower?" Tania turned her head, avoiding him, her fingers digging into the sheets until her knuckles went white. Steam rolled through the bathroom, wrapping a set of broad shoulders and a narrow waist in a haze of heat — but that heat could not thaw the icy chill in her heart. An hour ago, in the throes of passion, the name "Lulu" had slipped from his lips, and it still lingered in her mind. All those years, he had always called her simply "Tania." After a moment, she wiped her tears, reached for the phone on the bedside table, and stepped out onto the balcony. "Elias, investigate Samuel for me. I think… he's cheating." "A lead?" Elias did not waste time. "He used to call her 'Lulu'".

"What are you hiding, Mr. Blackwood?" Julian closed the gap in a heartbeat, leaving no space between them. She gasped, forced to tilt her head to meet his intense stare. "I. Have. Nothing. To hide," he said, voice cold, his gaze never wavering. The air crackled between them, charged and heavy. Anger lingered, but something else—something sharp and undeniable—hung there, too, just beneath the surface. Neither dared to acknowledge it. •°•°•°•°•°•°•° With her father’s health fading fast, struggling artist Leslie Harrison feels trapped, helpless to give him the care he needs. In a desperate twist, she finds herself caught in a marriage of convenience with billionaire Julian Blackwood, a man who thrives on control and keeps his heart locked tight. But Leslie sees through his icy demeanor, sensing there’s more beneath the surface. As emotions get tangled and secrets begin to slip, their bond is tested in ways neither expected. Can Leslie help Julian face the shadows of his past, or will they pull him under?

His jawline His smile His gaze His hair His heart and the way he cared for her His scent lingered in the room long after he was gone. Vida did not like Axel and there was nothing in this life that was ever going to change that until she started falling for him in a dangerous way. "I can't like him," she told herself multiple times. How could she like him? He was the complete opposite of her; he lit up a room and everyone loved him. She found herself falling for him more and more with each passing day. He was Axel Manchester's only hope; why did loving him feel so right and yet so wrong at the same time? She was Vida Van Allen and he had fallen head over heels in love with her. The thrilling story of Vida and Axel will keep you on your toes and push your emotions further than you can imagine. Read 21st Century Bride now to go on this journey of love with Axel and Vida.

What was supposed to be a sacred mating ceremony, exploded into a blood-soaked nightmare for the daughter of the Head Warrior of Woodcrest pack. Before Anna's horrified eyes, future Alpha Axeel, her fated mate, was brutally butchered. The killer: Alpha Atticus of the Moon Howlers, an obsessed admirer whose twisted pursuit culminated in a chilling vow; she belonged to him alone. Condemned to eighteen years in a merciless Council prison, Atticus vanished, yet his dark promise haunted her. Devastated and emotionally walled off, Anna abandoned the werewolf world, fleeing Woodcrest and her loved ones for the unknown. But fate had darker plans. Four subsequent fated mates vanished without a trace during her desolate travels. Convinced she was cursed, a harbinger of doom, Anna swore off love forever, resigned to loneliness. Then, the strange began. Men actively avoided her, yet unexplained prosperity blossomed. She became a solitary queen in a sprawling mansion. But chilling questions lingered: Who shared her bed in the darkness? Who protected and provided for her meticulously? And most terrifyingly, as her body began to change, how would she explain the birth of her pup to everyone?...

“Father!” I gasped, “No!!!” “Lauren, stay alive…” I lost my entire family on the day I became an adult. It was also the day I was supposed to meet my fiancé. But all that happened was a bloody disaster! I will never forget the pain of being pressed to the ground and humiliated by the traitors. “I’m the one that should have been in charge of the pack! Your father is a loser!” “You’re a stain on my life, child, just like your useless father.” “Lauren, I am the real Alpha’s daughter and you’re nothing!” I never imagined that my uncle, mother and sister would betray my father. Their evil words still lingered in my mind. When I was pushed off a cliff, I thought my life was over. But someone appeared. He saved me and told me he’s my mate! “I can help, but we have to make a deal…” Filled with a burning hatred, my blood was boiling. All of the rebels will pay the price for this if it’s the last thing I do! But I developed a special affection for my rescuer. Was this another calamity for me?

…Moved by her plight, I made a firm decision. "I will help you," I said, looking into her eyes with sincerity. But it came with a condition, and I wanted her to be aware of it. There were always strings attached to this world. Her question lingered in the air. "What conditions?" Abebi asked, seeking clarity. I took a deep breath, "You will give me your body. You shall become my mistress." "I will think about it." She said as she sermons unbelievable courage and looks at me straight in the eye for the first time since our conversation. "I need to go now." "Where do you think you are going? Our deal starts now." I grabbed her hand, preventing her from further moving close to the door. "If you want to live, you better start undressing yourself," I ordered. I watched as he obediently obeyed my instructions… ******* {Strong female lead & originally mafia novel} In the gritty underworld of crime and desperation, a young girl named Abebi found herself trapped in a web of darkness. With her father's debts looming over her family, she had no choice but to step into the dangerous world of the mafia.

I was the daughter of a crime boss in Flonio. Initially, I was supposed to reveal my identity during my wedding. But my elder brother told me that someone was targeting me and that I could not expose myself. My fiance also took this chance to take off my wedding gown and help my maid into it. My bodyguard then stole my family token. I trusted them deeply, but when the wedding ceremony started, I saw my maid with one arm around my fiance. Meanwhile, her other hand lingered between my brother’s and bodyguard’s sensitive spots on their bodies. In response to my suspicions, my maid laughed wickedly. Then, she instructed someone to break my limbs. They locked me up in the basement and forced me to watch as they got more and more intimate. In the end, they skinned me alive and broke my bones. Before I breathed my last, they left me to the beasts. When I recalled the misery of my previous life, I broke my maid’s ribs with a few punches. “You can have my fiance, but you don’t deserve my family token!”

My loud, harsh breaths reverberated in the four walls of his cabin. I didn't realize when he locked me up here and pushed me too far from the door, blocking all my ways of escape. "M-Mr. S-Scott, please, what are you doing?" Cold shivers ran down my spine as I watched the man with horror-filled eyes who was advancing towards me with slow, dangerous steps. A sickening smile marred his lips as he silently relished my helplessness while uncuffing his sleeves. My fear skyrocketed. His husky chuckles ensued, churning my stomach as his shameless gaze lingered on my chest, making me quickly bring my arms to the front. "Something that I should have done before, Cupcake." He drawled out, leaving me shocked to the bone. That endearment. Travis? Dive into the dark and dangerous world of Travis Scott, a man who dupes people with his breathtaking charms and kind personality while confining his demons only to unleash them once he captures the angel he's been looking for years.

My Alpha husband, Ryder, has always hated the sound of a crying pup. But recently, he started caring for my adopted sister's newborn pup, staying by its side in the nursery every night until dawn. Every time Ryder left our bedroom for the nursery, an inexplicable stabbing pain would pierce through my chest. This agony would last all night until dawn when he returned. I had finally reached my breaking point. At the Full Moon Festival, I announced in front of the entire pack that I was rejecting our mate bond. The pack's mind-link erupted with whispers that the battle had damaged my mind. A golden light ignited in Ryder's eyes as he stared at me in disbelief. "Because I was too busy to check on you when you were injured, you're rejecting our bond over a six month old pup?" I didn't meet his eyes. Instead, my gaze lingered on the faint lipstick mark smudged inside his collar. My voice trembled, yet it did not waver. "Since you love her pup so much, once our bond is severed, you can openly be the father."

The mate bond ceremony had barely ended when Simon Thompson, Alpha of the Moonshade Pack, suddenly shoved me aside. "I picked up a human girl at the border. There's a storm tonight. I need to go stay with her." My head buzzed. "If you've already decided I'm your fated mate, why are you seeing her now?" He stood up and pulled on his clothes. The bite mark I had left was still visible on the side of his neck. "Tanya, I love you. But life is long. I need something fragile like that once in a while to feel something new." My throat tightened. "So on our mate bond night, you're dumping your Luna to sleep with a human?" "Well, technically, the ceremony is already over," he corrected me, then bent down and pinched my cheek. "You're the pack's Luna now. You should be more generous." "And if I can't be?" It was as if he had been waiting for that. He smiled. "Then we sever the bond. Just know you might end up exiled as a lone wolf. Think it through, yeah?" I collapsed onto the messy bed. Simon's scent still lingered in the air. Outside the window, the full moon that had witnessed our vows looked unbearably ironic.