Mutual Pining

After the tragic death of my best friend, I took her younger brother in and treated him like my own. Everyone knew how much Zach Lawson meant to me, so much so that I vowed not to marry because I could not bear leaving him. The day he turned eighteen, he got on one knee and asked me to marry him. With tears of joy streaming down my face, I took the bouquet from him, only to realize they were made of writhing snakes. Everyone laughed at my misfortune. It was an artfully crafted joke, at my expense. Thalia Lewis laced her arm through Zach's and grinned. "Sorry about that, Sydney. It was just an innocent prank. Zach is willing to do anything to make me smile!" Zach gave me a look of utter disgust. "Is this what you think of me? You're my sister! How can you even think of marrying me? This is vile! Is this the reason you took me in? Have you been secretly pining for me since the start?" My whole life had come crashing down around me. I was overcome with shock, misery, and despair, until Connor Grey showed up and asked for my hand in marriage.

I’m the straight-A, first class princess. And yes, I’m currently getting blackmailed into sucking off my hot married professor under his desk every week while he details exactly how he’s going to knock me up before the semester’s over. The problem? I let him blackmail me and I love it here. Then my asshole stepbrother Jax catches me reeking of faculty dick late at night. Does he tell? No. He bends me over and fucks me stupid and bare, and informs me I’m his breeding bitch now, gonna keep me knocked up and locked in his wing like a pretty little secret while he has a girlfriend he's supposed to be engaged to in a while. And Riley? My gorgeous bi bestie who’s been pining since junior year? She’s in my bed every night after, but I want a boyfriend for my self too. Call me ruined. I call it happiness. Good girls run. I’m staying right here, legs open, waiting to see who gets to fill me first. ~Yesss~ This is a steamy story but of course it contains sweet love and shows how life could be hot complicated but lovely as well. XD

Stanley Hamilton and I were basically Southport's favorite hate-watch couple. For Elodie—my oh-so-perfect adopted sister—he wrecked my company and had my parents thrown in prison. I, in turn, drove Elodie to her death, making him watch as she jumped off a rooftop. Our forced marriage? Just a slow ride from mutual disgust straight into mutual destruction. Then came the car explosion. Stanley, who'd hated me forever, still used his last breath to shove me out of the blast. "Vivienne Weston, one lifetime tangled with you is enough. If there's a next one, let's never meet." He touched the tattoo of Elodie's name on his neck, smiling faintly as the flames took him. After he died, I wandered through life half-dead myself until illness finished the job. When I woke up in the past, staring at two betrothal contracts, I didn't hesitate—I picked the guy everyone swore was insane. Stanley and my dad? I handed them right back to Elodie. This time, I wanted no meetings, no memories, no strings. Ever again.

“You want me to pretend to be your fiancée?” Paige’s voice trembled quietly. Leonardo D’Angelo, her boss, the man she’d spent way too many nights secretly pining over, was holding her by the shoulders. His eyes beseeching. Paige, I know this might come as a surprise to you,” Leonardo’s voice was softer, almost hesitant. “But I need you to be my fake fiancée.” Her heart slammed against her ribs. This had to be a joke. “I—what?” she stammered, staring at him like he’d grown another head. “It’s only for three to four weeks,” he pressed, his grip tightening slightly on her shoulders. “I’ll pay you double, or a vacation, whatever you want. Just say yes.” Paige opened her mouth to refuse, because this was insane, but the look in his eyes stopped her. For once, the arrogant, self-assured Leonardo D’Angelo looked… vulnerable. “Please,” he added, his voice barely above a whisper. She should have said no. She should have walked away. Instead, the word slipped from her lips before she could stop it. “Yes.” The relief on his face was immediate, but Paige’s stomach twisted with nerves. What had she just agreed to? And yet, somewhere beneath the chaos, was the dangerous thrill of being the woman by his side.

In the competitive world of business, Nathaniel Sinclair and Cassandra's lives collide unexpectedly. Nathaniel, a driven businessman, offers Cassandra a job despite her lack of qualifications. What starts as a transactional arrangement evolves into a journey of mutual discovery and tenacity. Amidst office politics and family pressures, their bond deepens during a transformative business trip to New York City. Despite years of separation and challenges, their love story ultimately triumphs, culminating in a reunion that redefines their future together, marked by forgiveness, redemption, and the joy of married life.

Although Otsana had to submit to the powerful alpha David Jenir's sexual demands for a long time, she eventually found real love with the quiet and unassuming Boris. Marriage to him is made more challenging by the fact that her father would never accept the guy who murdered his brother as a suitable partner for his daughter. Boris and Otsana have a long way to go before they can be together for good, and until then, they'll spend their lives trapped in the abyss of their mutual love and hatred.

"Did you ever, even once, imagine yourself loving me?" Sarah posed a hopeful question to Philip. "Don’t make me laugh, Sarah. Everything between us has been purely about pleasure and business.” Sarah had harbored feelings for Philip ever since she first saw him in a sports magazine. When his fiancée abandoned him at the altar to elope with another man, Sarah selflessly offered herself as a replacement bride to spare his embarrassment. After enduring three years of a loveless and toxic marriage, Sarah finally summoned the courage to divorce Philip, who was still pining for his former fiancée. She vowed to herself that she would find another man who would love, trust, and worship her like a queen. This is what she sought if she were to marry a second time. A year later, their paths crossed again. Philip confronted Sarah in a ladies’ restroom, demanding, “Do not let other men touch you!” Sarah remained indifferent; her demeanor noticeably changed. “And what if I do?” she retorted. Philip’s tone grew menacing, “You won’t like what I’d do.” Unfazed, Sarah shot back, “Mr. Cornell, I’ve never liked what you’ve done, even in the past. There’s nothing new about that, and please stop whining like a baby,” before turning and walking away, disdainfully leaving him behind.

Two exes—who haven’t spoken in years—are forced to swap apartments for a month due to a housing mix-up caused by a mutual friend. She moves into his stylish city loft; he ends up in her cozy small-town house. At first, they leave petty notes criticizing each other’s lifestyle (like “Who needs this many candles?!” and “Why do you own a sword?!”). But soon, they start rediscovering each other—through texts, video calls, and unexpected visits.

Gary and Rowena didn't get along quite well initially in college. But thanks to their mutual friends, hanging out with each other became inevitable throughout the four years. Snide comments, sarcastic remarks, sparks... wait, what? After an electrifying night together at their graduation party and a 10-day vacation with friends, Rowena disappears and cuts off contact from everyone, leaving a heartbroken Gary. What happened? Where did she go? Will they ever see each other again? 5 years later questions remain unanswered. Until...

Cassandra Jones was without a mate for a very long time until she attended a moonlit party and fell in love with a Lycan, Lucian. The feeling was mutual and without hesitation, they got married. However, their wedding night took an unexpected turn when Cassandra woke up the next morning, realizing she had not been intimate with her husband, but with a complete stranger. Who is this stranger? What factors contributed to her inability to recognize that it wasn't her husband? What happens when she gets pregnant and isn’t sure of who owns this baby?