New York Times Best Seller Romance Novels & Stories

“I thought you knew.” His eyes softened. “Knew what?” “I was always yours.” For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then he kissed me. Slow. Tender. Certain. And somewhere through the haze of happiness, I found myself thinking— Maybe honeymoon rules could start a little early. _____ Julia- My fingers dug into the invitation. The expensive cardstock crumpled beneath my grip. The elegant rose-gold lettering seemed to burn itself into my brain. YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED

How I met him was quite a meet-cute, never have I been in a relationship this passionate. He was everything and supported me, he gave me all I ever asked for. Since I first met him at the club, where I turned from a waitress to a striper, he had always hovered around me. He made me felt special, I could see his love for me in his eyes. We never had any problems, just small irrelevant arguments. I have been dreaming about the day he would propose to me, to be sincere, I have never been this patient in my life.

“She’ll probably spend the whole holiday in here if you let her.” I walked the aisles slowly, trailing my fingers over the books. Classics. Thrillers. A whole section of contemporary romance—Mirabel’s doing, mostly. She’d started collecting them in high school, said they were “escapist but smart.” I’d never read them. Too many happy endings. Too much hope wrapped in pretty words. I pulled one down at random. Dark cover, brooding man in a suit, and title written in gold foil: Claimed by the Billionaire. I snorted softly, then slid it back.

He ended up at a table with the rest of the office. “Have you noticed how popular the CEO romance genre is yet?” Robert asked him. “We keep a tally and it’s definitely the most popular.” Zach had most certainly noticed that CEO romances popped up the most in his inbox followed by Italian billionaire playboys. “I have, do you know why that is?” Rose cleared her throat.

It looked like scallops he prepared himself. “It looks beautiful, Gabriel. Everything is.” He grinned in satisfaction. “Come sit.” He kissed my head again then he pulled a chair to sit on. I settled on the romantic table set up by Gabriel Stark himself. He always had something to surprise me. I felt spoiled. “In the yacht, you suggested wine. What about scallops?” “Let's see what you’ve got.” Scallops. I was right, after all, and what a choice! Scallops are often said to be an aphrodisiac.