Oranges By Gary Soto

"I can't think when you touch me," she whispered, fighting the intoxicating pull of his presence. "You are mine," he said, eyes flashing with primal intensity. "And I am yours. Forever." The last thing Belle expected on her flight to Paris was to get kidnapped. Grayson was unlike any man she'd ever met--magnetic and devastatingly handsome, his touch sent sparks racing along her skin. But there was something odd about him. The way his men treated him like royalty, his inhuman speed and strength, the way those piercing green eyes would sometimes flash to an unnatural and haunting pure black. Belle is dragged deeper and deeper into a hidden world full of mystery and danger. Will she be able to escape her captor before she's swallowed whole? Does she even want to?

Knights MC is made up of 18 guys from special forces. They're all retired and created a motorcycle club due to their love of riding motorcycles. They do search and rescue missions across the USA. They help rescue women and children from trafficking and drugs. They have both government and private contracts. Follow these 18 short stories as each one finds their true love. Some women may be broken and scarred from harsh realities of life, but her special guy will pick her up, protect her, and help mend her scars. Not everyone is happy about the clubs rescues. Some may try to seek revenge on them. Jealous abusive ex's sometimes don't give up. However, the club will see to every woman's and club members safety and protection no matter what it takes!

He was born from darkness… She was never meant to survive it. When Evelyn stumbles upon a dying man in the woods, she doesn’t realize she’s just saved a vampire prince—one cursed by blood, bound by fate, and hunted by his own kind. Lucien Virel is no ordinary vampire. A deadly prophecy marks him as the destroyer of his bloodline, and the moment Evelyn touches him, the curse shifts… binding her to his fate. Now Evelyn bears his mark—a blazing symbol on her skin that ties their lives, their souls, and their deaths together. As ancient forces rise and betrayals close in, Lucien must choose between breaking the curse or breaking the only girl who ever made him feel alive. But the closer they grow, the more dangerous it becomes. Because love was never part of the curse. And someone is willing to spill blood to make sure it stays that way.

“Oh God…” she moaned, arching into him as his lips branded a trail along her collarbone. She fumbled with his buttons, tearing open the last of them. Her hands caressed the expanse of his bare chest, every inch as firm and sculpted as she'd fantasized since that absurd, embarrassing moment he’d walked in on her naked on her very first day in Terra Lucida. His abs twitched beneath her fingers, taut and hot to the touch, like he was barely holding himself back. Elias let out a shuddering breath as his lips grazed her shoulder, trailing slowly down. He pulled the thin straps of her nightdress down, kissing each newly revealed inch of skin. Trapped in a strange world where people ride carriages instead of Ubers. Lyra Beckham is horrified to learn she is the spitting image of a missing (possibly dead) woman named Lirae - who also happens to be the secret lover of a dangerously brooding prince named Elias. But things get messier when Lyra discovers Elias was the main suspect in Lirae's mysterious disappearance. She desperately plans to find a way back to her own earth before she ends up 'missing' too. Elias proposes that Lira pretend to be Lirae long enough for him to uncover what really happened. In return, he will help her find her way back home. Sounds simple right? But then, they had to fake an engagement that was quickly starting to become real. But when they stumble upon the truth, they realise that the only way out... is together.

"You should be scared," I whispered, brushing my fingertips along her spine, slow and teasing, then down over the swell of her ass. My palm lingered, gripping one cheek possessively. "Because you've just given yourself to the devil." I leaned down, my lips brushing her ear. “And the devil? He doesn’t believe in mercy." .... I should have known better than to sign his contract. My new husband was never meant to be real. He was supposed to be a name on paper, a shield against the vultures circling my late husband's empire. An arrangement with an expiration date. But Killian Cross doesn't let go. He's ruthless, obsessive, and dangerously possessive. The kind of man who doesn't just own his empire. He owns everything in his grasp. And now, that includes me. I thought I could play his game and walk away unscathed. I was wrong. Because my contract husband has made one thing clear. I belong to him now. But what happens when the shadows surrounding him become my prison? What if love isn’t enough for the hell awaiting us? Will I be able to save him when he needs me? Or will we both drown in the raging tempest?

Harmony White's life has never been easy, even before her sadistic stepfather turned Harmony into a wolf against her will. She has chosen to live her life as an Omega, suppressing her inner wolf, and resisting those who attempt to claim her for their packs. Well, at least until the night two warring Alphas bring the fight right into the middle of her small mountain diner. And both Alphas decide to make a claim on her. Alpha Roam of the Stonemountain Pack, sexy and brooding, his violence proceeds him, but he excites her body in ways she's never felt before. Or Alpha Grey of the Timberland Pack, charming, hot as sin, known to not tolerate disrespect towards she-wolfs, and his caresses ignite something feral inside her. Caught in the middle of a feud, which Alpha will she choose? Her choice has the power to make or break a pack. Are two Alphas better than one?

"I would rather die than have you as my wife. You are not Lauren and you will never be my mate!" "You're nothing but a tool I used to help my Pack achieve our goal. I merely used you to get the MoonGem and nothing more!" *** When Evelyn, daughter of the Alpha of the Sagittarius pack fails in a mission to get to the gem needed to strengthen her pack's bloodline, she is given to Alpha Damian, the cold hearted Alpha of the Red Cedar pack who is in possession of the gem as a gift bride to secure that gift for the Sagittarius pack. The Sagittarius pack has made a deal with a separate pack so Evelyn's real motives are supposed to be stealing the gem from Alpha Damian. She has to work her way into his heart and push all of his buttons to get this done, but what will they do when the fate hits them with a shock. Can a love not fated ever stand strong in the midst of bloodshed, hatred, and a Werewolf vendetta?

I ran away with my new husband, Keith, chasing something—adventure, maybe, or just a way out of my dead-end town. He promised Vegas, bright lights, and fortune. Said he’d win big at the Moon Crescent Casino. I went along for the ride, naively thinking this was the start of something new. Instead, Keith lost everything. And I mean everything. And his genius solution? He sold me. To pay off his gambling debt, he handed me over like property—to a pack. Not just one man, but three. Wolves, apparently. Dangerous, intense... and off-the-charts gorgeous. Husk is tall, dark, and terrifyingly silent. When he does smile, it looks like it hurts him—and frankly, it gives me nightmares. Winter, with his pale hair and soft eyes, is gentle… on the surface. But there’s something immense in him, some power pulsing under his skin, like he could take control of my very soul. Then there’s Sky—moody, brooding, unreadable. He shifts between warm and cold so fast I get whiplash. They tell me I have to stay with them at the casino for thirty days. Just thirty days, and the debt is paid. Sounds simple, right? Except nothing about this is simple. And I know there’s a catch. So, I run. Only to find out—they need me. Not for money. Not just for fun. For something deeper. Something... ancient. Suddenly, I’m not the girl people overlook. I’m not the small-town girl with a too-big heart and nowhere to put it. I’m the key to something much bigger, something magical. And maybe, just maybe, these wolves aren’t my captors… they’re my future. I left to escape. But it turns out, what I needed most was exactly what I tried to leave behind.

After eighteen year old Omega, Crystal Thorne is rejected by her mate, Leo Fernandez, she feels her life will be over. However, the moon goddess has other plans for her as she is given a second chance mate in the person of Xavier, Leo's step brother. Crystal finds herself in the middle of an epic battle between two step brothers and sworn enemies. But the brothers are not just fighting to win the throne this time. They are fighting to win her heart!

She loved him. He humiliated her. Now she’s walking away—for good! Lily gave up everything for her husband, William Aldridge—the man she believed was her forever. But on their anniversary, the night she planned to share the news of her long-awaited pregnancy, she walked in on him tangled in the arms of her best friend. With betrayal cutting deeper than any knife and humiliation turning her heart to ash, Lily makes a choice. No more tears. No more waiting to be loved. If not for her shattered dignity, then for the sake of her unborn child, she will return to her true self—Lilian Arkwright, the hidden heiress of the powerful Arkwright Conglomerate. But just as she begins to rebuild her shattered world, she catches the attention of Aaron Aldridge—the devilishly handsome, younger tycoon brother of William, with secrets of his own and a desire to win her heart, no matter the cost. Now torn between the father of her unborn child, the man who broke her... and the man who would do anything to love her, Lilian must decide: Forgiveness or freedom? Past or future? ~•~•~ Pa! Lily threw the stack of documents on the table in front of him. Without waiting for him to question, she said. "Divorce papers, sign them." William stared at the documents like they were a foreign language. “Divorce papers? You’re not serious,” he said, his voice low, disbelieving. Lily remained seated across from him, her expression unreadable. “I’ve never been more serious in my life.” Leaning forward, she slid the pen across the table toward him and repeated. “Sign it.”