Quiet Down

“Take it off, dusha moya.” His voice was a low, feral growl against my ear. His kisses trailed down my neck—slow, claiming, deliberate. His gaze burned where it landed… on my ring. The ring my husband gave me. The husband who wasn’t him. “Why?” I whispered, breathless. Cassian’s lips brushed my chest, hot and possessive. “I don’t want any trace of him on you while I fuck you.” The ring slid off my finger. The jewel hit the floor. And my world shattered all over again. — Elara Mei was the perfect daughter—obedient, quiet, raised to follow orders without question. Even when it meant breaking her own heart by leaving Cassian Ivanov. Years later, her father signs a contract with the powerful Ivanov family. The price? Her marriage to their second son. She accepts. Like she always does. Until she discovers the truth— Her new husband’s brother is the man she once loved. The man she never stopped loving. The man who will burn the world to claim her back. Caught between loyalty and desire, duty and obsession, Elara must make an impossible choice: The man she’s bound to by contract… or the man who owns her heart, her body, and her ruin?

#ALERT# THIS STORY CONTAINS EXPLICIT STEAMY SCENES. AND YOU MIGHT FIND CERTAIN CHARACTERS DISTURBING INCLUDING MORALLY GRAY CHARACTERS. #R18# THANKS FOR READING 😊 I’m Karima Heart, and I basically live a double life. In school, I’m the quiet, nerdy bookworm. At night, I’m the seductive, high-demand stripper every one screams for. But everything’s about to change. My perfect secret is on the verge of exposure because my brother’s best friend just caught me. Now, to keep him quiet, I have to play his little obedient girl… and with him living under our roof, it's getting harder to resist the pull between us...

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

In the glittering heart of the city, where power plays and secrets intertwine, Serena Ward lives a life shadowed by her past and guarded by her independence. An Omega determined never to be tied down, she never expected a chance encounter with Lucien Vale — the formidable Alpha heir to one of the city’s most influential empires — to unravel everything. One intoxicating night burns between them, fierce and unforgettable. But when morning comes, Serena vanishes, leaving Lucien with nothing but questions — and a hidden truth neither is prepared for. Weeks later, Serena discovers she’s carrying triplets, each bearing the unmistakable mark of their Alpha father. Alone and defiant, she disappears into the quiet outskirts, determined to protect her children from the ruthless world Lucien inhabits. Bound by a cold marriage contract to the enigmatic Clara, Lucien’s life is a tightrope walk between duty and desire. When fate brings him face-to-face with Serena and the children he never knew existed, the collision threatens to shatter his carefully constructed world. Amidst corporate intrigue, family betrayals, and the harsh glare of the public eye, Serena and Lucien must navigate a storm of secrets, passion, and dangerous alliances. And when a shocking revelation about the marriage contract comes to light, loyalties are tested, and hearts are broken. Will love prevail in a city where everything, even the strongest bonds, can be bought — or lost forever?

“Can I know why I have been kidnapped, sir ?” She questioned in a low, but daring voice. “First of all, you weren’t kidnapped. You were sold off, so it’s merely a transaction.” He replied to her, standing from his seat to lean on his table. Drey’s sexual tension skyrocketed up in the air, and he almost couldn’t control himself at that moment. In his mind, he was groping her and having another round of hot sex right there on his work table, however, he was determined to make her life miserable for having the audacity to forget him and the amazing night they had just shared. He leaned further, and missed her lips by an inch going straight to her ears to whisper “Welcome to your worst nightmare.” The whisper sent shivers down Marie’s spines and her stomach churned from the proximity between her and the piece of art in front of her, and his strong thick voice resounding in her ears. After a one-night stand with the biggest Mafia boss in the state, unknowing Marie gets sold off to that same Mafia empire, and her once quiet life gets shaken up by a smoking hot man, violence, drugs and a surprise baby.

“I’ll agree to this—but only if you stay out of my business.” “You have a deal,” the man chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender, his husky voice dripping with amusement. “But,” he added, stepping closer, his breath brushing against her ear, “you’ll have to agree to my conditions, too.” “I said I’d agree, didn’t I?” Sherry replied coolly. Her expression didn’t waver as she grabbed his collar and pulled him down to her eye level. “Mr. Smith,” she whispered, matching his tone with a quiet fierceness. Hah… This woman is going to drive me insane, Levian thought, already realizing this would be far from easy. ~~~ On her wedding day, Sherry is poisoned by her best friend. Her fiancé? At the hospital, he was celebrating the birth of his child with someone else. But fate rewinds the clock. Waking up a day before her death, Sherry has one goal: uncover the truth and take back control. However, as the secrets unravel, she realizes the betrayal runs deeper than she imagined. That's when the rumored Levian Smith makes her an offer: “Marry me, and I’ll stake my very soul for you.” Now, she must choose—revenge or redemption?

She needed closure, but it turned out to be the worst decision she ever took… or was it? ~~~ Sera Lane has spent years building a quiet life, far from New York, far from Adrian Cross—the boy who once held her heart, and the secret she’s carried ever since. But when news of his engagement reaches her, she convinces herself one trip back won’t hurt. One night to finally let go. Instead, she walks straight into the storm she’s been running from: Adrian isn’t the same boy she left behind. He’s colder, sharper, and when he learns the truth, he refuses to let her slip away again. Suddenly, Sera is pulled back into his world of wealth and betrayal, standing face to face not only with Adrian but also Ivy Shawn—her former best friend and the woman about to marry him. Adrian wants answers. He wants their son. And he wants her. But with old wounds tearing open and dangerous truths surfacing, Sera has to wonder: did she destroy their love forever… or could the child they share be the second chance neither of them expected? When everything comes crashing down, only one question remains: Can love survive the lies that broke them once before?

Ethan Carter, a socially awkward and bookish young man, moves into a run-down apartment in the city, hoping for a quiet and uneventful life. But his world is turned upside down when he meets his neighbor—Sienna, a mesmerizing, confident woman with an intoxicating aura. From the moment he lays eyes on her, he's smitten. She’s everything he isn’t—bold, beautiful, and effortlessly seductive. As Ethan struggles with his feelings, he begins noticing strange things: the way men come and go from Sienna’s apartment, the way she dresses provocatively at odd hours, and the soft, intimate sounds that seep through the thin walls at night. But he convinces himself that it’s all in his head. One night, however, the illusion shatters. When Sienna forgets to fully close her door, Ethan sees the truth with his own eyes—she’s with a client. The shock leaves him reeling. But instead of disgust, his fascination deepens. Why does she do this? Is there something more beneath her exterior? And most importantly—can love exist between two people from such different worlds? Ethan’s desire soon turns into obsession, and as he delves deeper into Sienna’s life, secrets unravel that neither of them are prepared to face.

Chloe Decker has spent her whole life trying to stay out of trouble especially the kind that rides a motorcycle, wears a leather jacket, and smirks like the world belongs to him. Unfortunately, that trouble has a name: Alfie. They go to the same school, live in the same town, and hate each other with a passion that could burn down the world. He’s the arrogant son of the Black Fangs MC President, while she’s the quiet girl who wants nothing to do with the club or its reckless members. But when a cruel prank, a dangerous secret, and one unexpected night throw them together, Chloe’s world begins to unravel. Alfie isn’t just the ruthless biker everyone fears he’s also the boy who can’t stop looking at her like she’s the only thing keeping him alive. Every fight between them feels like a spark. Every touch feels like a threat. And soon, their hate turns into something much darker and much harder to control. In a world filled with roaring engines, loyalty, and betrayal, love was never supposed to happen especially not between enemies. But fate has other plans, and Chloe will soon discover that sometimes, the most dangerous hearts are the ones that were meant for you all along.

This look on your face is seriously making me hard, you know?” “What the…” I smacked his hand away and pushed him back, only for him to lower the car seat in a swift movement I barely saw. Before I could react, he pinned me down on the passenger seat. With a single hand, he held both of mine while straddling me. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing!?” I protested, struggling and squirming to free myself from his tight grasp. "Hold still" he ordered. I shouldn’t have followed him. My instincts were right. Percy Claude thought his final year of college would be simple, graduate, stay loyal to his girlfriend, and keep his quiet life intact. But when a dangerous and mysterious man who seems to want nothing but his body, steps into his world, Percy’s life spirals into temptation and chaos. But Rowen isn't your average dude, as an abandoned heir to his family empire, there are more secrets to him than meet the eyes. would Percy succeed in saving his Crumbling first love relationship from the hands of Rowen? Or would he fall deeper into the dark web that the Enigmatic Mr. Rival had woven for him.