Scarpetta Beach Photos Novels & Stories

Twenty-five-year-old Claire Soberano and her son are on the run. Escaping her abusive fiancé, she flew to Long Beach to live with her cousin, The Reid. Hiding secrets, staying indoors, and feeling safe with family, Claire will do anything to protect her son. She thought Eddie would be her soulmate, her long-life husband but revealing his true colors changed her love after six years of relationship. When her body is tattooed from the bruises and injury, Eddie turns on to her son to take the batter; it makes Claire realize the man is dangerous and in fear for her son's life. She could never trust a man, let alone fall in love again. That is until meeting an oversized man, Donovan Wolfe. Donovan Wolfe is the third eldest of the Wolfe brothers. When his older brother isn't around, he sticks around to ensure everything is in order. Don has been in civil service right after high school making his way to the top as a Lieutenant, and the scars prove his service. But after, an incident led him to retire and be with his family. Watching his older and younger brothers find love, he wishes he could have what they have. Upon meeting Claire, he found a sweet and caring woman who is a fantastic cook, much like his mom. He wanted a wife to be like his mother. But he also saw a distress call and recognized the bruises and her outcry for help. Similar to the cause when he was a kid, which he failed to protect, but this time, he vows to do anything to keep Claire and her son safe.

Maeve Sinclair learned the hard way that love can be the cruelest of prisons. After years of running from her traumatic past and the three men who never stopped loving her, she is kidnapped and wakes up tied up in a presidential suite on a luxurious cruise ship at sea. Her captors? The same ones she tried to forget: Zion Brooks — the famous singer with a seductive voice and explosive temper, who hides a dark side, part of the mafia underworld. Luka Rhodes — the brilliant music producer who hides a dangerous life in the Irish mafia alongside Declan Callahan. Elias Voss — the ex-military man and boxer, silent, lethal, and obsessively protective. Trapped together for seven nights in the middle of the Caribbean, the three are willing to do anything to break down the walls Maeve has built around her heart. They feed her, protect her, tease her… and tie her up when necessary. Because for them, Maeve had always belonged to them — from that unforgettable night on the beach, from the conception of Matthew, the eleven-year-old son she raised alone while hiding secrets capable of destroying them all. Between luxury, forbidden desire, and suffocating possessiveness, Maeve fights against her own body and against the unhealthy love she feels for them. But the more she resists, the closer the three get to truths she swore to take to the grave: the abuse from her father that still haunts her, the depression that almost destroyed her as a mother, and the paralyzing fear that her love is poison to everyone around her. On a cruise where there is no escape, Maeve discovers that the real prison was never the silk ropes… It was their love.

Ernest West left the courtroom with wings on his feet. Leaving Don James was, in Ernest's opinion, the best thing he had ever done for himself. No more tense silences. No more Don's silent, smothering adoration. Ernest had been released. Three years have passed since then. Now, what once was the best choice has turned into a noose around their necks. There is a sinister provision buried within the small print of the divorce papers that Ernest's attorney overlooked; they are obligated to live together and manage the small beach hotel that they used to own as a couple for an entire year. Thus, Ernest finds himself back amid the groaning wooden boards and salty panes of glass within the walls of where their love once withered away. However, Don is no longer the same weak and longing man that Ernest abandoned. He now stands as an intimidating pillar of cold indifference, forged by the stony resolve and lack of concern. Not even a passing glance comes from Don’s green eyes, which regard Ernest with only polite reserve. A year of closeness. A year of unresolved tension. A year of dealing with each and every lie that Ernest tried to bury beneath "irreconcilable differences." In the beginning, the plan is a silent battle—appointments stuck to the fridge, dinners taken in different corners of the house. Yet, there’s something about closeness that reveals the whole truth. Ernest discovers the picture albums that Don never discarded. He listens to telephone conversations in the dead of night that reveal the loneliness he feels himself. And gradually, painfully, he discovers that the greatest error made wasn’t the separation. It was letting Don leave.

Marcus Donnelly at twenty-six is one of the most successful and famous painters in the whole country. His masterpieces on contemporary art have sold for millions making him quite a well-known figure in the world of Fine Arts. However, after a mishap, two years ago, he develops a painter’s block which he’s unable to overcome. He has almost given up hope when he lands up at a beautiful beach house on Long Island. The positive atmosphere in the house coupled with the presence of a young, delicate girl willing to work as his housekeeper, compels him to buy the property. Will he be able to get over his block? What will happen when he falls head over heels in love with the young girl? Can he control his feelings when they turn into an obsession? What will happen when he uncovers secrets of her past life that drive her away from him? Cara Rose Sullivan is a sweet, eighteen-year-old, school dropout who is struggling to make ends meet after her parents' death. The sole breadwinner of her family, she is somehow providing for her three small siblings by taking up odd jobs. So when the very attractive Marcus Donnelly offers her a permanent job, can she decline it? Can she stop her heart from beating fast every time he’s near her? What will she do when he seems to be always near her? What will she do when he seems to invade her dreams as well? Read this heart-stopping, emotional roller-coaster of a love story that will keep you spell-bound!

We were on a field trip to the Holy State of Aram, when the prom queen, Susie Lambert, complained about the hot weather and called for a bikini party. My boyfriend Ken insisted on bringing the whole class along just to satisfy her whim, even though I warned him, "That's against the law, and visitors who are found guilty will be remanded, if not killed…" He slapped me across the face and snapped, "Don't try to scare us! You're just jealous that Susie's got a nice bod, and you don't want to see us being happy together!" Everyone else in the class roared in approval too. "Exactly! You already took Ken away from Susie, and you'd now come up with such bullshit!" I was furious and frustrated, but for their sake, I spoke to Mrs. Dent, the class teacher. She scolded everyone when she realized what they were doing and called off the bikini party. However, Susie got so upset that she ran off alone and flaunted her bikini at the beach anyway, and she was caught before being executed as a spy by zealots. Ken blamed it all on me. In the middle of the night, he sneaked into my home and set fire to it with gasoline, killing my entire family. Afterward, the entire class testified on his behalf to create an alibi. But I opened my eyes again and found myself returning to that day when Susie goaded everyone to join her bikini party. This time, I simply smiled. "Go ahead, enjoy yourselves all you want!"

Cassie Cruz is a twenty-two-year-old who has never met her parents and was raised by her grandfather. Cassie's grandfather passes away and she moves in with her best friend, McKenzie in South Carolina. There, McKenzie gets Cassie a job working with her in Myrtle Beach, cleaning Mansions for the wealthy. The two of them end up cleaning a mansion together, and in a twist, the owner, Devin Deacon accuses McKenzie of stealing a flash drive. After Devin realizes he only misplaced it, he steps outside by the pool and meets Cassie. Cassie falls into the pool, beginning to drown and Devin saves her. Once again Devin proceeds to save her as she's leaving from an intruder who tries stealing her purse, finally convincing Cassie to go on a date. That date turning into another that makes the two of them feel something strong for each other. As days go by Cassie cleans another mansion owned by John Myles. John is obsessed with Cassie, even going as far as trying to force her to leave with him, but Devin once again comes to Cassie's rescue. Cassie falls ill, sending her to the hospital where Devin stays with her, even taking care of her after she returns home. They find out John poisoned Cassie, forcing Devin, Cassie, and McKenzie to go find John in The Cayman Islands, leaving Cassie in for an even bigger surprise. Money is nothing when love is involved. Will Cassie and Devin become soulmates? Or will their million-dollar kiss only turn into a wild seduction between the two of them?

Right after I am done with a meeting, I scroll through social media and come across a warning post with my company's location tagged. The title reads, "Avoid this place! Anyone who comes here is a sucker. The company is so stingy that it can't even provide decent snacks." The photos show the Starbucks drinks and five-star desserts I just asked my assistant to distribute to everyone. I frown and tag everyone in the group chat, asking for suggestions about the teatime snacks. A Gen Z intern, Alice Grimes, immediately sends a voice message, "No offense, Ms. Knox, but these mass-produced desserts are full of trans fats. Even dogs wouldn't eat them. A good company would hire Kitchelin chefs to cook on-site. Now that's called having true respect for employees." I laugh in disbelief. My company spends 50 dollars per person on daily tea time, which is considered top-tier in the industry. So, I reply, "Since it's hard to please everyone, we'll cancel teatime from now on and convert it into a cash allowance for everyone." Less than five minutes later, there is a new update in the social media post. "Guys, you won't believe this. I made a reasonable suggestion, and the petty boss just cut our teatime perk! This is how a typical capitalist behaves. They can't handle any honest feedback."

My five-year-old daughter loved telling lies. I had taken her out to a simple school supplies run, but she yelled on the street that I was a human trafficker. Consequently, I nearly got arrested and taken to the police station. When we went home, she cried and threw herself in my husband’s arms to complain about me before I could say anything. “Dad, Mom wouldn’t buy me stationeries. She even hit me on the street!” I offered my husband an explanation. He heard me out, but I did not expect him to angrily slap me when I was finished. “Our daughter is only five. She can’t lie. Can’t you just put up with it?!” When I drove my daughter to school, she got down on her knees in front of me while the other parents were around. “Mom, please let me go to school. I don’t want to take naked photos for those guys.” When the teacher checked my phone, it was full of my daughter’s explicit photos. A mob of angry parents pushed me into the traffic, killing me. I could not figure out why my biological daughter would behave that way, even as I lay dying. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day when I was about to buy stationery for my daughter.

On our third wedding anniversary, I waited for Xander Christian for five hours at his favorite restaurant. Once again, he has disappeared. In the end, I found out where he went on the social media of his childhood sweetheart, Josie Law. He took her to Antartrica. [I just said I was in a bad mood, so he ditched the whole world just to cheer me up. Turns out, he cheers me up much more than the penguins.] In the photos, it was all icy and frosty, but he held her gently in his arms. I had never seen such blazing warmth in his eyes. Not once was it ever directed at me. At that moment, I was just tired. I was too tired to question. I was too tired to fight. I was too tired to cry. I simply liked the post and sent him a short message, [Let's get a divorce.] A long time later, he finally replied with a voice message, his tone was full of careless amusement, "Sure. I'll sign the papers when I'm back. We'll see who ends up begging me not to leave." Those who were loved and favored were often fearless. He didn't believe my words at all. Yet, Xander— No one was truly indispensable. People would only stay because they were in love. From this moment on, I no longer loved you.

Presley Brookmore was bullied by her older half-brother Odin and his two best friends Cruz and Anderson, all of her life. They made it their life mission to humiliate her at every turn. Was it her fault her father carried on an affair with her mother who got pregnant with her and wrecked Odin’s idyllic life? She didn’t think so but apparently, Odin and his cronies did, and so they bullied her at every turn. When an opportunity to get back at Odin’s best friend Cruz Hawley presents itself in a serendipitous moment, she doesn’t let it slip away. Taking full advantage of the fact as a billionaire, an attractive one at that, all eyes are on him and people are snapping photos and videos of the celebrity in the restaurant, she makes a scene straight out a daytime soap opera. Cruz Hawley returned to Vancouver with the intent to take his billion-dollar medical equipment company to the next level. When his childhood best friend’s younger sister pops out of the woodwork and not only destroys his chance at a connection with a client, but makes him a social media sensation, his businesses take the hit. Cruz is going to teach the troublemaker a lesson but it’s his heart on the line when he finds himself looking forward to every challenge she is presenting. It’s win, lose, or draw and as a former Olympian, there is no way he can lose. Let the game of hearts begin. Winner takes all.