Scrambled Christmas

Adrian woke to warmth, too much warmth. His heart nearly stopped when he realized his head was resting against Kaelen’s chest, their legs tangled beneath the sheets. Panic surged. He shoved himself upright, only to freeze when he saw it, thin, glowing red threads coiling around his wrist, binding him to Kaelen. His blood ran cold. “What the hell…?” Adrian whispered, staring at the unmistakable bond mark. Kaelen stirred, blinking awake. For a moment, confusion flickered in his eyes, then shock. He tugged the sheet up to cover himself, gaze darting between Adrian and the red mark linking them. “What did you do? Adrian hissed, his voice breaking. You’re my sister’s fiancé! You’re supposed to be her mate, not...” He trembled as he scrambled for his clothes. Kaelen sat up, still staring at the line as though it mocked him. “I… I don’t know. But this—this isn’t a mistake. Adrian, you’re my mate.” “No!. Adrian’s hands shook as he pulled his shirt over his head. Whatever happened last night...forget it. This is wrong. You hear me? It never happened. Don’t you dare breathe a word of this to anyone.” Kaelen’s voice softened, almost pleading. “Adrian…” But Adrian couldn’t bear to listen. His chest ached as he turned away, slamming the door behind him, leaving Kaelen staring at the red bond that refused to fade. Two souls tied together by fate. One forbidden connection that could destroy them both.

My boyfriend, Miles, finally invited me to his family’s Christmas dinner. I passed out on the way there. Half-conscious, I heard him whisper, “Sorry, Eva. Those thugs said you’re just their boss’s type. Too pretty for your own good, babe. Blame that—not me.” “Don’t be scared. If you help me pay off the debt… maybe they’ll let me have you back. I’ll make it up to you. For the rest of your life, I swear.” He wheeled me through the back of a casino. My family’s casino. The boss he was selling me to… was my brother. Ever since our parents died in a crossfire, my brother had taken full responsibility for me. More than a brother, he’d become a father figure—a protector. My stupid boyfriend should be scared—he had no idea how fiercely my brother protected me, or how ruthless he could be to anyone who dared hurt me.

During Christmas dinner, my mother-in-law hinted for the umpteenth time that she wanted a grandchild. However, my husband, Zachary Cole, who had insisted on staying child-free in the past decade, only smiled and filled her plate. After dinner, he slipped onto the balcony. "There, there. Daddy will come see you on New Year's Day," he whispered. I stood in the corner of the living room with a glass of water in my hand, feeling cold as the words sank in. I stepped forward and forced a playful tone. "I just heard you say 'Daddy.' Got a secret kid stashed somewhere?" He rubbed his nose, his voice stiff. "You must've misheard. That's… just a friend's kid." My heart sank. I'd been married to him for a decade, so I knew exactly what he looked like when he was lying.

“You! What do you think you're doing?” She squealed, her eyes wide as she scrambled backwards in a panic. He didn't stop and instead, backed her up until she was sandwiched between the wall and himself. His hand grabbed her waist and pulled her flush against him before leaning down till his lips was level with the her ear. “What do you think I'm doing?” His voice was a deep baritone that made her tremble. Her face flushed as she felt the signs of her arousal. He stuck out his tongue and lapped at her earlobe making her tremble and whimper. “Of course, I'm trying to get closer to my Luna.” With that, he didn't wait for her to say her usual protest of “I'm not your Luna” before he captured her lips in his, kissing her till her knees turned to jelly. Laila Reeds felt like her life was the happiest it could be and that nothing could go wrong. Her Alpha loved and cherished her. Her pack was flourishing and she was happy. But good things always come to an end. Laila suddenly finds that everything that her world was built on were lies and what she thought was love was only a ploy to get something from her. Shattered and condemned to death, she thought she wouldn't make it. But then he came. With his silver hair and violet eyes, he descended and killed her enemies while saying “Who dares to touch my mate?” Even with this, Laila wasn't moved as her heart was already dead. “Dead? Her heart is dead? What a joke. Watch how this Luna doting Lycan nurses her heart back to health. Soon, her heart would be beating again and it will be beating only for me.” he proclaimed with a confident smile.

The newly hired genius programmer was a proud woman who always thought she could turn the entire industry on its head. When an investor tried to pressure her into drinking, she flipped the table and slapped him across the face. "My worth is in my programming skills, not my ability to network. Asking me to drink with you is an insult." Enraged, Clint Warner immediately withdrew the eighty-million investment agreement. He even swore he would never work with us again. As the Head of Product, I scrambled to apologize. The situation was only salvaged after I drank so much that I ended up hospitalized. … Later, I complained to the boss and demanded that he discipline the new hire. To my shock, he dismissed the matter. "If the employee causes any problem, it's because the supervisor failed in their duty. The promised million-dollar dividend bonus is cancelled. Take this as your warning." Fed up, I wrote down Mary Hansen's name on the Counseling-Out List. She couldn't care less. "I have abilities you’ll never match, unlike a scheming bootlicker like you. If anyone tries to go after me, the project will be halted. Don't come crying to me when everything collapses." I did not argue with her then. However, when the Counseling-Out List was announced, I found my own name on it. The boss claimed it was a mistake to force me to leave. Then he promoted Mary to my position and even granted her the authority of a vice president. "You were only great because of the company's support. Mary's not the same. She's young and truly talented. She’ll lead us to greater heights." With a cold smirk on my face, I made my way to our competitor, taking the crucial piece of our company's technology with me.

During Black Friday, the intelligent system I develop helps the company run highly targeted ads and brings in 30 million dollars in revenue. But when I apply for the project bonus, the director rejects it. "The system is just an auxiliary tool. The performance belongs to the sales department." I hold back my frustration and pull up the system logs. "88% of the orders come from the system's targeted pushes. According to company policy, I should receive a 0.5% commission." The director glances at me, twirling his pen. "If the sales commission doesn't go to the sales department, should it go to you? And your lousy system exceeds the API limit and racks up extra fees. You still owe us a hundred thousand dollars. We'll deduct that from your salary." Three days before Christmas sales are set to begin, the system completely shuts down because of API restrictions. Late at night, the director calls me. I stare at my computer screen. "Since the system is just an auxiliary tool, why don't you start with manual targeting?"

Grace dreamt of a threesome with her husband and his brother she woke up to something far worse. After a brutal accident at a Christmas resort, Grace pretends to lose her memory to test her husband Mason's love. His response? He claims his brother Aiden is her real husband and walks away. Stunned, Grace plays along, moving into Aiden's cabin while Mason disappears into the arms of someone else. As she digs deeper, Grace uncovers seven years of lies, a hidden affair with her best friend Sophia, and Mason's dark secret life. But the biggest shock? Aiden, the brother she's resented since he tried to ruin her wedding, might be the only man who's ever truly loved her. Now Grace is caught in a dangerous game where love and hatred blur, where her best friend wants her dead, and where choosing the wrong brother could cost her everything. The lies are unraveling, and someone won't make it out of this holiday alive.

The summer that Allison Hart graduates from high school, she has one thing on her mind- to lose her virginity before she goes away to college in the fall. The only problem is she doesn’t want a random one night stand with a stranger. So when her stepbrother James Carter comes home for the summer, it seems like her problem finally has a solution. At first James is apprehensive about the entire thing, but then gives in to Allison’s request. They both swear that it will be just a weekend of sex and fun, but then the weekend turns into an entire summer of sneaky sex. As the summer comes to a close and both prepare to go off to college, both realize that they have fallen in love with each other. Neither of them are brave enough to tell the other, so they go off to college, both confused about their situation. When they finally reunite for Christmas, James confesses his feelings for Ali and asks her to run away and travel the world with him. She accepts and once school ends for the summer, they run off to start their adventure.

Reese: I know all too well the sting of heartbreak and rejection. Not a lot of men can handle a woman of my stature. I only hope that love is out there. When I agreed to meet up with my Frost cousins and their kids for a Christmas event after another breakup, I didn't expect sparks to fly with their friend Don Hunter. Don: I was surprised to be invited by my coworker Darius Frost to join his family and friends at the holiday lights at the park. It's not like I have family in the area, and I'm self-aware enough to know I wouldn't have some hot date. So why is the gorgeous Reese Nikolaidis giving me the time of day? It has to be a joke because she is out of my league. This is a standalone story but is the four book in the Ravenwood series. Book 1 - The Princess of Ravenwood Book 2 - Chasing Kitsune Book 3 - Expect The Unexpected Book 4 - Out Of My League Book 5 - Man's Best Wingman

“Why did you do it?” He demanded in a low voice, a warning, while closing in on me. The defiant look on my face crumbled a little as I hastily began to backtrack, it wasn’t long before I felt the edge of the bed behind my knees. “Fucking answer me, Kiara!” He roared, cold breath fanning the tip of my nose as he spoke. I gulped in fear, as what I had done just began to fully sink in. “I- I don’t…” A firm push against my forehead tipped me over and I fell on my back like a doll, panting wide eyed at a very furious Xavier. I scrambled backwards, or attempted to– but Xavier’s large hands clamped on my ankles, sharply jerking me downwards until my legs dangled at his sides. “Not only did you leave the house on your own– you crashed my car, set it on fire and then you went to a freaking, dangerous club…” He moved his hands off my ankles and circled my hips, grips tightening instantly, threateningly. “…and let worthless men touch what’s mine. Who told you that was acceptable?” I scoffed and rolled my eyes even though my heart was racing. “Who said I was yours? Since when did you make me yours?” “Since right now.” ————— Forced to marry Xavier Romano in order to spare her brother’s life, Kiara Francesco– sassy, rebellious and drop dead gorgeous, was determined to be no fragile and obedient wife; which surprised, spurred Xavier on and made his sinful hunger for her intensify with each passing second. Life as a very powerful mafia lord’s wife was no child’s play, seeing as it comes with a whole lot of danger. And Kiara was ready for the dangerous ride.