short books to read

Alexa Banks was always haunted by those memories... That night, that image of her dad's murdered corpse in front of her house. That memory lived with her, and pushed her down. That night was why her mom died, leaving behind her younger brother to fend for alone. Her father was a poor man who had went through a lot in life to fend for his small family of four. Everything was going smoothly and manageable for them until the night their door bell was rung, and in front of them was him in his pool of blood, murdered. Everything changes when incidentally, Alexa meets Anderson Green. Known as an every girls' man. He is handsome, sexy, intelligent, smart and to crown it all, he is the heir to a business mogul, and oh... He was a man whore too. What happens when their two worlds get intertwined and clashes with each other, several dark secrets between?

Margaux is the destined mate of the next Alpha King of their pack which is Alpha Jace. All her life, she was dreaming to become the Alpha's mate. But on the night of their mating, the Alpha has rejected her after discovering her hidden secret. It was revealed that she was wolf-less which caused the other people to start bullying her. Her family didn't do anything to protect her. Out of pain, she fled away with her broken heart and promised to return to avenge herself to those who downgraded her. After three years of living with her uncle in the forest, Margaux has finally decided to go back to the pack where she left her broken heart. But she didn't expect that she and her mate, Alpha Jace would cross paths again after three years when he rejected her and dumped her like trash.

She was a healer but wanted to be a warrior like her father. She lost her father when she was a kid. She grew up hating the Blood moon pack and the Alpha, Troy. She was forced to be mated with her father's killer's son, Troy King. She had to agree with it to save her mother and pack' members. She hated her forced mate. She wanted to kill her Alpha, Max, for forcing her into the situation. She was waiting for the day, she would meet her mate. Before it could happen, she was forced into the wedding. She wanted to kill him, her forced mate.....

The story sets the stage for an unexpected and potentially tumultuous relationship between Davina and Xavier, as they are thrust into an arranged marriage against their will. Davina faces the challenge of paying off her debt, while Xavier must come to terms with the sudden change in his life. Their futures are now intertwined in ways they could never have imagined.

"Oh, dear officer, would you like to play a game?" The Mafia asked, twirling a knife in his hands. "Game? The only game I know it's sending you to jail," Wade took out the handcuffs and wanted to cuff his hands. Suddenly before Wade knew it, he was spun around and pushed against the wall. Shit! Did this bastard just handcuffed him?! "Hey! How dare you -" "Handcuffed an officer?" The man laughed wickedly. Wade's face paled and he froze. Fuck! This bastard tricked him! "Officer," the man dragged his finger across Wade's lips seductively, "How dare you enter my territory without my permission?" "Y-you," Wade's body shook with rage. Who was this man?! His fighting skills were obviously better than his, yet he had been pretending all along! "You must be curious about me," His fingers caressed the curve in Wade's back, sending a shiver down his spine. What happens when duty clashes with an irresistible attraction to a dangerous enemy? Newly appointed police chief Wade Harrington is on a relentless mission to cleanse the city of crime. As he delves into a perplexing missing person case, he stumbles into the lair of the world's most notorious criminal, the enigmatic Mafia King, Vincenzo Luciano. Vincenzo is a master of getting under Wade's skin, challenging him at every turn, and haunting his dreams. As their confrontations intensify, the lines between duty and desire blur, igniting a fiery passion neither can deny. Destined to be enemies, like oil and water, Wade and Vincenzo are inexplicably drawn to each other. Their encounters spark a dangerous game of cat and mouse, where Wade's attempts to capture Vincenzo only lead him deeper into the Mafia King's seductive grasp. Will Wade uphold his duty, or will he succumb to the magnetic pull of his greatest adversary?

Scarlet blood trickled from my thigh as I clutched Arvin Owen's hand. "My belly... It hurts so much..." He shook off my hand indifferently. "Come on, I know it's chicken blood you are using. Debby just suffered abuse from her husband and is now in the hospital without anyone to care for her. Don't be so spoiled!" But what flowed from me was not chicken blood. It was my life slipping away.

Michelle Finley, a stripper who endured working in hell to pay off her father's debt, thought that her life would turn into normal after the last night of working in an afterhours. However, her supposed last night from hell turned into an unforgettable disaster when she was forced to escort a God-like billionaire for money and ended up having a one-night stand with him. What's worse is she got sold to him in return for money. Now, she needs to find a way to get away from him. But, how could she possibly escape from the ruthless and wild billionaire?

He abruptly snatches me, closing the distance between us, putting his hand on the back of my head. All the hair on my body rises on alert; one wrong move I might shapeshift in here. His masculine scent infiltrated me with so much finesse. Damn, he smells divine. "What the hell--" "Shut your mouth; those thugs are after me; I need your help." His baritone tone is manly, very manly which catches me off guard a little. No one can lay a finger on me; he is the first man ever to touch me. I'm with a stranger in a strange position. How annoying can this night be? "Alright, Mister, I will give you three seconds to let me go, or else you might lose your hands." My tone is cold and dangerous. I’m hoping he heeds my warning. The tall man keeps leaning forward to me, putting our bodies in an intimate, awkward setting. "One, Two, Thre--" He steers his legs forward. My heart was beating a mile per second. I can't believe he is doing this! Feeling his warm palms cupping my face, the next thing I know, he is kissing me. His lips taste like strawberries. I got an entry pass into heaven!

I've been married to Elliot Graves, the mafia drug lord in NYC, for the past eight years. But today—on our wedding anniversary—I received a photo of him with my best friend, Lila, celebrating as if they were the ones married. And in her arms was my son, Owen. I stared at the image, then typed out two words in reply. “How perfect.” Half a hour later, Elliot stormed through the front door. His voice thundered through the hallway. “Why do you always have to be so bitchy to Lila?” Owen, my own little boy, shoved at my leg and glared. “Bad Momma,” he said. “I wish Miss Lila was my real mommy.” I didn’t flinch. I simply walked over to the drawer, pulled out the crisp stack of papers I’d long prepared, and dropped them on the table with a quiet finality. “Alright,” I said, my voice calm. “It’s all my fault. Now, can I go?”

When a one-sided love turns the other way around. "I could never see you as a lover. I could not even imagine kissing you." - Jonathan Reed ~~~~ Laura has spent her whole life loving Jonathan Reed, the boy next door who became her best friend. But as they grew older, Jonathan turned into the heartthrob who dated anyone that caught his eye-everyone except her. When she finally confesses her feelings, Jonathan, being the promiscuous man he is, takes advantage of her vulnerability. Something happens between them, but the next day, he acts like it never occurred, treating her as the same "ordinary" friend she's always been. Crushed, Laura is left feeling used and broken. That night, staring at the night sky, she wishes she could stop loving him. A shooting star passes, but Laura bitterly laughs, believing wishes never come true. Or so she thought...