Skeleton Hand Holding Something

Julian Dantes lost everything—his career, his reputation, and now, his brother. When Bash is kidnapped and set to be auctioned off to the highest bidder, Julian is desperate enough to make a deal with the devil himself. Cassiel Morelli is a billionaire with the power to bring men to their knees—or bury them. He agrees to save Bash, but his price is steep: Julian’s hand in marriage. It’s not love. It’s control. But when Julian learns the truth, hatred isn’t enough to stop the war between them from turning into something darker. Something impossible to escape. And when their enemies return, Cassiel makes a move so unthinkable, so monstrous, that Julian is forced to ask himself: What’s more terrifying? The man who stole his freedom… or the fact that he might never want it back?

“I don't know anything. P-please...let me go.” She pleaded with her eyes half closed as her lips trembled due to his close proximity. She could feel his warm breaths on her face. She whimpered feeling a hand grip on her hair yanking her face up. Her entire body was sore and shaking from all the torture she had endured from this man. “Angel,...” Sylvester whispered in her ear. “Are you telling me the truth?” Lucia could feel the coldness of the mouth of the gun plastered to her temple and she broke into more sobs looking up to meet his dark eyes. “I swear...I-I don't know anything a-about Lily...she...” Her voice ceased when she felt his hand at her chin. “I believe you angel. But it seems that bitch has left us something behind to take with us as compensation.”

“You can still walk away,” he said, his voice lower now. I shook my head. “I don’t want to.” Something in his expression softened, just slightly. Then he stepped closer. Close enough that I could feel the warmth of his body, the steady rhythm of his breathing. For a second, neither of us moved. Like we were both waiting, deciding. His hand lifted, hesitating just slightly before brushing against my jaw, tilting my face up to his. “Last chance,” he murmured. I didn’t answer, I didn’t need to. I closed the distance instead. The kiss wasn’t soft. It was searching, deliberate. Like he was testing something, me. And I responded before I could stop myself. Before I could think. My fingers curled into his shirt, pulling him closer as the world around us slipped further out of reach. The hesitation was gone now. Replaced by something heavier, something I didn’t want to question. And this time, I didn’t think.

I knock on the door, heart pounding like it always does when I’m about to see him. “Come in,” Justin’s voice calls—cool, smooth, and frustratingly calm. I take a deep breath and walk in, holding the folder tightly. “Here’s the report you requested, sir.” He doesn’t even glance at me. Just keeps typing, his expression unreadable. “You’re late,” he says without missing a beat. I clench my jaw. “There was a delay at the printer—” “No excuses, Joanna. Just do better next time.” Ouch. Professional and cold. As always. I nod, ignoring the sting in my chest. “Yes, sir.” I turn to leave, gripping the doorknob—just one more second and I’ll be out of this weird tension-filled office— “Wait.” I freeze. I turn around slowly. “Yes?” Justin stands now, walking toward me. In his hand, a familiar brown paper bag. He holds it out. “You didn’t have lunch.” I blink. “I’m fine.” “You skipped breakfast too. Eat.” I hesitate. “What is it?” “Chicken pesto. No onions.” My breath catches. He still remembers? “Why are you doing this?” I ask quietly. He shrugs, not meeting my eyes. “I just… remember things.” My fingers brush his as I take the bag. Warmth. Stupid warmth that shouldn’t still feel this familiar. Then, he looks at me—really looks at me. “You shouldn’t skip meals… wife.” Silence. My chest tightens. “Don’t call me that.” But my voice is too soft to sound convincing. I walk out before I say something I’ll regret. His words echo in my mind like a dangerous lullaby. Cold one second. Kilig the next. God… he’s still him. And that’s exactly the problem.

After his mother gets a new job in a small town far from the troubles that plagued young Casey Allen Peterson in the big city and every school he'd attended before hand, The new arrival is brought into the midst of a dying town where he comes into contact with the resident Bad Boy, Rick Channon who seems to take a special interest in him. Upon further observation, Casey discovers that Rick has been keeping something of a dark secret of his own and he's the only one that was privy to it.

"Pregnant patient, corpus luteum rupture, heavy bleeding! We need a consent form signed—now!" I stood there holding the clipboard, waiting, when a voice I knew way too well cut through the chaos. "I'm here!" Jimmy. My husband. The same guy who vanished on our anniversary—now signing off on emergency surgery for another woman. He didn't even blink before writing "husband" on the form. Still had our wedding ring on, too. He didn't recognize me behind the mask. Just grabbed my hand and begged. "Please save her. It's my fault. She's pregnant. I messed up. I love her. I can't lose her." His grip tightened. My wedding ring slipped off and hit the floor. I didn't say a word. Just turned and walked into the OR. A doctor beside me, totally clueless, beamed and said, "Dr. Meyer, your test results came back—twins! Your husband's gonna be so happy. Congrats!" I smiled, barely. "Schedule the termination after surgery."

Book 1: My Badboy Knight Tasha: I should know better than to fall for another guy who might break my heart again. But Nate Adams stormed into my life, crumbling down the walls I began building around my heart. He makes me want to fall in love again. This time, with him. Nate: Tasha Quinn is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. Everything about her is beautiful. Hot. Sexy. Perfect. I am fucking in love with her. I have always been in love with her. She is my sweetest addiction. Book 2: The Playboy King Diane: Leo King doesn't give a fuck about love, dating, or any other cupid shit like that. He never lacks enough women to fuck in bed, is annoyingly attractive, and constantly oversteps his boundaries around me. Just because he's the heir to the generational wealth of the King Family doesn't mean he can have any woman at his beck and call. College was supposed to be my chance to start my life afresh, away from my past traumas. But Leo King is making things very hard for me. And living with him is also not helping me at all. Leo: Diane Brandon is the pain in my ass. Ever since she started living with me after my sister Marissa relocated to France, she's been dictating to me how I should live my life in my own house. I hate how she also acts like she is some quiet angel with no demons. But everyone has a skeleton in their closet, whether big or small, and I can feel down to my bones that Diane is hiding something truly dark beneath that cheerful, seductive mask of hers. She is making my life miserable. A little dig-up for payback wouldn't hurt.

" stay two metres away from me anytime you are here, you are just my son's nurse so don't act like the caretaker of this whole house" Malcolm growled angrily as Aurora gulped and moved two paces away from him in fear holding onto the little boy's tiny hands. Malcolm Hart, the thirty-five year old business tycoon and the owner of chains of companies scattered around the world. He is the father of Liam,his seven year old son who was diagnosed with a brain tumor and has little time to live, despite having so much money it was hard to get his son treated. Aside being his son's father, he is also different from other men as he doesn't mingle or interact with the world around him unless for business and his ruthlessness was on another level. Things becomes different when Liam is admitted in the hospital because of a sudden seizure due to his illness and he gets attached with his nurse who he later calls his best friend, the two become so attached that Liam ended up asking her to become his nanny since his papa was hardly ever around. As Nurse Aurora step into the Hart mansion, things were not as she thought because on one hand is the son who adores her like his own mother and on the other hand is his papa who didn't even like seeing her because to him, she was just like the other girls. The story of a father and son, caught in the middle of a beautiful love with their in-house Nurse. Will the love for an innocent dying child make two people fall in love or drift them apart?

All Andrea wanted to do on her birthday was have fun and forget all her problems, including the fact that she just broke up with her ex boyfriend of a few weeks. She did not expect getting drunk and showing her wild side to Chase, the biggest Mafia boss she has only heard of. Thinking she already escaped, she is surprised to see him in school again. Finding out he's a great womanizer and a Mafia boss. Chase cannot leave her alone, ever since he had a taste of her, he could not stop thinking about her. He wanted her all to himself and he used his power to his advantage especially finding out his rival is in love with her. He is crazy about her body, possessive and scary. How will Andrea survive being stuck between two young Mafia bosses who hate each other and her family who is planning her death on the other hand? .................. "You are my woman and you should do whatever I want. I don't share my things with anyone! You need to understand that or we are going to keep having issues!" He fired back. I sighed deeply, "There you go with being controlling again. I am not your property!" . "I'm....sorry." I managed to say, my hand is bruising and he wouldn't stop holding it like that. "I won't warn you again. Now..." He sat down on a chair facing me, "I want you to strip." "Why..." He stood up and moved closer to me, "Never mind, I will do it myself. You can't stop me."

When the future Alpha and Beta of the Winter pack fight to hide and deny their inappropriate feelings for one another from everyone including themselves and each other, until secrets, truths and a mysterious magical heritage are revealed. Leading them down a branching, rocky path into the unknown and beyond in search of their happily-ever-after. Will the guilt, grief and pain along the way be too much for the young couple and shatter their world as they know it, or will they rise above it all to conquer and simply survive, or will their many foes and obstacles be too much for them and get in the way. **************** "If I have to dance with one more eligible bachelorette, I'm gonna ... " He stops mid rant as the band starts playing a cover of satellite by Nickelback, and I close my eye swaying to the opening notes. "Chilli?" Suddenly, Elias is back up on his feet, holding out his hand. "Hu?" Bewildered as I look up at him, "May I have this dance?" I look at Erin, who pulls a silly face and shrugs. "Umm," hesitant to his offer. "Come on, I know you like this song. Let's show them how it's done. Plus, it'll be nice not to have my feet stepped on at least once tonight. " he winks at me with a cheeky grin. His not wrong, I do love this song, and part of our training was learning all forms of ballroom dances. Taking a deep breath, I take his hand and let him lead me to the middle of the dance floor. I put my hand on his shoulder as his goes to my waist, which sent a spark through my nerves. Hu, weird, must be the rum and coke. We young wolves aren't allowed to drink much.