Skin Hanabi

Emma's life was not different than Cinderella's, she was punished by her stepmother and sister. And only a prince charming could change her life. For five years, Emma lived in Charlotte Miller’s shadow—forced to play her double, smile for her photos, write her speeches, and disappear the moment the spotlight hit. She was paid to be silent, obedient, and forgettable. Until the night everything shattered. Her heart. Her pride. And her place as Charlotte’s puppet. They forced her into a marriage with Xeros Martinez—a dangerous billionaire heir of the Martinez empire and a man who makes danger feel like desire. She was a substitute bride for him, and the only thing she expected from him was coldness and rejection. But what she didn't expect was his intervention when Charlotte's mother was about to whip her. "How dare you touch my vanilla?" He growled like thunder. "Try it again—and I'll remind you why people fear my name." Their marriage may have begun as a business arrangement, but the heat between them refuses to be ignored. Because later, when she tried to avoid the heat burning between them, he dropped his towel with a smirk, “Scrub my body, wife.” She hesitated. “W-Will I…?” He stepped closer, water dripping down his chiseled chest. “Isn’t that what a wife does?” And when her fingers brushed against his skin, he leaned in, voice low and wicked: “Tell me… do you think I’m sexy?” She mumbled a breathless yes. “What was that?” he asked, teasing. She shook her head, flustered. So he grabbed her waist and smashed his lips onto hers, stealing the truth straight from her mouth.

So there I was, stuck in this dark Victorian mansion for a whole freaking century, thinking I'd never get out. Then, out of nowhere, these two gorgeous girls swoop in and rescue me! I couldn't believe it, and we instantly hit it off. They showed me a whole new world I'd only ever imagined, and I was all about living a normal human life.   But just when I thought things were looking up, this vampire named Vivaldi pops up out of thin air, grinning like a possessed Jack-o'-lantern. I mean, a name like Vivaldi is bound to give you the creeps, right? He claimed I had some ancient first blood running through my veins and demanded that I sign some crazy blood contract with him—the kind of deal that comes with some seriously freaky consequences.   Vivaldi was trying to sell me the idea that this blood contract was his only lifeline, the only way to save his skin from something worse than death. But I wasn't some clueless newborn vamp; I knew better than to just dive into something as serious as a blood contract. Those things come with some heavy consequences, and I wasn't about to sign up for that without a second thought.   The problem was, if I didn't go along with his messed-up plan, he promised to make my friends' lives a living hell—the very people I'd started to care about. I was trapped between a rock and a hard place. If I decided to team up with Vivaldi, I'd be keeping him around, which is far from ideal. But if I refused, my friends and the whole town of Shadowvale would be in serious danger.    It felt like I was caught in this impossible situation, like I was trying to choose between two rotten apples.

I make a mistake. A rash and intoxicating mistake. One night. A stranger. A fire that burns my skin and leaves me breathless. But when the morning light comes, I run—leaving behind nothing but shame and a few crumpled bills. I think I’ll never see him again. Until I step into the towering kingdom of Wilder Group... and meet ーhim. Kai Wilder Reyes. A ruthless billionaire. The man who rules the city with just a snap of his fingers. The man who shares an unforgettable night with me. And worst of all—my best friend's uncle. His grin is sinful. His touch is deadly. His words are a trap I can’t escape. "I can destroy your husband for you, Vivian," he whispers, his lips dangerously close. "Make him regret ever betraying you." My ex-husband, Adrian Cownell, has shattered my heart, and Kai offers me justice on a silver platter. But at what cost? Because Kai never does anything for free. And when I ask him what he wants in return, he smiles. A slow, dark, wicked smile. "I want you, Vivian."

A can change everything. One with your best friend, and it changes the whole dynamic. What will you do when you get to know that your best friend has been in love with you? What will you do when she doesn't want to be friends anymore and wants more instead? * “Everytime I see you with a guy, my skin burns” Millie hisses, pinning me with an intense look that makes my belly flip. I am pinned to the wall with her caging me. “Do you know how hard it is to pretend that you are only my friend, and nothing more? That I love you but cannot have you?” Her words spin inside my head, and the thundering beating of my heart echoes in my ear. How do we come to this situation? I pant as she leans closer, her eyes averting to my parted lips. I am having thoughts of her. Hell, I see her in my dreams so often now that I am not sure what she means to me now. Millie caresses my cheeks and a shiver runs down my spine. “I can't pretend anymore, Grace. It's getting really hard” she whispers in my ear and I squirm. When she meets my eyes, I say something that surprises her. “Then don't.” I crash my lips on hers, crossing whatever lines we had.

“Don't worry, I am not the type that touches a woman without her consent” He said and then stood up and moved closer to me, he suddenly bent over catching me off guard. The smell of his strong masculine cologne hitting my nostrils and damn he smells so good. His mouth was almost touching my ear but no skin contact was made. “They beg me to touch them” His voice suddenly went dangerously low and it made me nervous and excited . Goosebumps broke out on my skin and I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. After running away from her abusive stepfather at the age of 15, Athena tries to get her life back together and forget about all the pains and trauma she endured at the hands of her stepfather but just when things started to look up for her, the universe fucks her in the face and her past comes back to haunt her. But what she thinks to be a nightmare happens to be a blessing in a really good disguise.

Blurb I should have known.. the way his eyes turned dark with desire the minute he saw me across the room, if not, then I should have known when his fingers shivered when they touched my bare skin, I should have known the moment he kissed me passionately, a kiss so intense yet different, I should have realized something was off, or perhaps, deep down, I knew this wasn’t my Ben, nevertheless I pulled him closer to me and let myself melt under his touch. There is just something about a forbidden fruit that throws all logical thinking out the window. At a mask themed party, Stella gets intimate with a man she believes is her fiancé, Ben. But unfortunately she receives a call informing her Ben was involved in a tragic accident, turning to the bed, she demands the man reveals himself. She is left horrified to see that the man she thought was Ben is actually Benji, Ben’s identical twin brother. This one mistake not only leaves her pregnant but also homeless. Five years later, Stella comes back to New York with her young daughter, she will do everything she can to ruin everyone that betrayed her in the past especially Benji, who she blames for Ben’s death, unknown to her, fate has its own game.

Born an Omega, Celeste Ravaryn was never meant to be anything more than a servant—weak, disposable, broken. She spent her life at the mercy of the very wolves who tormented her. Until fate tied her to Alpha Kieran Blackwood. His Luna? Never. His whore? Always. He never wanted her. But he took her anyway. In the dark, he ruined her, whispered lies against her skin… then shattered her in front of everyone. "Did you really think I'd accept an Omega as my mate? Pathetic." He rejected her. Publicly. Brutally. "I, Alpha Kieran Blackwood, accept Selene Hawthorne as my mate. She will be my Luna, bear my children, and lead this pack with me..." But rejection doesn’t always mean the end. Sometimes, it’s just the beginning. Because in the shadows, another monster is watching. The most feared Lycan King in existence. A man with no mercy, no weakness… except her. She was born to suffer. But he, The Lycan King, will teach her how to burn the world and make everyone in it tremble at her feet.

On the night of their three-year anniversary, Anita finds her boyfriend cheating on her with another woman. Feeling heartbroken, she drowns her sorrows in a reckless night of passion with a mysterious stranger. The next morning, she wakes up to an insane offer from him, marriage. When she loses her job and her mother is in need of surgery, Anita, desperate and with nowhere to turn, signs the contract. Only to discover after that her new husband is none other than her ex-boyfriend's uncle. Anita quickly finds herself caught in a web of family drama with a marriage that was never meant to be real. But secrets have a way of surfacing. And when Anita’s past collides with her present, the once quiet life she had is about to erupt in flames. ~ “You weren’t acting like that when you were moaning my name in that hotel room” Heat shot through my body at his teasing remark. I gulped, trying to stay strong. “That was a mistake and you know it” Nathan chuckled, his dark eyes glinting with amusement. “Was it? Because I remember you clinging onto me… begging me not to stop” “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” I whispered, almost breathless as he trailed his fingers down to my jaw, tilting my face upwards. “What I enjoy is knowing that no matter how much you try to fight it, your body remembers me” The last words were a whisper against the skin of my neck. My breath caught in my throat. “My mother is in the next room” Nathan smirked. “Then you better keep quiet.”

My breath hitched in my throat as he held me closer. His mouth dangerously close to my ear, his hot breath fanning against my skin, as he started to whisper. “You're a siren, Ember. Luring me into the flames. And it just so happens that I'm ready to get consumed.” ____ Ember Flynn thought she'd left her past behind, after her world was shattered with betrayal and tragedy, she rebuilt her life in Florida with her young son. But when she runs into Maverick Nightshade, the enigmatic stranger from her darkest night - Ember's carefully constructed walls start to crumble. As their passion reignites, she's forced to confront the lies and secrets that have haunted her for so long. Can she trust Maverick, or will their love be destroyed by the very secrets that bind them? And when the full moon rises again, will her destiny be sealed or will love set her free?

I jolt awake to splash of ice cold water making contact with my warm skin and ripping me from my dreams. Looking up I see my perpetrator and best friend Bailey giggling, and holding a now half-emptied bucket. “Wake up loser! Last day on the beach and you choose to sleep?” I roll my eyes in annoyance at her bubbly enthusiasm. “Alright I’ll get in for a bit but I’m not going to stay long,” I state with a huff. We each grab a floatie and make our way waist deep before hopping on and linking arms to keep from drifting apart. “Are you excited to be heading back tomorrow? I know I am!” Bailey quipped. Honestly I’d been avoiding that thought the whole trip. Returning to our pack was the last thing I wanted to think about. This week at the beach had been the calm environment I desperately needed after senior year. Returning would mean I would have to finally confront the drama that has become my life the last three months. All through high school I kept my head down, focusing on my team and training. Despite keeping to myself there was always one person stirring sh*t up, my ex, Austin. His father, the Alpha to our pack, gave his life in one of the pack battles last year. Leaving his Luna to raise Austin and his sister on her own. Austin would now be eligible for the Alpha title which worried me. Up until we left he had shown blatant disrespect to my father, Beta to our pack. Not to mention he still had his eyes and ears on me. Returning was the last thing I had on my mind, knowing sh*t is about to hit the fan.