Slow Burn Coffee

Dwyne, a self-supporting medical student, has just joined the hospital as the youngest intern. But she met with an unexpected situation on her first night shift alone--she’s targeted by a handsome man who looked very dangerous. Is he a gangster? Dwyne thought, judging him by his demeanor. He always wore a black suit and sunglasses. Sometimes even at night. And he's got a gunshot wound on his body. A gunshot! It terrified Dwyne.  She wanted nothing more to do with such a dangerous man, but it looked as if the man was haunting her. She began to meet him frequently. Or rather, he was literally everywhere！ The hospital where she works, the coffee shop where she has a part-time job, the bar where she helps out on a temporary basis... And it seemed like everyone knew him. Is he famous?  It's not just outside Dwyne met him everywhere. Her home was no longer a sanctuary for her alone either. The door to her apartment seemed to be a useless decoration to him. She sometimes finds a bouquet of flowers on the coffee table in her house, while a couple of times she's even found himself suddenly showing in her room. Yes, whenever he wanted to see her, he never made an appointment. It absolutely wasn't a funny joke or a pleasant surprise for her. Dwyne was tired of the boring banter, she just wanted to get through her internship and become a qualified doctor, but she was always surrounded by a gang of menacing men in black suits. Annoyed, she blurted out that she didn't have any feelings for him and she didn't want to see him anymore. She didn't expect that, her wish came true. For the next week, month, and then until a year, she never saw the man in her sights again. Her life went back to the way it was. Though, it was ever so slightly boring. Until that day... When they meet again, it's him lying bloody and dying in the operating room. Dwyne realized that she had never forgotten him. During the time she took care of him, she learned his name and got to know him a little more. Geez, it turned out that he's not only a gangster, but a formidable Mafia Boss! However, when Dwyne moved to this town three years ago, she also hid her true identity. This, after all, is not a life that belongs to her...

Eleanor's heart pounded as Armando backed her into a corner, his eyes dark and unrelenting. "Why do you keep resisting me, Eleanor?" he asked, his voice a low threat. She tried to pull away, but his grip on her wrist tightened. "I won't be your possession, Armando." A slow, dangerous smirk curled on his lips. "We'll see about that." His hand snaked around her waist, pulling her against him, the warmth of his body making it hard to think straight. Before she could protest, his mouth claimed hers, fierce and demanding. She wanted to fight, but the intensity of his kiss shattered her defenses. Her hands, instead of pushing him away, gripped his shoulders, drawing him closer. When he finally pulled back, they were both breathless. "You can lie to yourself all you want," Armando whispered against her ear, his breath sending shivers down her spine, "but you can't deny what's between us." Eleanor's heart raced with conflicting emotions, knowing he was right-and hating herself for how much she wanted him. * * * * * * Eleanor's life spirals out of control when she is sold to Armando, a merciless Mafia boss. Their fiery confrontations spark a powerful and dangerous connection neither can deny. As betrayal and threats close in from every direction, Eleanor must decide if she can trust the man who holds her captive or if their growing bond will destroy them both. In a world of ruthless power struggles, love becomes the ultimate risk.

Nine years into my "non-cohabiting partnership" with Simon, his father passed away. The first condition in his will was simple: Simon and Ella had to conceive a child. On the day the child turned one month old, Simon would inherit his father's fortune. Simon told me this himself—the night I walked in on them tangled in our bed. Afterward, as he took a slow drag from his cigarette, he murmured, "Lily, just wait a little longer. Once I get the inheritance, I'll marry you." But he went back on his word. From then on, every time Simon planned to meet Ella at our house, he would hang a string of bells on the door. Since his father's passing, those bells had chimed ninety-nine times. After the ninety-ninth, the news arrived—Ella was pregnant, and their engagement party was set. My daughter saw the invitation, hesitated, then softly asked, "Mom, is Daddy's name on this?" I forced a smile and gently smoothed her messy hair into a neat ponytail. "Daddy is marrying the one he loves," I said. "And I'm taking you home." Simon never understood—I never cared about that marriage certificate.

Taylor Williams didn’t grow up with the loving parents, white picket fence, and a dog. She’s struggled to get where she is and knows that with all she's endured, life can only get better. At 28 years old, she hails as one of the country’s top divorce lawyers and is ready to slow down and start a family with her husband. The only problem is he's shut her out and has treated her like everything but a wife since the night he came across her and his boss in a compromising situation. In spite of her innocence, she's determined to make it up to him. Isaac Warren is bad business; the kind of bad business that requires focus and determination in order to stay alive. It’s also the kind that caused him to shut himself off from serious relationships after the brutal murder of his fiancé three years ago. Now his cold exterior keeps everyone at bay except those he considers family. He doesn’t have room for anything more than the occasional tryst, especially not with the highly acclaimed lawyer he’s accidentally stumbled upon. When their paths cross, the attraction is undeniable no matter how much they try to fight it. Their denial of each other pushes Taylor into devastating situations and as the life she worked so hard to achieve spirals out of control, she decides to take matters into her own hands because it's impossible that the hand she’s been dealt is meant to be played alone and you know what they say about karma, right?

My husband's latest lover is a dab hand at making coffee. I'm curious, so I go to her coffee shop to try a cup. When I get home, my husband grips my neck tightly as he warns, "Stay away from her." I'm reminded of how he did the same thing to my betrothed at the time before snatching me away. "Do you like her that much?" I laugh and watch as Ray Prunier loses control. I guess I'll give him what he wants, then.

Ava thought she had the perfect life until she found out her boyfriend of eight years was seeing another woman. One drunken night of heartbreak turned into a dangerous game of power, desire, and revenge when she stumbled into the hands of a complete stranger. They say revenge is best served cold, but no one warned her it could burn this hot. Especially when it comes wrapped in a suit, and looking at her with eyes that promise both salvation and sin.

He pressed him against the door, breath hot, voice ragged. “If you don’t want this… tell me to stop.” A pause. A heartbeat. “I can’t.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Some obsessions aren’t meant to be touched. Some men aren’t meant to be loved. And some desires don’t care. This collection isn’t about perfect love. It’s about the one you weren’t supposed to want— Another man. Your brother’s best friend. Your enemy’s son. Your professor. Your fake fiancé. The man who shouldn’t look at you like that. The man you can’t stop wanting. Every story is a man falling for another man when he shouldn’t—and doing it anyway. Fast-paced, emotionally sharp, and dangerously seductive, every story in Burnt Offerings dives headfirst into the hunger we deny, the rules we break, and the lovers we were warned to stay away from. Some affairs stay in the dark. Others start wildfires. This isn't a love story. It's all the ones you swore you’d never tell. All of them about men who should have walked away from each other… but didn’t.

Hunter, Vampire, Witch, Werewolf. Mateo took a step back when he heard a beat. A loud beat coming from his heart. He gasped and lifted his right hand to his chest. He felt it! He felt his dead heart beating back alive! How long has it been? 500 decades? No. 1000 decades? No. It has been 2000 decades since he was born with a dead heart. A chuckle came out from his mouth and then he erupted into a burst of laughter with tears running down his face. Oh! How he waited for this day! It took him a few minutes to calm down before he looks up from the floor. He took a slow step towards the cold-eyed enchantress in front of him. The seductive figure was the one who had been busy slaughtering a few of his clans. He stopped in front of her and bent down to her ears. “Mates, you’re mine!”

“You stare like you’re trying to memorize me,” she murmured quietly, without looking up. He stepped closer, voice rough. “I already have. Every inch. Every sigh. But I still feel like I’m starving for you.” He walked up behind her. His fingers trail over her collarbone, slow, reverent. She shivers. “You shouldn’t touch me like that,” she whispered. “Say stop, and I will. But don’t lie.” He leaned down, brushing his lips against the side of her neck. Her breath hitched. “This… this is dangerous.” He murmured, “You’re the most dangerous thing in my life. I’ve killed men with steadier hands than I have when I’m near you.” She turned to face him, their eyes locked. One look—everything trembled between them. “Let me ruin every thought you have of gentleness, Inayat. Let me be the fire you crave but don’t dare name.” He lifted her, gently, set her on the table beside the couch. His hands lingered on her thighs, the tension coiling like smoke in the air. He whispered, “You asked me once why I watch you like I might break. It’s because loving you has become my most violent instinct.” *** When King Agnil is betrayed and slain by his own commander, Samarth, his kingdom falls into chaos—and his daughter, Inayat, becomes the obsession of the man who murdered her father. Years later, the exiled prince, Ayman, returns to reclaim the throne. His plan? Use Samarth’s sister as a weapon of revenge. But as vengeance tangles with emotion, Ayman finds himself torn between justice and the forbidden pull of love. Can he destroy the man who stole everything—without losing the girl who might save him?

Tika They delivered me to him on a silver platter. Four years ago I was an ordinary girl with a privileged life. After killing the only family I have left, they call this my penance. As I watch the man they call a monster from underneath my lashes, the handcuffs burn on my wrist. The orange jump suit makes sweat drip down my ample bosom as he growls at me. “Mate” he roars. The others around us freeze as we are lead in line. His eyes never leave me as he gives orders while others call him Alpha. With a snap of his fingers I watch as one of his men shreds himself apart to turn into a hideous beast. As I meet his golden gaze and my world starts to tilt, only one thing is clear. I just became the prisoner of a monster. ~ Xander When I imagined my mate, I saw a woman of strength and great beauty. When I met her eyes for the first time she wasn’t in chains. She wasn’t a prisoner facing persecution for a crime. I find the sweet scent of her to be contradicting. The way my cock hardens behind my robe as she looks at me from underneath her lashes, lets me know that she is a very bad girl indeed. In that moment I decided, since I always bring out the best in people…..this time, I want to bring out the worst.