Slow Cinema

It's my first day undercover at my future husband's dessert shop, and chaos walks in with fake lashes and two-inch nails. "I want an ice cream. Heated." I paused. "Just checking... You want your ice cream hot?" She gave me a look like I'd failed kindergarten. "Yes. Hot ice cream. Are you slow?" Deep breath. Zen mode. Customer-first service smile. "I'm sorry, ma'am. Ice cream has to stay frozen, or it just turns into—well... milk. If you want something warm, we have hot tea or coffee." "I'm pregnant!" she screeched. "Pregnant women crave weird things! Plus, my doctor said I can't eat anything cold! Are you trying to kill my baby and me? Is that what this is?!" People started turning their heads. Fantastic. A whole audience. I kept my voice low. "Ma'am, I can refund you." She suddenly smacked the counter, knocking the scanner sideways. Her nails shot past my face like tiny knives. "What kind of attitude is that?! A pathetic cashier talking back to me? I'll call my husband and get you fired!" Then, she leaned in like she was about to reveal a royal bloodline. "Guess what? I'm the boss's wife." I blinked. If that was true, I really needed to stop thinking about helping my boyfriend to open 3,000 franchise stores.

Dying from wolfsbane, I came back six months into carrying his pup. I went straight to a witch, begged for a potion to slow down the pup's growth. Choked it down. Then every day, I padded my belly with rabbit fur and kept up the act. In my first life, Emily and I went into labor on the same day. She popped out a perfect silver-white pup. Me? A white wolf giving birth to some scrappy mutt. James—Alpha of Ebonfang Pack—looked me dead in the eye and swore I betrayed him. I begged him to test the pup's blood. He did. Results came back: father was from an enemy pack. He called me a traitor, said I slept with the enemy, cut the bond, and threw me out. Five years rogue gutted my wolf. Then he showed up again. Guilt all over his face. "Emily got played by a Darkclaw wolf. She's just an omega—she wouldn't have survived going rogue. I had to swap the pups. Didn't you get the supplies I sent? Whatever, it's over. I'll take care of you now." Emily shot me a look full of venom and passed me a teapot. Didn't even get a word out before the wolfsbane kicked in. I died choking, eyes wide, body frozen. But now? I'm back. I know everything. Let's see how they plan to win this time.

His hand pressed against the wall beside my head, his breath hot against my ear. “You’re blushing again, professor,” Ace whispered, his voice low, sinful. I swallowed, trying to steady myself, but my body betrayed me, arching towards him, aching for more. “You’re too close,” I managed, my voice unsteady. He smirked, brushing his lips over my jaw, slow and deliberate. “Then tell me to stop.” I should have. God, I should have... Instead, I tangled my fingers in his hair and pulled him to me. His mouth crashed over mine, hungry and rough, and the world outside his disappeared. I thought living with him would be the worst decision of my life. Turns out, it might be the hottest. -- -- -- I needed a roommate. What I got was Ace, tattooed, arrogant, and infuriatingly gorgeous. He breezed into my apartment like he owned it, with that cocky smile and a body that makes focusing on my studies nearly impossible. The walls are thin. Too thin. Every night, I hear things I shouldn’t. And worse… I start fantasizing about things I shouldn't. I tell myself that he’s a distraction I can’t afford but when he offers to tutor me in things that have nothing to do with textbooks, I’m not sure I can resist. One touch. One kiss. One lesson I’ll never forget. Living with Ace was meant to be temporary. Falling for him? That was never part of the plan.

“You say the child belongs to your stepbrother.” Aston’s gaze flicked to the sleeping boy, then back to her. “Is that what everyone believes?” Aria’s jaw tightened. “Why do you ask?” His lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile. “Curiosity.” Five years ago, Aria Griffin was drugged by her own family and forced into her stepbrother’s bed. By morning, the scandal had destroyed her reputation… and everyone believed it was her fault. She was disgraced and disowned, and had to be flown away to hide from the public. For five years, Aria lived quietly overseas under her grandfather’s protection… until the day he summoned her back. This time, she isn’t returning alone. She has a son. And a marriage waiting for her. Everyone believed the child she carried was proof of her shame. Her husband, Aston Beaumont, is powerful, calculating, and far too interested in a woman the entire city believes was ruined by her own stepbrother. But Aria quickly discovers the truth. Aston didn’t marry her out of duty. He married her for revenge. While her husband secretly plots to destroy her grandfather, Aria must protect the one thing she cannot afford to lose, her child. And as old scandals resurface, the stepbrother who once destroyed her reputation has no intention of letting her go again. But the biggest secret of all… The child isn’t who anyone thinks he is. And everyone who underestimated Aria is about to regret it.

His hands slid up my thighs, in a slow and deliberate manner, and my breath hitched. “What if…” I gasped as his fingers tightened possessively. “What if my mother finds out?” He didn’t answer with words. Instead, he captured my lips in a searing kiss that swallowed my protests and set my entire body aflame. His mouth moved against mine with a hunger that said he didn’t care about consequences, didn’t care about anything except this….except us. When he finally pulled back, his eyes were dark with desire, his voice a low rumble against my skin. “Then let her.” ~~~ When fate deals the cruelest hand, desire doesn’t play fair Belle Westwood never expected her fresh start to come with a mate bond—especially not to the one man she absolutely cannot have. He’s powerful, commanding, and everything her wolf craves. He’s also her mother’s husband. One stolen kiss changes everything. Now, caught between duty and an attraction that threatens to consume them both, Belle must decide walk away from her fated mate, or risk destroying everyone she loves for a chance at the one thing she’s never had—true love. But when her past comes back to haunt her and enemies close in, Belle realizes that sometimes the most dangerous thing isn’t the secret you’re keeping… it’s the one you can’t resist.

"W-wife?" “its okay to see me and treat me like trash,I’ve lived with that knowledge for years. Even if you hate my presence so much, why do you want to marry me off to some guy I didn’t know existed until this moment?’’ Camila couldn't fathom marrying at such a young age. "I can't believe you're going to make me marry someone like her," Leonardo muttered to his father, his voice dripping with contempt. "She's nothing more than a child. Just look at her, she looks like she’ll break any moment from now. And for God’s sake she looks naive" With Leonardo storming out in anger, the atmosphere grew tense. "Why do you and Mom hate me so much?" Camila cried out, her tears flowing freely. "You've locked me away in the back house for years, and now you're forcing me into marriage without my consent!" .................>>>>> Camilla's sole desire has always been to experience love and receive fair treatment from her family. However, her world takes a drastic turn when her family arranges a marriage with the seemingly uninterested and arrogantly indifferent Leonardo. Will they defy the odds and make their marriage work, or will they ultimately conclude that the endeavor isn't worth the struggle? Embark on a journey with Camilla and Leonardo . p.s one of this book's trope is slow burn romance

"I like her," I said as I sat across from my mother unable to keep the frustration from boiling over. "Like who?" "Callie," I admitted, my chest tightening as I said her name. Her expression froze for a moment before she set the papers aside and leaned forward. "You’re joking, right? Callie is your brother’s girlfriend." "I don’t care," I snapped. "I can’t stand seeing him with her. She should be mine, and I’m not going to just sit back and watch them together." "Well, well. This is interesting." She sat back, steepling her fingers. "You really want her all to yourself?" "More than anything," I confessed. A slow smile crept across her face, and it sent a chill down my spine. "Don’t worry. I have a plan.” Whatever she had in mind, I knew it wouldn’t be simple. But if it meant having Callie… I was willing to do whatever it took. **************** Callie was given a choice by her new boss: either lose her job or act as his escort for his family’s Christmas and New Year celebrations, pretending to be his girlfriend. Left with no other option, she reluctantly agrees to be his escort but what she doesn’t realize is that she’s walking straight into a trap. Dive into a story of love, betrayal, romance, suspense, and a Christmas miracle. Second Chances Under the Tree is a gripping and intriguing read that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

Calen was a benchwarmer on the university swim team, someone who never actually competed. The captain, Karl, was everything he wasn’t, a campus golden boy. Three records broken. A new girlfriend every other week. One night, Calen realized he’d left something behind and went back to the locker room. That was when he heard it. Ragged breathing. Strained, barely held back. And beneath it… the slow, awful sound of metal bending under pressure. He pushed the door open. Karl stood with his back to him. His bare muscles writhed beneath his skin, moving wrong, his spine standing out in sharp ridges. His fingers were dug deep into the steel locker, nails tearing through metal, leaving long, brutal gouges. The air was thick with the smell of blood… and something wild. Predatory. Karl snapped around. His eyes burned gold in the dark. Blood stained the corner of his mouth, and when he bared his teeth, the canines were far too long. Far too sharp. He ran. He barely took two steps before something crashed into him from behind, slamming him to the floor. Karl’s weight pinned him down, his body radiating heat… too hot, almost painful. A low voice brushed his ear. “You saw something you weren’t meant to see.” “I won’t say anything….” Karl lowered his head, his nose grazing his neck as he inhaled slowly, deeply. “…You smell fucking irresistible.”

Amara Wilson's life was a silent prison under her stepfather's abuse. Driven by greed and debt, he sells her into a transactional marriage with the formidable Italian Mafia boss, Emiliano Valenti. For Emiliano, cold and scarred by betrayal, Amara is a mere contractual solution—a means to an heir, with a strict expectation of obligation, not love. Amara accepts her fate, hiding the secret of her brutal past and the bruises beneath her elegant new facade. ​The silence breaks when Emiliano spots a fading handprint on her neck. This tiny mark ignites a furious, unexpected protectiveness, clashing with his ingrained cynicism. His suspicion leads him to task his right-hand man, Matteo, with an investigation into the Wilson family. Matteo uncovers a shocking web of manipulation, violence, and treachery surrounding Amara’s stolen inheritance and her father’s suspicious death. As Emiliano learns the full extent of her stepfather's cruelty, his indifference transforms into a burning need for justice and vengeance. ​Forced into shared quarters, the terrified Amara finds unexpected solace in Emiliano's demanding presence, even waking up safe in his arms. Emiliano, battling the ghosts of his past, struggles with the confusing pull he feels toward his quiet, resilient wife, determined to become the protector she desperately needs. As their opulent world clashes with Amara's dark secrets, their transactional arrangement begins to unravel. Can a marriage born of debt and fear ignite a slow, consuming love strong enough to withstand the violent path of retribution? This is a story of healing, hidden strength, and a powerful Mafia boss who finds the greatest treasure in the heart of the woman he bought.

K-kian, ah” It wasn't just bodies, our souls met too. The deep longing for each other, those inner scars were being revealed. Our eyes telling every story to each other we never shared with anyone. “Baby, h-hold me tighter. Shhh, I am not going anywhere.” He didn't skip any moment to make me feel good. My grip on him grew tighter, as his love became deeper. Marking me as his, whispering praises in my ear, with that voice of his. “You are so beautiful, Irene. Oh God!,” I sensed the hitch in his voice. It pulled the strings of my heart too. “I love you, Kian. I love you so much” **** Irene is broke, has student loans. She is intelligent but gets bullied in her university because of her poverty. She loses her part-time and is forced to do anything on order to fulfil her dream of becoming doctor. Kian, is a famous music producer who needs to clear his image of a playboy. He needs to give shut up call to the haters. His manager Raven has crazy plans to do this job. Both characters have different personalities and goals, but destiny makes them useful for each other. Whether they like it or not, he. They are forced to pretend a couple for money and fame. But what of the opposite personalities attract each other? This is a just a contract, but what if they feel more than that. Will enemies let them live together? Will they sort out things for each other ? Dive into romantic journey of Kian and Irene. It's slow burn and exciting.