Smiles Softly

The things we want are so very rarely the things we need. Clifton Heights, a modest Adirondack town, offers many unique attractions. Arcane Delights sells both paperbacks and hard-to-find limited editions. The Skylark Diner serves the best home-cooked meals around, with friendly service and a smile. Every August, Mr. Jingo’s County Fair visits, to the delight of children and adults. In essence, Clifton Heights is the quintessential small American town. Everyone knows everyone else, and everyone is treated like family. It is quiet, simple, and peaceful. But shadows linger here. Flitting in dark corners, from the corner of the eye. If you walk down Main Street after dark, the slight scrape of shoes on asphalt whispers you're not alone, but when you look over your shoulder, no one is there. The moon shines high and bright in the night sky, but instead of throwing light, it only seems to make the shadows lengthen. Children disappear. Teens run away. Hunters get lost in the woods with frightening regularity. Husbands go mad, and wives vanish in the dead of night. And still, when the sun rises in the morning, you are greeted by townspeople with warm waves and friendly smiles, and the shivers pass as everything seems fresh and new... Until night falls once more. Handy's Pawn and Thrift sits several blocks down from Arcane Delights. Like any thrift store, its wares range from the mundane to the bizarre. By daylight, it seems just another slice of small town Americana. But in its window hangs a sign which reads: We Have Things You Need. And when a lonely traveling salesman comes looking for something he desperately wants, after normal visiting hours, after night has fallen, he will face a harsh truth among the shelves of Handy’s Pawn and Thrift: the things we want are rarely the things we need. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

"Oh God!" I moaned softly, the heat of Noah's breath hitting my neck as he buried his face in it. His large arms wrapped tightly around me like he was telling me I was his forever. My arms also found their way around his neck, my hand grabbing his soft blonde hair as his piercing gaze met mine. His lips moved from my neck back to my lips where it was before. His tongue conquered mine while I squirmed inside and moaned in his mouth. I could feel his hot bulge pressing against my stomach. "we shouldn't be doing this Noah" I said breaking the kiss. "Why? Cause you're my brother's wife?" he questioned me, the corner of his soft full lips curling with a smirk. He didn't wait for a reply before going back in for a kiss. This man I was making out with on the kitchen counter was my husband's brother. *** Nana thought she had it all a high-powered career, a stable marriage to her husband Simon, and a future carefully mapped out by their influential families. But behind closed doors, her perfect life unravels as Simon’s cold indifference leaves her lonely and questioning everything. When Noah, Simon’s charismatic younger half-brother, returns from overseas, he’s no longer the boy she remembers. Now, he’s all grown up and offering the understanding and attraction she’s been starved of. As Simon’s betrayals cut deeper, Noah becomes her unexpected confidant, comforting her in ways she never imagined. Yet, beneath his caring facade, Noah has his own agenda, subtly steering Nana’s broken heart closer to his own. Torn between duty and desire, Nana finds herself trapped between two brothers: one who’s betrayed her and one who promises the passion she craves.

Mia Fernando, A 26 Year old Spanish Woman with Exquisite Beauty, Anywhere she Went, All eyes would turn, She was endowed with Exquisite Black Colored Eyes, Auburn Lush hair, Small and Pointed Nose, Cute Pouty Lips CARL GONZALEZ, a 30 Year Old Ruthless Business Man, He Owned an IT Company which was Responsible for Most Of The Modern Technology we have today Immediately He walks into The Company, Everywhere Goes Quiet and Chilly, Employees Shook and The Mention of Him Name, Peed their Pants at the Sound of His Voice "Why Spend Time Falling in Love when I can make Billions Of Dollars During that time?" These Were His Favorite Words He Hated The Sight of Women but only had a soft heart for..... HIMSELF, His Mom Died Immediately He was Born, His Father joined His Mom When he turned 8 and Ever since then, He had been fending for himself At Age 9, He would go about Each street giving Rich People Shines on their Shoes, He Built what he has today Carl Always thought Women were nothing but Weak, Gold digging Fellas until He Met Her Her Innocence Drew her to him, The way she would scrunch up her face when she was Disgusted, The Way her eyes brow would raise when she was Confused, The way her eyes twinkled when She smiles, He Knew He wasn't In Love with her but He Felt The Monsters within him fall at her foot He Claimed her as His the moment he heard her Voice and When He Saw her for the First Time, He Claimed her as His Bride One Day He Decided To Do Something Ruthless To Get Her, He did something Which got her Wanting to Run Away from Him, What did he do You Might ask He........

My husband and I have been married for a decade. When I finally conceive for the first time in ten years, I realize my worst enemies are my family, who all want me dead. I've made a promise to return to the fertility shrine on the mountain and fulfill my vow if things work out, but my mother-in-law deliberately messes up the cable car tickets. In the process of hiking up the mountain for two hours, I lose my baby. In the hospital, I cry to my husband about all the vicious things his mother has done to me, but he kicks me in the stomach. "I had a vasectomy a long time ago. There's no way that bastard inside you is mine!" When he hands me the proof, I'm completely speechless. I break down in tears and run back to my parents' place. Not only do my parents hire a nanny to help take care of me, but they even move out of the house so I can rest in tranquility. When I'm eight months pregnant, I overhear them whispering in the bathroom. "We can never let Gina have the baby. I don't care if it kills her—we're all screwed if the child is born!" "Relax. The doctor already told me that Gina's got leukemia from all the formaldehyde in our new house. Even the baby's deformed!" Shocked, I burst into the bathroom to confront them, but the slippery floor causes me to fall hard. Instantly, blood snakes across the tiles. As I lie there in pain, I look up and see the cold, twisted smiles on my parents' faces before taking my last breath. I cannot fathom why my family wants me dead. I thought they'd been looking forward to his baby for a decade. When I open my eyes again, I return to the very day my mother-in-law insists on taking me to the mountain.

Stella and I are at a college party and man, it’s so bad ass. This is our first college party and Stella’sm first party ever. Are you having fun, sister? I ask her. Yes, I really am. My sister Stella is your quiet, stay to herself kind of gal. Where I am that loud in your face kind of girl. So, it’s not weird seeing a beer in my hands and dancing my ass off with my friends or my hot as hell boyfriend Jax. What’s weird is seeing my sister with a beer in hand and dancing to the music, getting her freak on with a strange guy. I’m glad my twin is letting her freak fly tonight. We are going to be seniors when school starts and damn; we need to make a name for ourselves. Being the quiet ass bitch is only going to get her picked on. Jax comes up behind me, moving his hips to the music. Want to go upstairs he asks after a minute of grinding against my ass. Um, yes, I do. I say, wiggling my ass against his front. I’m going to go upstairs with Jax for a bit. Do you think you will be okay while I’m gone? I ask Stella. She just gives me a look that says piss off, asshole. I throw up my hands in surrender. Okay, I say, wiggling my brows. Get it, girl. I tell Stella. Stella just smiles at me. Ditto sister, she says, wiggling her fingers at me. I laugh and grab my boyfriend’s hand and drag him upstairs. When we find a room upstairs, I slam Jax against the wall and kiss him fiercely. Damn baby, did you miss me? Jax asks, smiling.

I married Rafe Maretti—the man who owned the Maretti Casino empire. Sophisticated, ruthless, but sinfully charming. By year three of our marriage, I introduced my little sister to his nephew, Adam Moretti—twenty-five, all sharp smiles and sharper ambition. He ran the dirtier side of the family’s business—arms, drugs, the kind of trade that dripped blood and money in equal parts. I married the powerful, irresistible uncle. She married the young, dangerous nephew. It was supposed to be our fairytale. Then one day, I got kidnapped in Rafe’s casino. Snatched by a rival mafia family desperate to force Rafe to sign over one of his biggest, most profitable casinos. Except Rafe didn’t answer the phone or even notice I was gone. The kidnappers grew impatient. First, it was slaps. Then punches. Then they shattered my leg and buried a knife in my stomach. Still no word from my husband. Until finally, after what felt like a hundred unanswered calls, a single message came through. "I’m with Bianca. She’s having a stomach. Stop calling." Once the kidnappers realized I had no value, they dumped me in a rotting warehouse like discarded luggage. It was Isla, my sister, who found me. She got me out. And then the brakes failed. The car spun out. Isla went unconscious beside me. I tried calling Adam. Isla’s husband. But as soon the call went through, all I could hear was. “Leave me along. Isla, I am in the middle of something here.” When I clearly heard a woman’s voice in the back. If not for a passing stranger, Isla and me wouldn’t have made it to the hospital, let along have survived. So when I opened my eyes again, the first thing I thought was: I’m divorcing that sorry bastard. The Maretti can go to hell.

Jessiah is a make-up artist aspiring to break into the modeling and beauty industry. She moves to LA when she lands a job at one of the biggest production companies in Hollywood. On her first week on the job, she meets Jenson Ross, a big-deal actor with a murky past and a dark secret only a privileged few know about. × Genres: Romance, Werewolf, Crime EXCERPT [BOOK I of CALI ALPHAS ] _ _ _ "Dollface," he murmured with a little smirk. He snickered and caressed the back of her head, pulling her closer to his chest. "You're like an antidepressant, in human form." Her breath caught.  Her heart sped up when his hug tightened. His warm face pressed onto her neck, his strong hands lightly squeezing her hips. Moments like this only worsened her attraction to him.  The flirty jokes, the easy conversations, the small smiles, his furtive glances, and his unusually sweet gestures lately... She was in deep trouble. Was he kissing her neck?  Shit. He was no longer thinking straight.  About this. About her. About the consequences. He drew her closer when she tried to pull away. As if he didn't want her out of his sight. While his beard scraped her skin, his thighs touched hers. Her throat ached as he stared into her eyes. "Dammit," he sighed, his thumb tracing the curve of her neck, his touch both gentle and eager.  "Why are you so f-cking beautiful?"  "Joss, I need to g—" "Why now?" he murmured, stroking her cheek. He wasn't acting drunk or playing with her.  Not like this. He wouldn't. Not with her real feelings barely held together by some unspoken truths. Otherwise he wouldn't dare let it get this far.  But why wouldn't he let go? "Just stay. Please. Stay here with me." _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"I'm 40 you're 21," he whispered softly, his lips grazing my nipple, hot breath sending shivers down my spine as his tongue flicked out, teasing the hardened peak. "I don't care!" I shot back amidst breathy moans, my fingers tangling in his dark hair, pressing his head deeper into my boobs, arching my back to feed him more. "I'm your mum's husband. I'm your stepdad, old enough to be your real dad," he murmured again, his right hand tracing, torturous path down my trembling stomach, dipping between my thighs to brush against my soaked panties. "I said I don't care!!!" I growled, grabbing his wrist and forcing his fingers faster. "Fuck the age, fuck the rules, make me yours!" ______ Adrian Blackwood, the hottest, most dangerously sexy beast I've ever laid eyes on turns out to be my stepfather. You heard that right, my mum's husband! The man who could make me wet with just a single stare, with his towering muscles, tattooed arms, and those piercing gray eyes that strip me bare. One ride in his SUV and I want a real ride. I'm just 21 in college, but he's 40, old enough to be my dad? Who the hell cares! As long as he pins me down, and wrecks me with pleasure that leaves me begging, I'll sin with him every damn night. Taboo? Bring it on. ‘Sinfully Yours, Step Daddy!’ is a boundary smashing blaze you can't read in public or alone (unless you're ready to touch yourself nonstop). Dive into Ava with Stepdad, professor, step dad's best friend, the sugar doctor, Ava's unapologetic slut era, craving daddies. Walk in horny, walk out dripping satisfied. Grab it now, your panties or boxers won't survive! Steamy age gap taboo romance packed with dominance that'll have you screaming for more.

Synopsis: Driven by her desire for revenge, Lillian devises a plan to confront those who wronged her. However, she realizes that she can't go it alone and needs a partner in her quest for justice. Adrian's jaw clenched as he struggled to contain his emotions. "Why did you leave without a word? Without any explanation?" he demanded, his voice laced with pain and frustration. Lillian's cunning smile widened, revealing a touch of mischief. "Ah, Adrian, always dwelling on the past," she taunted. "But why should we talk about what happened three years ago? It's irrelevant now. I moved on, and so should you." Adrian's expression hardened, his voice turning colder. "I won't let you dismiss it so easily, Lillian," he said firmly. "There are things that need to be addressed, and I won't rest until I have answers." Lillian's smirk grew even more pronounced. "Oh, how noble of you, Adrian," she replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "But remember, we both have our secrets, don't we? Perhaps it's best if they remain buried, but I do have a proposal for you Mr Adrian." Lillian said all smiles “What makes you think I’d be interested in whatever you have to offer” Adrian said in a cold voice. Lillian seductively walked to the Adrian standing opposite her. She went close enough that all Adrian smelt was her body scent,Lillian leaned in and held his collar. Adrian's eyes widened in surprise as Lillian's lips brushed against his neck. His heart raced, caught off guard by her sudden boldness. "What the hell are you doing?" he managed to gasp, his voice laced with both confusion and desire. Lillian leaned back slightly, her eyes locked onto Adrian's, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "Marry me " she purred, her voice dripping with seduction.

He loves her, she loves him. He's mature, She's immature and childish. For him, she's his whole universe while for her he's her whole world. He knows her unknown love for him, which she doesn't even know . She doesn't have any idea about him loving her. He's a cold hearted, ruthless mafia king, while she's a pure, kind hearted Angel. She's his reason to be alive, while she's alive just because of him. She doesn't have anyone to call her family except him, his whole family exist in her. He's rude, she's sweet. He's fierce, she's sensitive. She's his princess, he's her king. She never obey anyone except him, while he doesn't listen to anyone except her. For her, he can turn back and upside down the whole world. He doesn't show mercy upon anyone, while she's always ready to help other. She doesn't trust anyone except him. He had never let anyone hurt or break her heart. She smiles because of him, while she's the only reason for his smile. He had never let anyone touch her, or even a single drop of tear let come in her eye's. But what will happen when he'll only become the reason for her tear's...?? What will happen when she'll get to know the horrible past, which he was hiding from her, for her happiness...?? What will happen when a devil's entry make their world turns upside down and seperates them or kill them...?? Is this will be their unique stories ending or a new beginning in their lives...?? How will be their journey of love and of her becoming his princess to queen...?? Peek in to know more.