Synonym Hardly

“Camille, I’ll love you forever!” Jameson let out a low, agonized growl. Just as he was about to climax, his phone suddenly began to buzz. He ignored it, of course. Now was hardly the time. However, his phone lit up again. The moment he saw the text on the screen, his body froze. Camille heard him answer the call. “Hello?” In the deep silence of the night, the voice on the phone cut through the stillness, clear and unmistakable. “Jameson, did you know that Sylvia—” Jameson switched languages and cut in with a sharp command, “Keep it down. It's not a good time.” The other person switched languages too, though he was still loud. “The hospital results came in. Sylvia is in the final stages of cancer. She only has a month left! Her last wish is to become your wife. Can you grant her that before she passes?” Jameson’s expression changed immediately. “What?! Wait for me!” He ended the call and turned to Camille. “Camille, something urgent came up. I need to step out for a bit. Be good and stay home. I’ll be back after you’ve had some sleep.” Before she could respond, he rose to wash up, changed his clothes, and left without looking back. Moments later, her phone buzzed. Sylvia: [Camille, you lost. I told you—Jameson has always been mine.] Right above it was a message from three days ago: [If I tell him I have cancer, do you think Jameson will leave you and come to me? I bet he will.] Camille’s gaze slowly shifted from her phone screen to the open bedroom door. What Jameson did not know was that she had already picked up a new language. She understood every word of that call. After a long moment, a faint, bitter smile appeared on her face. “Yeah, I lost...”

“I’m fine. You can put me down now.” Fortunately, he set her on the ground and reached for the towel. "This is the last time I'm rescuing you," he said, there was threat lacing in his voice. "Let's not make it a habit." Aerys tightened the towel around herself, wincing from the motion. "I slipped. Hardly a rescue." A dirty look crossed his face. "I haven't had sex in two years, Aerys. Consider yourself rescued..." He turned to leave "...from me." She was speechless. For starters, this had been the longest conversation she'd ever had with the infamous Alpha Thorran, and, secondly, she was positive that he was every bit as hot and dangerous in person as he was between the sheets. * * * * * Discipline and order are not Aerys' choice. After graduation, she expects to become a slave to a prison warden for the rest of her life, just like the rest of the delinquents. However, her fate takes a sudden turn when an offer is put on the table. Enter a competition. One to become a Phonoi (Ancient Greek: Φόνοι; singular: Phonos Φόνος) - a deadly assassin who works for Alpha Thorran, giving their entire life to defend him. To succeed, her stubbornness will be put to the test. And a relationship with the Alpha himself, although forbidden, might be the ticket to the top.

Poor and lonely Azriel believed that the only way to satisfy the heart is to follow whatever it requires. No one knows, even himself that he undeniably craved for a man's touch, until he met this merciless stud who hardly showed emotions and only cares for his own gratification. "You will leave this room barely breathing."

"Part One: TakenJessie Coford had a plan: work hard, save money, open her own restaurant. She sacrificed her relationship with the man of her dreams to get it. Then, in the blink of an eye, she lost her job and her apartment and her life crashed around her. Until a letter taking her to Fort Mavis, Texas, and an unexpected windfall.Part Two: TamedShea Prescott was astonished when million Cruz Castillo chose her to design his new home on his ranch. They hardly traveled in the same circles. But Cruz had been hot for Shea since he first saw her and at their first meeting the chemistry between them ignited. Cruz coaxed her deeper and deeper into a whirlpool of erotic sex, awakening latent sexual desires and bringing her orgasms beyond her wildest imaginings. Her body screamed yes at his every touch, but will she say yes to the most important question?USA Today best-selling and award-winning author Desiree Holt writes everything from romantic suspense and paranormal to erotic. and has been referred to by USA Today as the Nora Roberts of erotic romance, and is a winner of the EPIC E-Book Award, the Holt Medallion and a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice nominee. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The (London) Daily Mail, The New Delhi Times and numerous other national and international publications.Taken by Surprise is created by Desiree Holt, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author."

Part OneFirefighter Kristi Gregory was just enjoying an evening off in everyone’s favorite hangout, sipping her beer, when hot cop Patrick Hayes walked in. They’d just worked a disaster together that very day, and he was not only professional but one very hot cop. Patrick had eyes on Kristi but was still trying to prove himself at his new precinct. But when danger brings a sexy firefighter and a hot cop together, it’s incendiary.Part TwoMisa turned hot and bothered when sexy firefighter Sam Braddock moved into the house next door. she could hardly get him out of her mind. Who wouldn’t want to do everything with a six-foot-four blond hunk with sculpted muscles that didn’t come from any gym, and a smile that made her panties wet? He was the stuff any woman’s dreams were made of. And she had a problem. And she wanted to have hot, sweaty, off-the-wall sex with her neighbor, king of the alphas. When he agreed to be interviewed for hew newspaper, neither of them expected the hot inferno that would explode between them.Incendiary is created by Desiree Holt, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

The day before my wedding, my daughter and I got into a car accident. My daughter died instantly, and I was left with broken legs, condemned to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. When Spencer Ford found out, he rushed us to the hospital, his actions frantic, almost out of control. In the midst of my pain, I overheard a conversation between Spencer and his assistant. "The car's been disposed of. Lorelei will never find out that we tampered with it. But I'm compelled to ask… Rowena was your own daughter. Was it really worth it, losing her for Melanie? "When Rowena was dying, she was calling for you to save her… I could hardly bring myself to do it." Spencer remained silent for a long time, the tension in the air thick. Then he slowly exhaled a plume of smoke. "Melanie's pregnant. I won't let anyone compete with her child for the inheritance. And all of this is Lorelei's fault. She brought it on herself."

Sheldon promised her mother before her death that she would stop sleeping with men for money. But this promise can hardly be kept when her savings ran out. She went back to her job and on that very night, her client's son caught them in the act. She ran away in fear to avoid the clash. A week later, the client's son, Denzel came looking for her with an offer she dare not refuse — she should marry him to spite his father. Sheldon accepted because it involved a lot of money but the arrangement is more interesting than she thought when she gets to meet the man's family and play along with the scheme. The couple wasn't fully prepared for what is to come.

After being sold to a ruthless bipolar Alpha by her stepfather, she has to leave under cruelty. The plan was to give birth to a son for the Alpha, then she would be allowed to go. The last thing she thought would happen was the both of them being mate. The alpha doesn't know of the mate bond or he probably doesn't care. He hates her and can't wait for the contract to be over, so he would finally have a heir She tries her utmost best to make him love her as a mate. She would make ribbons and put notes inside them for him. She hardly got to see him so she felt the notes made them closer. The Alpha low-key enjoyed getting these notes because they help with his condition. They also reminded him of his mother but his ego fails to admit he likes them On a certain night, she goes to drop the ribbon of notes as usual, but she finds him ramming into another woman. Her hope is shattered and she decides to leave the pack. The Alpha feels the impact of her disappearance. He only sees her value when she leaves. His power and ego come to play as he suddenly craves her Now he wants her back and will do anything to make her his.

Si Evelyn Garcia ay nagtatrabaho bilang sekretarya ng makapangyarihang self-made billionaire na si Sebastian Martinez ng dalawang taon na. But he hardly noticed her as a person—para sa kanya, siya ay parang robot na sumusunod lang sa mga utos niya, palaging nakasuot ng konserbatibong business clothes at may buhok na laging naka-tighty bun. But things changed when they were both caught in a vulnerable situation. Si Evelyn ay heartbroken nang iwan siya ng kanyang first love para sa isang babae, Samantalang si Sebastian naman ay nahihirapan na iwasan si Sophia, ang ex-girlfriend niya na ngayon ay asawa na ng kanyang client. Evelyn and Sebastian decided to help each other by pretending to be a couple, with an agreement... not to fall in love.

Loving a Billionaire secretly is not an anomaly for anyone, including Amandla Holly. Regardless that she is raised in an isolated forest with a mother who works as a laundress, she is hardly a good match for her ideal man! Yet, her luck did not stop. The daughter of her mother's manageress sent an invitation remarking that she would take Amandla under her, and she would get the chance to see a sample of their intense way of dealing with life—wild overtime parties, chatting with other different billionaires, and feasting in the luxurious restaurants. Nevertheless, excitement and fear brewed when she got the moment to have a chat with Rein Coates; she felt like living a life with her ideal man.