Synonym Utterly

In Cordelia's marriage, she is the other woman. First, it was to the memory of her sister, Angelica, the woman who should have been his bride. And now, she is still only second best, cast aside for any pretty face that reminds him of his lost love. After five years of marriage, and one night of passion that turned into heartbreak, she gains the strength to start over on her own. But there are things about her marriage that she never knew. Strange things are happening all around her and it turns out that she has bigger skeletons in her closet than the ones she put there herself. What really happened to Angelica? And what will she do, once she learns the truth? ________ The first time our eyes met my heart stopped. “Hello,” I smiled in his direction, “My name is Cordelia Grayson.” His returning smile was hesitant, uncertain, and small. “Atlas Steele.” He was beautiful with his golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes. I could tell he was a little too old for me, but I have always been attracted to older boys. His age didn't discourage me, if anything I think it made him even more dashing. And from that moment on my heart was his. Utterly and completely. Unfortunately it was not my heart that he wanted to hold. When he raised his gaze to mine a second time, his eyes skipped over my face to focus on someone standing behind me. I turned to look. It was my sister. He asked me if I knew her. I could tell he was more interested in her than he was in me, and even though it hurt to do it, I nodded in confirmation. “That's my sister, Angelica.” “Angelica,” he said her name slowly, savoring each syllable.

18+ Mature Content: This story contains explicit sexual scenes, BDSM dynamics, and dark romance themes. Readers’ discretion is advised. My chest pounded excitedly as I pulled him closer, ignoring the “this is your boss” warning in my head. I tugged at his tie, my fingers itching to undo his buttons. His hands shifted the lacy underwear, his fingers sliding to reach my entrance. When they slid in, I let out a loud gasp. “Shh, Eve. You're not allowed to scream.” Eve Keller has always lived quietly, overlooked, and inexperienced. Her only escape is the voice she obeys in secret: Dom Daddy, the mysterious man whose erotic audios pull desires from her she’s never dared to explore. But on her first day at Kingston Corp, she hears that same commanding voice… from her new boss, Dominic Kingston. Cold. Ruthless. Every word, every glance, pulls her closer to a darkness she’s only dreamed of. When she realizes the voice she secretly worships belongs to him, Eve’s world tips. Dominic sees everything, her secret, her cravings, her limits, and he begins a game of control that is as thrilling as it is dangerous. Stolen touches, whispered commands, forbidden tension. Eve is drawn to him, terrified by him, and utterly captivated. Every time she resists, questions, or defies him, Dominic’s obsession only grows. Add in Alex, her kind and protective colleague, a jealous rival, and a family determined to control everything, and Eve finds herself caught between safety and temptation, desire and power. One wrong choice could unravel her, and yet…every defiance pulls her deeper into a world of obsession, submission, and passion she never imagined.

My husband, an Army regimental commander, was killed in action. Before his body was even cold, I didn't hesitate. I filed for his death certificate and notified the Army, the Social Security Administration, and our bank. Then, three days later—on the very day his twin brother married his childhood sweetheart—I moved out, changed the locks, and remarried quietly at the courthouse, taking my son and the full line-of-duty death benefits with me. To everyone else, I was heartless. Cold. I let them curse me. I just looked into my “brother-in-law's” bloodshot eyes and felt a quiet, cruel satisfaction. Only I knew the truth. In my last life, I discovered the body sent home wasn't my husband's at all—it was his identical twin brother's. I ran to confront him, but by chance I overheard him and my mother-in-law whispering. "Mom, Sarah is strong. And we have our son. She'll be okay. The benefits will take care of her. But Amy has waited for my brother all these years. If she finds out he's dead, she might do something drastic." Their words struck me like lightning. I tried to expose them, but my husband knocked me out. He told everyone grief had driven me insane. He locked me in the garage apartment and, with cold detachment, married his sweetheart. And when that woman complained my son was too loud, my husband slipped sleeping pills into our boy's juice—right as my crying child was coming to look for me. My son never woke up. The day they buried him hastily, I ended my life in the garage, utterly broken. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day they delivered my brother-in-law's body to our home.

I never wanted a mate. Not in a world where power meant everything, where the strong ruled and the weak were nothing but pawns. But fate had other plans for me—dark, twisted, and utterly unforgiving. The Alpha King, Lyran, was a legend among werewolves—a beast in battle and an insatiable conqueror in bed. His touch was both a blessing and a curse, The Alpha King, looked into my eyes passionately, Drew me closer by his side, till I get really wet. He began to advance very quickly by dipping his hands into my drilling wet pussy, that made me squirt crazily and hummed without limits. Oh shit, I was his mate, Alpha Lyran, had so many Lycans, and Omegas as his sexual slaves, but his name alone made Luna queens and Omegas drop to their knees. He was ruthless, powerful, and untamed. But he had never met someone like me. For five years, I hid in the shadows, biding my time, sharpening my hatred. My parents were murdered in the brutal war between Lord Nazgus and the sorcerer king, Maharajah. I was only seventeen when everything was taken from me. And now, in the Greko Pack—a kingdom split into seven districts where power decides who lives and who dies—I am nothing more than prey. Until Alpha Lyran claims me. He believes I am just another Omega, a plaything to be used and discarded. He has no idea the monster he has chained to his bed. Because I am no ordinary shifter. I am the last of my kind—the deadliest of them all. A creature feared even in whispered legends. A Wereraven and a Lycan hybrid. And when I rise, not even the Alpha King himself will be able to tame me.

He called me "little sister." I called him my forever.I've loved Skyler Voss since I was sixteen—my brother's best friend, my pack's most feared enforcer, and the man who looked right through me like I was invisible. For years, I watched him from the shadows, memorizing the way he laughed, the way he rode, the way he commanded every room he entered.Then came the night of my twenty-first birthday. The night the mate bond snapped into place.The night he looked at me with horror in his eyes and said the words that shattered me: "You're like a sister to me, Wren. You'll only ever be a sister."So I ran. I buried myself in my art, in a new city, in a life where Skyler Voss was nothing but a ghost I refused to let haunt me.Five years later, I'm not the same girl who cried herself to sleep over a man who didn't want her. I'm successful. I'm strong. I'm done.But when a family emergency drags me back to Ironvale, I discover that Skyler isn't done with me. The rejection that once broke me is now breaking him—slowly, painfully, driving him to the edge of madness. His wolf is feral. His control is slipping. And he's looking at me like I'm the only thing standing between him and the abyss.He wants a second chance. He wants forgiveness. He wants me.But I've spent five years learning to live without him. And I'm not sure I remember how to love someone who once made me feel so utterly worthless.

"Mr. Johnson, we're in the office–" Ethan takes another step towards me, making me step backwards; although we both know it's fruitless. "So what? You may be the Director, but have you forgotten the terms of our contract?” He pulls me flush against himself, my heart racing as I reply, "For the next three months, I will do exactly as you say.” He tugs on my hair to tilt my head back, brushing his lips against the exposed curve of my neck. The sensation is electrifying, melting my initial inhibitions. "Good." In one swift motion, he spins me around; and before I know it, Ethan has cuffed my wrists to the desk, leaving me breathless and utterly at his mercy… "Ethan..." "Let it go, Ashley…" That's all I need to push me over the edge. Both my mind and body are under his spell, and I'm going to let him claim me… *** Ashley Waverly’s world shatters when her parents die suddenly. Determined to save her company at any cost, she seeks help from the most ruthless businessman, Ethan Johnson. The heartless Ethan agrees to help her, but on one condition: she has to sign a contract with him. Ashley saves her company, but the business arrangement turns into a nightmare, as Ethan doesn't miss any chance to break her soul and humiliate her. Ashley endures his cruelty in silence, only to disappear the day her contract expires… not knowing Ethan has started to fall for her. After five years, fate has again rolled its dice and both of them have crossed paths. But this time, Ashley is not alone… she has a cute little four-year-old son. Will they find redemption and a second chance at happiness, or will the scars of the past tear them apart once more? ***

“Are you crying?" She shook her head and wiped at her face as more tears were falling. “I’m so stupid.” she groaned. "Now I am truly and utterly alone. If I had just said yes to marrying him, none of this would’ve happened. I wouldn’t have dragged you into this mess.” Without warning, I turned sharp to the side, putting the car to a sudden stop close to the curb. “Don’t ever say that again. You think marrying a man you don’t love, a man who doesn’t care if he hurts you, just to please your family is the right thing to do?” I turned to her slowly. “That would’ve ruined you.” “But I would’ve had a home to go to, I would’ve been taken care of. Now I have nothing,” she looked away. I reached over and gently took her bruised hand in mine. “You did the hardest thing anyone in your position could have done. You saved yourself. That takes more guts than standing there and pretending to be happy.” I tucked a hair behind her ear. “You think you are alone? You’re not… you have me.” ___ Alina Etienne has always lived a life dictated by her parents. She is groomed to be an obedient daughter, a perfect public image, and now, a bride to a man she doesn’t know or love. On her wedding day, crushed by the weight of expectations, Alina does the unthinkable... she says “I don’t” and flees the altar. On the run and scared with nowhere to go, she crosses paths with Mikhail Antonov. A cold, guarded man with a past he doesn’t talk about. What began as a reluctant act of kindness turned into something neither of them expected.

Without a word, knowing what he needed, Ace slid his hand back around to Liam's front. He stroked Liam's cock, his large hand sliding easily because of the lubricant, and Liam's hips began to move back and forth on their own. Every forward thrust pushed his rock-hard cock into Ace's hand; every backwards thrust took Ace's cock deeper into his eager body. He was crushed between a muscled body and an unmovable object, his hands in fists on the wall in front of him, his cheek pressed to the cool tile. All Liam could do was push up into Ace's hand, then push back to take Ace's cock; he was filled and utterly fulfilled, at the same time. **** Ten years ago, Liam “Spider” Valance met Ace Cuddy in the worst place possible: the Fallen Angels MC bar. Ace’s club. Ace’s world. A world where being gay would get them both killed.... and they fell in love anyway. Three years later, Ace chose survival over truth. Promoted to Vice-President, he walked away from Liam to keep them safe, making sure Liam hated him enough to let go. It worked... mostly. Now Ace has made a catastrophic mistake, and both their lives are in danger. The solution? Hide them together in a safe house until the heat dies down. Ace calls it fate, Liam calls it hell. Ace sees a second chance with the only man who ever truly knew him. Liam just wants him gone. But the past doesn’t stay buried, desire doesn’t die quietly, and love doesn’t fade on command. Is there a second chance at love, and at living honestly? Ace is ready to fight for it. Even if the hardest battle is against the man he loves most.

After my physical examination, I'm about to leave the pack infirmary located in my cousin's territory when a heavily made-up healer suddenly grabs my arm. She hisses, "Stop right there! You think you can break something in the infirmary and just run away? No way!" I look at her unfamiliar face and blink, feeling utterly confused. "What did I break?" She points to the crystal potion bottles on the shelves and wrinkles her nose exaggeratedly. "You reek, and your stench has contaminated all the potions, making them unusable! Alpha Xander bought these at a high cost, and all of it is worth 500 thousand dollars. There's also compensation for causing me emotional distress—that's another 200 thousand. "Altogether, that's 700 thousand dollars. Will you pay by cash or card?" My scent is a mix of violet and amber. It's noble and cool, like a winter dusk. Of course, not everyone loves this scent, but "contamination"? Please! I can't fathom why the infirmary in Xander's territory is operating like a scam. I laugh out of anger and say, "I'm Alpha Xander's cousin. I don't pay a single cent in his territory. If anyone has a problem with that, have Xander come say it to my face." But the healer only rolls her eyes. "You bitch, trying to use such lowly tricks to get my Alpha's attention? You wish! If you don't pay up today, I'll strip you naked and throw you onto the street so that everyone can smell how foul you are!" She has no idea who she's threatening. I take a deep breath and quickly contact my Beta. "Tell Xander—either banish this healer from the pack, or I'll banish him."

“Do you know how utterly beautiful you are, Serena” he mumbled stop trailing kisses all over the neck. “Tell me” Serena breathed. “I don’t think any precious stone or any gem in the world can outshine you, mia dolcezza” “Now aren’t you a flatterer” Serena sighed, her eyes still closed and her breath hitched. “I don’t flatter, mi cara.” He whispered in her ear. Damon grabbed the strap of her gown and tore it revealing part of her breast and part of her already peaked nipple. Serena was at the verge of protesting about him tearing her gown before his mouth descended on her nipple, rendering her speechless, all she could do was suck in her breath as the feelings assaulted her senses. Her toes curled up of their own volition and her hands came up to his head positioning him there as he flicked her left nipple with his tongue, circling gently and then biting. Serena gasped, her glazed eyes opening. “Be quiet” Damon commanded as he moved his mouth to her right nipple, his hand toying with the one he had just sucked, teasing their red peak into hardness again. Serena was gasping, unable to form coherent thoughts, Was this how it felt to drown, She thought. Damon’s hands were performing their own magic, she could feel his erection probing the center of her already moist vagina and she widened, giving him closer access. Her panties were already soaked with the wetness. His hand began moving, caressing her inner thighs before they came upon her center. He brought up his face to meet hers and smiled at the look of pure, sexual pleasure on her face.