The Kissing Both

On the day of our ninth wedding anniversary, I sat in the empty living room and summoned the system I had not contacted in ages. "System, help me submit an application. I've decided to leave this world." The cold, mechanical voice came through, and somehow it sounded comforting. "Understood, Harry. Your departure application has been received. The space-time corridor is being constructed. I will come to retrieve you in one week." I hummed quietly and stared at my phone screen. A family photo of three stared back. In the photo, I stood in the center holding an adorable little girl. A beautiful woman stood beside me, kissing my cheek.

When the lights came on at the end of the graduation party, the spotlight suddenly shifted and froze on a young couple kissing passionately at the back of the auditorium. The young man held up a bouquet of roses and shouted to the crowd, “Sophie, be my girlfriend!” The moment the girl covered her face and nodded, the cheers in the hall nearly lifted the roof. Amid the thunderous applause, my hand trembled around my phone. The screen still showed the message he had sent half an hour earlier. Rowan: [Wait for me. I’ll come to you right away.] After the party, I took off the couple’s bracelet from my wrist and threw it into the gutter, along with four years of love.

Calvin and I had been married for seven years. While packing up some clothes, I found a cheap lighter in the pocket of his jacket. Everything he wore, from the inside out, had been carefully chosen by me to highlight his refined taste and status. However, in that girl’s Twitter photos, he looked like a college boy, dressed in cheap clothes and wearing a digital watch that cost only a few dollars while kissing her. Using a throwaway account, I casually liked the post and commented, "A perfect match." Then, I turned to Calvin and said, "How did I never realize you had such a thing for bargains?"

"The rules are simple. You don't fall in love me, because I most definitely won't love you back. All that matters is that your body belongs to me, Naya." He breathed out, kissing down my neck. *** Eccentric heartthrob and billionaire, Talon Thwaites, is no Prince Charming; he hates women and hates affection even more. There's no room for vulnerability in his heart. However, being in need of a fake bride, his limits are tested by Naya Davis, his very unusual choice for hire. With these two opposites, a match is made in hell between a devil with icy gray eyes and an angel with fire in hers. In this marriage, love is not an option. Or so they think.

My best friend's brother and I have been dating for half a year, and she has no clue. My best friend drags me out on Christmas for a singles' night out. Unexpectedly, we see her brother, Chris Lambert, holding hands and kissing a girl under the fireworks. "Damn, Chris finally got the school belle!" She looks thrilled and pulls me forward to say hi. Chris awkwardly rubs his nose and introduces me to his girlfriend, "This is my sister, and the one beside her is… sort of like my sister too." I smile silently. We have held hands and kissed, yet now, I am just sort of like his sister.

The day my husband was away on a business trip, I received a notification for a hotel charge. As I watched the video on my phone of him kissing his secretary on their way to the room, I dialed his number. “Honey, you need to come home right away. Mom was in a serious car accident,” I said. Before I could finish, Xavier Smith cut me off. “It’s just a car accident. We’ll deal with it if she dies.” He hung up without a hint of concern and went back to his cozy time with his secretary in their hotel room. He was completely unaware that the woman in critical condition at the hospital wasn’t my mom. It was his.

Once I became pregnant, I was hailed as the most precious woman in the underworld. My husband, the new Don of the Jenkins family, shut down an entire private hospital wing for my check-ups, while my father, the Collins Don, summoned every Michelin-starred chef in New York to the estate, just so I could pick whatever I craved. The baby I carried was destined to be the sole heir of the two most powerful mafia families. But on the day we were to sign the papers securing my child's inheritance, they both vanished. "An urgent family matter came up," my husband, Vincent, said, kissing my forehead. "We can finalize the child's inheritance when we get back. There's no rush." Shortly after they left, I received a link to an anonymous live stream. My father's voice came from the video, colder than I had ever heard it. "You're saying your marriage contract with Evangeline was never valid. Doesn't that make the child a bastard?" Vincent, lounging in a club, blew a smoke ring. Cradled in his arms was my half sister, Sarah. "Evangeline has always had all the love and affection. Her child will want for nothing." "Sarah has been mocked for her status for years. I have to make things right for her, give our child a legitimate name." In that moment, my heart seized, and I could barely breathe. Then my phone vibrated again. It was a text message: "Welcome home to the Gallo family, my queen." "Just give the word, and the child you carry will bear the Gallo name and become the most powerful heir in the American underworld."

Lilly Riverwood, daughter of Alpha Mick and Luna Harmony, lives in the shadow of her brother Luka, the heir to the Riverwood werewolf pack. Unlike most Alpha offspring, Lilly isn't power-hungry or interested in pack politics. She's a talented violinist who has gained fame in both human and werewolf societies worldwide. Standing tall at 5'9", Lilly is unusually tall for a she-wolf. She finds herself constantly avoiding her brother's overprotective nature and the scheming she-wolves who try to befriend her solely to get closer to Luka. While her brother enjoys popularity as the Alpha heir and football team captain, Lilly prefers a quieter life focused on her violin, studies, and helping at the pack's preschool. Under her mother's guidance, Lilly has been training to become a future Luna, as her mother believes she's destined to mate with an Alpha from another pack. The only thing Lilly truly does for herself is playing the violin, having no genuine friends except Emma, Rachel, and Mia. Lilly's routine is disrupted when a mysterious new Alpha heir named Axel Blackthorn joins her Advanced Music Theory class. After she performs a violin piece that captivates the class, Axel approaches her and shows interest, kissing her hand in front of everyone. This unexpected gesture sends the school's rumor mill into overdrive. When confronted by Kendra, the self-proclaimed future Luna of the Riverwood Pack, and her posse about Axel's attention, Lilly finally snaps and declares that, unlike them, she doesn't aspire to be someone's Luna—she just wants to be left alone with her violin and her music.

I was preparing a gift for our six-year anniversary when my best friend sent me a photo of my Alpha boyfriend kissing another she-wolf. "Wait, when did you get to Chicago?" The she-wolf in the picture looked a lot like me, but it wasn't me. That's when I found out that my boyfriend of six years had been searching for replacements for his dead childhood sweetheart the whole time. I was number 5. The she-wolf in the photo was number 18. I rushed to Chicago and tracked down Lucas using his phone's location. "Dude, this number 18 really looks like Ally, even more than Sophia does!" "Nah man, Sophia still looks more like her. She's number 5 after all - if she didn't look so much like Ally, why would Lucas have stuck with her for six years?" Lucas flicked his cigarette ash, looking completely relaxed: "They both look pretty similar, but number 18's way better in bed. Sophia's too uptight." "I heard you had someone pick out a diamond ring. You planning to propose? To Sophia or this new chick?" Lucas leaned back into the couch with a cocky grin: "Haven't decided yet. Why don't you guys choose for me?" I turned around, my whole body shaking as a chill ran from my head to my toes. After calming down, I texted my best friend: "Your Alpha cousin, the one who had a crush on me and waited four years - is he still single?"

"You are beautiful Blair, I can't keep my desire down from you. We shouldn't be doing this..." "Ian... please... I want this, I've never..." she didn't get to finish her sentence when Ian started kissing her. ***** She was running away from her crime. She was homeless living on her own. She was in trouble hiding from her past. ***** He was a cop and was on top of his game. He was the golden boy who followed the rules. He was strict and meticulously protecting his past. ***** When their fate collides will they save each other? Will they have their happy ending? This book will be dark. It will be emotional. But it will also be sexy. Enjoy ❤️