The Riddler: Year One

“You weren’t supposed to fall for me.” A bitter laugh escapes me before I can stop it. “Then what exactly did you think this was going to be?” Alexander stays silent. “This vacation,” I continue, my voice rising. “The way you touch me. The way you look at me when you think I’m not watching. Sleeping in the same bed every night and holding me. What was I supposed to feel?” **************** Ethan Cole has nothing left but debt, a sick sister to protect, and pride he was ready to lose. So when Billionaire Alex Veyron offers him a simple arrangement, he signs. The contract comes with money, protection, no deadline, but has only one rule….. Do not fall in love. It should have stayed professional. Instead, stolen glances turn into heated nights. Power games turn into obsessions, and the man Ethan was supposed to use becomes the only one willing to burn the world for him. When secrets from the past refuse to stay buried, Powerful enemies circle and Family ties twist tighter than either of them expected, love might be their only way out. But in a world ruled by money and control Breaking the one rule might cost them everything.….

The night before the entrance exams, my childhood best friend, Tyson Sutherland, receives a text message from his girlfriend, Isabelle Landon, saying she was attempting suicide by jumping off a building. He immediately gets anxious and brings along a few male classmates with him to go and save her. In my past life, I learned that it was fake, and that Isabelle never planned to kill herself. That was why I was against them going to save her. I called up my teacher, Mr. Fred Nielson, and asked him to inform the boys' parents, successfully stopping them from going. … The next day, everyone sat for their entrance exams as usual, and we all got accepted into Rayward University, one of the most prestigious universities in the country. Meanwhile, Isabelle survived the jump somehow, but she became a cripple. As revenge, Tyson hacked off my arms and legs and buried me alive. "It's all your fault! You were the one who turned Belle into a cripple! I'm going to kill you!" All my classmates did nothing as they watched him kill me under their watchful eyes. They all told me that I deserved to be killed. … When I open my eyes again, I realize that I have returned to the night when Tyson tells me he wants to save Isabella. I don't stop him or the others from going anymore. Instead, I sit for the entrance exams alone. I refuse to interfere in other people's fates again.

The nights in Vicente were a coexistence of order and gunfire. Tonight was the wedding, ten years overdue, between Anthony Oliver, the don of the Oliver mafia family, and Mabel Samson, the woman who had stood beside him through bloodshed, betrayals, and underworld wars. A top-tier luxury hotel had been cleared by the family's soldati. Below them glittered a sea of city lights; above them bloomed fireworks commissioned for the future Donna alone. The man known for his ruthlessness knelt on one knee with a rare diamond ring, his eyes filled with rare tenderness. "Mabel," he said, "you walked through hell at my side. Let me give you peace for the rest of your life." It seemed that all the sacrifices and patience had finally led somewhere. However, just as Mabel's fingers were about to touch the ring, a piercing scream came from above. "Don't! Anthony! Save me!" That single cry drew all of Anthony's attention away. The girl was not unfamiliar to Mabel. Two years earlier, Anthony's twin brother had been tortured to death by a rival mafia family while covering his retreat. His body was never recovered. And Cheryl Reyes was the fiancée he had protected with his life. Mabel watched as the man she loved abandoned everything without hesitation and ran toward another woman. She stepped forward and tried to stop him. "Don't go. The wedding isn't over." However, when their eyes met, the Don accused her coldly of being heartless and selfish. And in that moment, Mabel felt tired. Perhaps it was time, just once, to choose herself over the Family.

At the New Year's party, my pineapple juice is swapped for beer. To make things worse, I've just taken cephalexin, which shouldn't be mixed with alcohol. After barely surviving the ordeal, I am shocked to see my husband, Harry Grant, defending Sally Lane, who was responsible for the mix-up. "Can we please just let it go? She didn't do it on purpose," Harry pleads. However, I'm not about to forgive Sally, especially given how sketchy her relationship with my husband has always been. But Harry cuts me off with a scowl, "Enough! She's just graduated and doesn't know any better. "What's the point of holding a grudge? Do you really want to ruin her life to feel better?" he asks, clearly trying to protect her. As I watch him stand by her, my heart sinks. "Fine then, go live with her."

At the annual company raffle, I had barely stepped onto the stage when my supervisor, Lily Smith, pressed a crumpled slip of paper into my palm. "A special reward for our top salesperson," she chirped. "Go ahead, open it. Let everyone see." Under the eager gaze of the crowd, I unfolded the note. Written in messy handwriting were the words: Clean the company toilets for three days. The room erupted in laughter. Lily folded her arms, cocked her head, and smirked at me. "Nice, right?" she said. "Everyone knows those sales of yours came from sleeping with old men. Dirty money. To keep things fair, the others get a break, and you pick up a little extra work. You don't have a problem with that, do you?" The laughter surged again, nearly lifting the roof. From the side of the room, my boyfriend, Seth Hoffman, the company's CEO, watched everything unfold. As usual, he said nothing in my defense. They all thought I would fall apart, cry, or make a scene. Instead, I simply gave a calm nod. The very next day, the company was hit with over three hundred property cancellations. Its cash flow collapsed overnight. That was when Lily and Seth rushed to me, demanding I go plead with the buyers. I smiled and said, "No thanks. I wouldn't want to help the company recover and end up with strong numbers again. That might make everyone even more uncomfortable."

"Everyone knew she was his." ~ Ava and Lucas have been best friends since Lucas saw Ava at the playground when she was 4 years old. She is innocent and shy where as Lucas is more intimidating to everyone other than Ava. Despite this, they do everything together. Where ever one went, the other followed. Never going more than a day without seeing each other, it's safe to say they were inseparable. Now at 16, Ava is forced to spend a year in public school after being home-schooled all her life. How is Lucas going to react with all the new people she is going to meet, especially being so possessive over Ava. However, even though they are best friends, Lucas is keeping a secret from Ava. A big one. Lucas is a werewolf. And Ava is his mate.

Badass, hot and untamable, Adam Garcia didn't earn the nickname 'The Wild One' from his fans for nothing. He's a sports enthusiast who loves risky adventures, especially in his dealings with the opposite sex. He fucks but never gives his heart, and he's determined to never let a woman shake him from his bad boy image. That is, until he meets a masked woman at a New Year's Eve masquerade party and he's instantly drawn in by her amber eyes. When she tells him about the legend of the kiss of eternal love which is supposed to make two people who meet on New Year's Eve and kiss at exactly midnight on New Year to love each other forever, Adam kisses her just to prove the legend wrong, but he's in for a shock. Who is the woman behind the mask, and why can't he stop dreaming about her? Is the Legend Of The Kiss Of Eternal Love real, and will it be enough to make Adam finally give love a chance? WARNING!!! THIS BOOK CONTAINS STEAMY CONTENT THAT IS TARGETED AT AN AUDIENCE OF 18+. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

We Are One Fantasy Romance Banished from the underworld and stripped of her place among her kind, Anika wanders the mortal realm alone—haunted, hunted, and broken. When Olivia, the mate of the reigning Alpha and a seer with a gift for prophecy, has a vision of a mysterious young woman cloaked in sorrow, fate begins to stir. One fateful night, their paths cross, and Olivia brings the wounded stranger into her home. Corbin, Olivia’s son and heir to the Alpha title, senses something ancient and undeniable the moment he meets Anika: she is his destined mate. But Anika carries dark secrets, scars from a past that threaten both her future and his pack. As their bond deepens, Corbin and Anika must navigate the politics of pack life, confront the dangers of Anika’s origin, and face a destiny that demands unity of body, heart, and soul. In a world where strength is tested and loyalty is earned, love may be the most powerful force of all. Together, they must rise. Together, they are one.

*There was one rule: No dating each other's brothers.* For Layla, this rule was difficult to follow. She had secretly crushed on her best friend's brother, Asher Creed, for years. When Layla tries to pull her attention away from Asher and onto a new guy, she ends up sleeping with the off-limits brother. This amazingly, horrible event pushes them into a secret affair that neither of them can break off. Layla knew hiding behind her best friend's back was horrible, but her feelings for Asher were stronger than the ones gnawing at her. But the deeper Layla gets into her web of lies, the more difficult it becomes to let him go when he disappears from her life completely. Being left confused and heartbroken was all on her, and all because she couldn't follow one simple rule. Trying and failing to move on from him, she comes face-to-face with Asher Creed seven years later and she's still mad over the guy. Will she be able to forgive and forget? Or, will her broken heart and matured thoughts keep him away this time? ONE NIGHT OF SIN SHORT SEX STORIES COLLECTION.

There was only one week left until my marking ceremony with Alpha Mason Wright. And this time, he was asking to postpone it yet again, all because his puphood sweetheart, Eira Padmore, the she-wolf who once saved his life, had another episode. She was in tears, begging to go to Bhador to see the snow, just like every time before, claiming she wouldn't be able to breathe otherwise. The ceremony had already been pushed back three times. All the wolves of the north had been waiting for us to complete it. But I was done waiting, and so was the pup growing inside me. If Mason refused to mark me, then I'd walk away and build my own future. But what I couldn't understand was... Why was it that the moment I left, Mason went mad searching for me, and suddenly insisted on marking me after all?