Then We Held Hands

My husband had just ducked into the bathroom when his phone started ringing. I glanced at the screen and saw it was his brother calling. A frown creased my brow, but I answered anyway. "George, why haven't you sent the $10,000 to Mom and Dad this month?" Ross Serrano said. "Mom just asked me about it." I hung up without a word, but a rush of fury surged through me. My husband stood at the bathroom door, his hands still dripping wet. I forced a bitter smile. "You make $8,000 a month, right? $3,000 goes to the mortgage, $2,000 to me, and you pocket $1,000 for yourself. You told me you sent $2,000 to your parents, so how did that magically turn into $10,000?" His lips quivered, his face draining of color. My heart sank, and my hands trembled uncontrollably. We'd been married for five years, and I'd never once laid eyes on his bank card. What other secrets was he keeping from me?

Once a year the Iridescence Pack opens their gates to the world. Once a year an event unlike any other takes place. Ruled by an Alpha with a penchant for trickery, Iridian is a game where nothing is what it seems. Werewolves around the world beg for a coveted invitation to Iridian, desperate for a shot at the grand prize. Invitations sent across the world; their recipients chosen at random. For an entire week werewolves gather for the anticipated Iridian, held by the infamous Game Master. Each year the Game Master changes the game, challenging the mind and tricking the senses.The only thing Rachel Thornton cares about is finding her mate and getting the hell out of her small pack. Located in the middle of nowhere, Rachel longs to see the world. When an invitation finds its way into her hands, she wants nothing more than to refuse and move on with her life. This year the rules have changed, and something important was taken from Rachel. The only way to recover what was stolen is to venture to the Iridescence Pack, becoming a pawn in a game she never wanted to play.

Book One: Protecting My Mafia Princess "I promise you if Trinity gives me the slip, then I am pinning her to a tree." Just thinking of her sends shivers up my spine and belief me that they're not the good shivering kind. I love a beautiful woman in my bed and to look at. To be surrounded by ugly for almost a full day is seriously going to put a damper on my ego. But time to push that thought to the side, for our location has just come up on the right. We slowly cruise up the driveway… But as we step through the doorway… And we turn the corner… There is a tall brunette in what could possibly be the tightest dress I have ever seen. But what strikes me the most is her long slender legs that are held up by deep blood red stilettos. Her long locks of hair fall like waterfalls over her shoulders. Just looking at those plump lips is enough to send me raging. I don't know who she is... Colton Cruz is the best of the best, an ex-Marine, now bodyguard to the Mafia world’s elite. He is a man that lives for the rush and danger that his lifestyle brings. You might find yourself on his speed dial, but you will not be the one that will capture his heart. Trinity Stone is a spoilt brat that becomes Colton's next assignment. She's a pleasure on the eye but an absolute nightmare to be around. This lonely and misunderstood girl is the heir to the Stone Crime Family. And that's where the problem begins… Colton soon finds him desiring what he cannot have, the daughter of a Mafia Boss. How far will he go to get what he desires the most?

"This is all your fault!" he seethes. His eyes ablaze, I could feel his rage creeping up my skin and leaving goosebumps behind. "We never should have met. You should never have gone down that alley, and we would never have met. I should have just listened to Marco and killed you." "I should never have taken you to... to..." his voice trails off as his expression mirrors that of anguish. He is in pain and it's all my fault. A knot forms in my throat as I attempt to reach out and touch him, to tell him that I had meant no harm. But for some reason, when I opened my mouth, nothing came out. It was as if I had suddenly lost my ability to speak. ***** Alessia Di Napoli accidentally witnessed a murder in an alley on her way back from work on a rainy night. She manages to escape and attempts to bury that traumatizing memory, but all hell breaks loose the next morning when the whole town of Verona seems to be talking only about the murder of the only son of Antonio Cappello, the second most dangerous mafia Lord in the city, and she had witnessed it. Betrayed by her best friend and with two mafia gangs after her, she falls into the hands of Dante Marino, the leading Mafia Lord in Verona. The need to protect his gang from a war with the Cappellos compels Dante to take responsibility for Alessia because she is the only person that can link him to the crime, and because his nemesis, Antonio, would do anything to get his hands on her. Alessia is thrown into the dangerous world of these Mafia Lords, and she gets a private insight into the life of Dante Marino.

“Turn and look at me” He commanded.Hesitating, I turned and glanced up at him. His cold green eyes stared down at me. His mighty hands held me down, pinning me to the wall.“Have you learned your lesson?!” He growled.“Yes,” I murmured fearfully.“Good! Now say it.” He has always complained about my stubbornness, for once, I wanted to prove him wrong. “I am yours... You...own...me”Freyja is an Omega, broken and shattered, and had depended on her pack members to survive her whole life but not one cared so much about her. And she was just one of many. No matter how she tried, she was unable to leave. Until one day when she was given a choice to face the ruthless dragon prince and risk being chosen as his mate. She took it. She would rather face the dragon prince than live a day more between the enemies who knew her from birth but still treated her like sh!t.

“Fuck, Ada…”“Brad...oh, fuck... deeper... harder!” Ada’s shrill voice begged between breathy moans.The banging of the headboard against the wall intensified as Ann froze. No... it couldn’t be!Ann took a deep breath and nudged the door a little more. Her chest felt like it would explode as she held her breath whilst the crack widened.When it revealed her sister lying underneath her husband-to-be, her hands flew to her mouth to stifle the gasp of horror as her heart shattered instantly.As Brad roared his release inside her sister, Ada turned her head towards the door with a smirk.An icy chill descended over Ann as if a bucket of ice water had been thrown over her and she stood and stared, her eyes wide and mouth slightly open in disbelief.Ada lifted her hand and waved in Ada’s direction with a smug smile plastered on her face as Brad collapsed on top of her, kissing her neck tenderly.Is there anything you can do if your mate had sex with your sister?

"I'm sorry for everything I did in the past. I want us to reunite as a family. I want to be involved in my child's life," Julian said to Ava, his voice laced with sincerity as he held her hand. Ava shook her head, her finger pointed accusingly to his . "Now, you want me because i have a child with you? It's too late, Julian," she replied. "Ava, we can make this work. Just give me a chance to make everything right," he said to her in a pleading voice. She remained silent, trying to pull her hand away but Julian held it tight. He pulled her close, his lips brushing hers. "You will always be mine, Ava. If I can't have you then no one will," he whispered, his breath sending shivers down her spine. ~~~~~~~ After a painful divorce from her cheating ex-husband Julian, Ava thought she'd closed the chapter on her past. But when Julian reappears five years later, old wounds and feelings resurface. Complicating matters is the fact that Ava has a secret son with Julian and is now in a contract marriage with Alex, a rival of Julian's who has been her rock in times of need. As Julian tries to her back, Ava must navigate a complex web of love and loyalty. between her lingering feelings for Julian and her commitment to Alex, Ava must make a choice. Will she choose the father of her child or the man who has been her steady support? And what will be the consequences of her decision?

I've been in a three-year relationship with Antonio Bianco, the successor of the Bianco family. Everyone knows very well how much he loves me. But everything has changed the moment Antonio's older brother passes away, leaving behind his newly-widowed wife, Rosetta Serra, who's also pregnant. Antonio heeds Augusto Bianco's last wish by taking great care of Rosetta. He even ditches me at the altar numerous times for her sake. On our 51st wedding, Antonio still ends up leaving with Rosetta, who keeps crying her heart out. I just gaze at the way Antonio scrambles to come up with a new excuse. I notice how skillfully the wedding planning company is cleaning up the wedding venue in advance. I also spot the flash of a provocative smile Rosetta has shown to me behind Antonio's back as she links arms with him. Suddenly, I feel like a total joke for being with such a man over the past three years. When the hotel manager gives me the bill, he asks casually, "When will the 52nd wedding be held, Ms. Marino? We can make the preparations in advance." "There's no need for a wedding anymore," I respond with a smile. "Even if a wedding is to be held, the groom won't be the same person anyway." After leaving the hotel, I dial the number of the person in charge of the International Medical Organization. "Hello, I'm Cecilia Marino. I'd like to accept your invitation to join your organization, and I can leave anytime soon."

My twin sister, wanting to be with her thug boyfriend, secretly planned to apply for a junior college. When I could not talk her out of it, I told our parents and managed to stop her. However, just a month into the new semester, her thug boyfriend cheated on her. She left a suicide note, blaming it all on the long distance between them. She wrote that if she had gone to that junior college, her boyfriend would never have cheated. Grief‑stricken, my parents turned all their rage on me. "You wretched girl, this is all your fault for meddling! What business was it of yours which school your sister went to? Even if she didn't go to college, we could still support her. We didn't need your big mouth!" "If it weren't for your spiteful tongue, your sister wouldn't be dead!" "We were cursed to have a vicious, unfilial daughter like you!" They locked me in her room, ordering me to repent. Then they took her ashes on a trip, saying they wanted her to see the beautiful mountains and rivers she never got to visit in life. A month later, they returned from their travels to find me long dead, starved to a withered husk in front of my sister's photo. Their eyes held no grief, no guilt, only a faint, scornful curl of the lips. In their eyes, my death was nothing more than justice served. My broken soul saw their icy expressions, and despairing tears burned my eyes. Then my sister's familiar voice rang out again: "What business is it of yours which school I go to? You're just jealous that I have a boyfriend, aren't you?"

Today was like the day I met him: Me, riding a bicycle and him, walking down the pavement. I grab the handle of the bicycle and watch him as he make his way towards me. I do not know why I feel nervous. A trickle of sweat drip on the side of my face, my heart beat fast and I could hardly breathe. He was meters away, until it grow shorter to a foot and then bam, he bumped into me and we fall down, him on top of me. This felt like a deja vù, like it was our very first encounter. We scurried to get up but ended up bumping our heads together. I glared at him as he got up, He didn't even offer me a hand. He didn’t even give me a second glance. He just passed by me. Not noticing me. Not even looking at me. I let go of the bicycle and turn to face him. I remove the helmet that I was wearing and grip it tightly before screaming, “YAH! My hands curled into a fist and before I know it, the helmet I was holding was already flying towards him.I raise my hand as if to save him but it collided on his head right before I could even react. It sounded a hollow thump and a pronounced groan. His hands made his way to the back of his head as he turn and face me. With those eyes that seem like it was murdering me, he chase me off and I hastily took my bicycle and ran. I couldn’t help but feel happy instead of guilty as he ran after me. This was like before. This was like that summer, that summer I met him.