Tightening Synonym

"I like her," I said as I sat across from my mother unable to keep the frustration from boiling over. "Like who?" "Callie," I admitted, my chest tightening as I said her name. Her expression froze for a moment before she set the papers aside and leaned forward. "You’re joking, right? Callie is your brother’s girlfriend." "I don’t care," I snapped. "I can’t stand seeing him with her. She should be mine, and I’m not going to just sit back and watch them together." "Well, well. This is interesting." She sat back, steepling her fingers. "You really want her all to yourself?" "More than anything," I confessed. A slow smile crept across her face, and it sent a chill down my spine. "Don’t worry. I have a plan.” Whatever she had in mind, I knew it wouldn’t be simple. But if it meant having Callie… I was willing to do whatever it took. **************** Callie was given a choice by her new boss: either lose her job or act as his escort for his family’s Christmas and New Year celebrations, pretending to be his girlfriend. Left with no other option, she reluctantly agrees to be his escort but what she doesn’t realize is that she’s walking straight into a trap. Dive into a story of love, betrayal, romance, suspense, and a Christmas miracle. Second Chances Under the Tree is a gripping and intriguing read that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

Blurb. " You kept my son from me for five years?" Alexander's voice cracked with disbelief , anger radiating off him as he towered over Daniela.She squared her shoulders, though her hands trembled. " I didnt think it mattered back then. I was nothing to you Alexander . Just a distraction- a side chick you could forget the moment I walked out of your life". " That's not fair !" He snapped , his jaw tightening . " You knew what my life was like. I didnt...." " You didnt think about me did you?" She interrupted her voice rising. " After that one night, you moved on as if nothing happened. But i was left with something i couldn't ignore- our son". Alexander froze his piercing gaze searching hers . " You could have come back. You could have told me" . " I tried!" Daniela shot back her voice breaking. " But when i saw you again, you were with her - the perfect fiancee , the love of your life. I realised I'd just be a complication in your already perfect world ". " You don't get to make that choice for me,"he said, his voice low and trembling with restrained fury. " I deserve to know . Noah deseves to know who is father was". Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. " Maybe I was wrong , but i didn't want my child growing up feeling unwanted ... like i was nothing more than a mistake to you ".

"You wouldn't dare!" David spat, his eyes filled with anger as he glared down at Rihanna. It was that intimidating look, the kind that made men tremble and women flee. But not Rihanna. She met his gaze with equal intensity, her chin raised defiantly. "You know me better than to say that." she retorted, her voice dripping with determination. "You're mine!" David growled, his grip tightening on her shoulders, forcefully pinning her against the wall. "Mine, and no one else’s.” "I don't belong to you. I'm not some possession!" Rihanna snapped back, her anger palpable. She despised it whenever David asserted his control over her. “Yes you do. You are mine and listen to me princess, I promise you that any man who as much as touches your hair wouldn’t live to tell the tale.” ******* In a world of power, passion and danger, David, a ruthless billionaire and leader of an underground drug cartel, commands fear and respect. With his irresistible charm and stunning looks, he effortlessly captivates those around him. Meanwhile, Rihanna, a computer whiz seeking freedom from her controlling ex-boyfriend, finds herself drawn to a mysterious stranger at a nightclub. Little does she know, he's not just any man - he's David, her ex's uncle and the enigmatic head of a feared criminal empire. In an act of revenge for her friend, Rihanna unknowingly sets off a chain of events that threatens to bring down a multibillion-dollar corporation, not realizing that the man she spent the night with is its owner. Fleeing for her life, she escapes the country, only to return two years later and come face to face with her fate. As their paths intertwine once again, Rihanna realizes that her life is about to be plunged into a fiery abyss.

His gaze met mine, intense and possessive, his lips just an inch away as his lips left my nipple. “Say it, Erica,” he commanded, voice rough. “Say that you belong to me.” I swallowed, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might drown out my thoughts. He held me tightly, his fingers pressing into my skin as if trying to claim every inch of me, refusing to let me escape. “I... I don’t,” I whispered, my voice barely steady, the denial weak even to my own ears. He gave me a dark smile, then continued, his mouth finding my other breast. He sucked lightly, his other hand gripping my waist, making it clear he didn’t plan on letting go. His tongue drew imaginary circles around my nipple, his teeth nipping at my sensitive bud before he sucked it whole again like a starved man. “You don’t?” he murmured against my skin. “Then why haven’t you stopped me?” I opened my mouth to protest, but only a soft sound escaped, my hands tightening on his shoulders as he kept pushing, each suck and touch breaking down my defenses. I let out an ear splitting moan, “Raffael please…” *********** Erica’s world is shattered when she’s forced into a dangerous deal with Raffael Greco, the ruthless crime boss who now owns her. By day, she’s his maid, and by night, she works in his strip club—her body no longer her own. Drawn to the ruthless man who both torments and ignites her, Erica can’t resist the tension simmering between them. Raffael, obsessed with controlling her, finds himself slowly losing control instead. Can Erica survive being Raffael's sinful desire, or will his desires destroy her before she can escape?

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️ DARK ROMANCE AND MATURED CONTENT. "This is kidnapping," my voice cracked as I followed him. "You can't keep me here." "I think I can," he chuckled, tge sound low and dangerous. He draped his coat over the kitchen counter, then turned back to me. "And that's what I plan on doing." A violent shudder ran through me. My breath came shallow, my chest tightening with fear. He meant it. "It won't be long before someone realises I am missing," I said, hoping that logic would reach him. "And come looking for me." His smirk deepened. "Who will?" Once a predator locks onto its prey, there's no letting go! A woman craving the attention of her husband runs into the caporegime of the Kingston family, a crime family that has ruled the underground for years. She knows he is bad news. She knows she should flee, but she ruins her marriage when she gives into his temptation. And now he never plans on letting her go.

Naomi thought signing the divorce papers would be the end of her tangled past with billionaire, Ethan Carter. But one night of reckless passion proves their story is far from over. When Ethan’s younger brother, Nathan, is kidnapped by Damian, the man who has spent years trying to destroy Ethan and claim Naomi for himself, who is also her high schoolmate. She is forced into making tough choices. To save Nathan, Naomi makes a daring deal with Damian. But Damian wants more than just love; he needs revenge to get back his pride, which has seemingly been swallowed by Ethan. He also needs Naomi back under his control. As she fights to outwit him, she finds herself running against time at every turn. With Ethan desperate to find her and Damian tightening his grip, Naomi risks everything in a final, heart-pounding escape. But when bullets fly and secrets unravel, one thing becomes clear she may have left Ethan once, but their love was never truly over. Will she make it out alive? Or will her past finally consume her? A gripping romance filled with passion, danger, and a love that refuses to die.

His steely gaze bore into mine, an abyss of emotionless darkness. "Marc-" "SHUT UP!" I flinched, a shudder coursing through me. He came on closer, his fingers tightening around my neck, a cruel parody of a caress. I met his frightening stare, I stared at him breathing heavily. "Just be still." I lowered my face, eyelids fluttering shut, as if seeking solace in the darkness. "I own you." His declaration resounding heavy in the air, an unbreakable chain binding me to this desire’s. In that moment, I knew - there was no escaping the clutches of this man who held me captive, body and soul. **************** In the heart of a city shrouded in shadows and secrets, Elena Santiago's life takes a dangerous plunge. Her father's debts drag them to the doorstep of Don Marco De Luca, an astute and enigmatic mafia overlord, thrusting Elena into a world of scary gambles and lethal allure. Boundaries blur between allegiance and survival as Elena must survive through a web of deception, where every move becomes a battle cry. With her family's future teetering on a razor's edge, she finds herself torn between defying the merciless Don and submitting to a life of total servitude. ******** Will she succumb to his desires… or hers?!

So this is how the mate bond feels. A rush of energy, a pull like gravity tightening around us, and an almost maddening awareness of the other person. I wasn’t about to let it sway me though. Sure, the man in front of me is ridiculously perfect, but I wasn’t some love-struck fool who’d drop everything at the first spark of fate. I had a life, plans, and a fiancé waiting for me upstairs. I raised an eyebrow, forcing myself to stay calm even as my heart raced. “Take a number and get in line, sweetheart,” I said coolly, flashing the engagement ring on my finger in front of his gray eyes. “I’m otherwise occupied right now.” …Five years later, when I pushed the door open, my mate remained motionless on a leather couch, his piercing gaze boring into me with a cold detachment that sent shivers down my spine. He leaned back, the casualness of the gesture at odds with the intensity in his eyes. His arms rested lazily on the backrest, but there was nothing relaxed about him. His body was coiled tight, like a predator ready to pounce, and the air between us crackled with tension. “Is my number finally up?” he asks, his tone laced with bitter amusement. “My dear mate.” The words sting, but I can’t deny the truth in them. He is my last chance.

"It's over, Nicholas. I'm not your property anymore," Reyna said firmly, backing away from his tightening grip. Nicholas smiled that familiar smile that still sent a chill down her spine. "But you'll always be mine. No matter who you try to slip into your bed at night, I'm the one who truly knows you." ************ Reyna Collins thought she left her abusive past behind when she escaped her husband and billionaire Nicholas Reed five years ago. Now a successful winemaker, she's focused on building her brand and moving on. But when Nicholas sees her flourishing without him, dark secrets from their marriage come to light in the most sinister of ways. As suspicious events threaten to destroy all Reyna has worked for, she realizes Nicholas will stop at nothing to reclaim the power and control he once held. Even relying on help from a newcomer, outwitting her manipulative ex seems impossible.

“Why did you do it?” He demanded in a low voice, a warning, while closing in on me. The defiant look on my face crumbled a little as I hastily began to backtrack, it wasn’t long before I felt the edge of the bed behind my knees. “Fucking answer me, Kiara!” He roared, cold breath fanning the tip of my nose as he spoke. I gulped in fear, as what I had done just began to fully sink in. “I- I don’t…” A firm push against my forehead tipped me over and I fell on my back like a doll, panting wide eyed at a very furious Xavier. I scrambled backwards, or attempted to– but Xavier’s large hands clamped on my ankles, sharply jerking me downwards until my legs dangled at his sides. “Not only did you leave the house on your own– you crashed my car, set it on fire and then you went to a freaking, dangerous club…” He moved his hands off my ankles and circled my hips, grips tightening instantly, threateningly. “…and let worthless men touch what’s mine. Who told you that was acceptable?” I scoffed and rolled my eyes even though my heart was racing. “Who said I was yours? Since when did you make me yours?” “Since right now.” ————— Forced to marry Xavier Romano in order to spare her brother’s life, Kiara Francesco– sassy, rebellious and drop dead gorgeous, was determined to be no fragile and obedient wife; which surprised, spurred Xavier on and made his sinful hunger for her intensify with each passing second. Life as a very powerful mafia lord’s wife was no child’s play, seeing as it comes with a whole lot of danger. And Kiara was ready for the dangerous ride.