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When small town librarian Maryanne learns that she is the temporary guardian of her best friend's toddler, she is ready to take on the responsibility of parenthood. However, when she discovers that she must co-parent Riley with Max, the charming billionaire playboy who broke her heart all those years ago, she is horrified. They have one year to decide who will be the better guardian; Max has one year to prove his love to Maryanne. As Max and Maryanne work side by side to create a loving home, Maryanne will see a new side of Max and realize just how badly she wants to change the past. Her Billionaire and Her Baby is created by Sierra Christenson, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.
As the cold winter air rushes through the quiet library, rustling pages of a few open books, Maryanne shivers, her body tightening up. She presses the start button on her key fob to make sure her car is running. Shaking the chill off, she releases her tied up hair from her dark scrunchie, allowing her pale locks to fall down around her shoulders. After running her hands through her hair, she pulls on a black beanie and shrugs on her winter jacket.
Maryanne sighs, dreading the walk from the door to her warm car. After she places the strap of her purse around her shoulders and tries to pick up her car keys with her gloved hands, she walks away from her desk.
"Have a good night," Jessica calls out to her, her glasses slipping down her thin nose as she looks up from her paperwork.
"You too. Don't stay too long." Maryanne smiles softly before bracing herself against the mid-January air.
She all but bolts to her warm Toyota, groaning out a sigh once she is out of the freezing wonderland. She shakes her entire body, trying to warm up.
"I hate winter," she mumbles taking off her gloves in order to grab her phone from her pocket. She has three missed calls.
"That's odd."
Maryanne only ever leaves it on silent while she is at work, but rarely will she ever receive a call, especially not three. As she clicks on the voicemail, another call from the same number pops up.
"Oh," she slides the answer button to pick up the call and brings the cold phone to her ear. "Hello?"
"Maryanne Johnson? This is Edward. I am from the Edenville Hospital." The smooth voice on the other end of the line trembles, and Maryanne can sense anxiety that reverberates through her own body.
"Is everything okay?"
A large stone forms in her stomach and only continues to grow. She swallows passed the lump in her throat as her heart begins to quicken and her mind races.
Who could it be? Who does she even know nearby? Most of her family is on the other side of the country.
"I am so sorry. I am calling because you are listed as the emergency contact for Miss Lucy Morgan."
Maryanne's entire body turns upside down, flopping. Her vision blurs as her mind shuts down.
"Miss Lucy was involved in a head on collision with a drunk driver. Her and her passenger were dead on impact," the voice, Edward, continues solemnly.
No, no. "This can't be happening," Maryanne whimpers. Tears stream down her cheeks, but she tries to bite her lip in order to control herself.
Her entire body vibrates with the grief wracking her chest. A sob seeps through her defenses. Her only friend. The only one that understand her. She is gone. What is she going to do?
One thought rushes through her mind even as her car shuts off and the cold winter bites at her soul, "Where is Riley?"
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Maryanne holds down tears for the hundredth time that day, gripping her steering wheel. She stares up at the apartment complex before her. She is not sure she is ready to venture into their home. Their space. Since neither of them have much family nearby, she was asked by Lucy's mother if she could box up all of her things and send them to her. Her mother did not want to cross the threshold of their apartment.
Well, neither did Maryanne, but she couldn't say no to the grieving mother.
Pausing before she drives away, she grabs her phone on the passenger seat that has begun to vibrate violently. Blinking away her tears, she reads the name on her screen before answering.
"Hello?"
The voice that echoes through the phone is soft and kind, "Good morning, this is Dianne from Social Services."
"Oh, good morning, how are you?"
"I am doing great, how are you?"
"Oh, holding up," she swallows passed the lump in her throat.
Dianne continues, but now her voice is more gentle, careful. "I was just calling to see if you have some time this afternoon to come in and sign some paperwork? There is some information we have to go over as well."
Maryanne's heart skips a beat. That's right, she will be signing for Riley today. Hopefully she will be able to bring her home. "Yes, of course. I am off today. I can come in."
"Perfect. There are some issues we have to figure out," Dianne states.
"Like what?" What could be an issue in this situation?
"Your name is not the only one in the will."
What? "Really? Who else would be written in?
"Greg wrote that he wanted his cousin to take care of Riley."
"Who?"
Wait, did Greg have a cousin nearby? Yes, he did. Lucy mentioned him before. What was his name?
"Max Ryder, the maternal cousin of Greg Ryder."
Maryanne's heart drops as memories fill her mind.
Max Ryder.
The billionaire cousin that owns an expanding company and lives in an expensive penthouse in the city. The one that Maryanne went out with five years ago, but very briefly. The man that broke her heart. He is the one that Greg chose to take care of Riley?
With the world crumbling apart during another war, Eliana is tasked to bring two nations together through marriage. Plans change drastically when her caravan is attacked by assassins and she is forced to go on the run. While fleeing assassins, Eliana will meet Jasper, a young werebear searching for the love of his mate. As Eliana discovers that her lineage holds a dangerous secret, she will be faced with the magnetic attraction she feels for Jasper, a member of the race responsible for killing her mother. The Princess and Her Werebear is created by Sierra Christenson, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.
Natalie used to think she could melt Connor’s icy heart, but she was sorely mistaken. When at last she decided to leave, she discovered that she was pregnant. Even so, she chose to quietly leave his world, prompting Connor to mobilize all of his resources and expand his business to a global scale—all in a bid to find her. But there was no trace of Natalie. Connor slowly spiraled into madness, turning the city upside down and leaving chaos in his wake. Natalie finally surfaced years later, with wealth and power of her own, only to find herself entangled with Connor once again.
Elena, once a pampered heiress, suddenly lost everything when the real daughter framed her, her fiancé ridiculed her, and her adoptive parents threw her out. They all wanted to see her fall. But Elena unveiled her true identity: the heiress of a massive fortune, famed hacker, top jewelry designer, secret author, and gifted doctor. Horrified by her glorious comeback, her adoptive parents demanded half her newfound wealth. Elena exposed their cruelty and refused. Her ex pleaded for a second chance, but she scoffed, “Do you think you deserve it?” Then a powerful magnate gently proposed, “Marry me?”
"I'm going to tell you what I have in mind," he murmured. "First you're going to strip down until you're completely naked," he whispered against her ear. "Then I'm going to tie you up so you're completely powerless and subject to my every whim." "Mmm, sounds good so far," she murmured. "Then I'm going to insert a plug to prepare you for me. After that I'm going to spank that sweet ass of yours until it's rosy with my marks." She shivered uncontrollably, her mind exploding with the images he evoked. She let out a small whimper as he sucked the lobe of her ear into his mouth. God, she could cum with just his words. She was already aching with need. Her nipples tingled and hardened to painful points. Her clit pulsed and twitched between her legs until she clamped her thighs together to alleviate the burn. "And then I'm going to f**k your mouth. But I won't cum. Not yet. When I'm close, I'll flog you again until your ass is burning and you're on fire with the need for relief. And then I'm going to f**k that ass. I'm going to take you hard and rough, to the very limits of what you can withstand. I won't be gentle. Not tonight. I'm going to take you as roughly as you can stand. And then I'm going to cum all over your ass. Are you ready to be completely and utterly dominated?"
Everyone was shocked to the bones when the news of Rupert Benton's engagement broke out. It was surprising because the lucky girl was said to be a plain Jane, who grew up in the countryside and had nothing to her name. One evening, she showed up at a banquet, stunning everyone present. "Wow, she's so beautiful!" All the men drooled, and the women got so jealous. What they didn't know was that this so-called country girl was actually an heiress to a billion-dollar empire. It wasn't long before her secrets came to light one after the other. The elites couldn't stop talking about her. "Holy smokes! So, her father is the richest man in the world?" "She's also that excellent, but mysterious designer who many people adore! Who would have guessed?" Nonetheless, people thought that Rupert didn't love her. But they were in for another surprise. Rupert released a statement, silencing all the naysayers. "I'm very much in love with my beautiful fiancee. We will be getting married soon." Two questions were on everyone's minds: "Why did she hide her identity? And why was Rupert in love with her all of a sudden?"
Five years ago, he upped and left his wife without informing her. He had always felt unworthy. As a result, he decided to go and become a better man. It took him five whole years of daily hard work. When he was satisfied, he returned as a powerful and honorable man. He intended to start a family with his wife. But he got back to meet the greatest shocker of his life. He actually had a daughter!
When they were kids, Derek saved Norah's life. Years later, after Derek ended up in a vegetative state from a car crash, Norah married him without a second thought and even used her medical knowledge to heal him. For two years, Norah was devoted, seeking his affection and looking to settle her life-saving debt. But when Derek's first love returned, Norah, faced with divorce, didn't hesitate to sign. Despite being labeled as forsaken, few knew of her true talents. She was a race car driver, a famed designer, a genius hacker, and a renowned doctor. Regretting his decision, Derek begged for her forgiveness. Just then, a charming CEO intervened, embracing Norah and declaring, "Back off! She's my wife!" Taken aback, Norah blurted out, "What did you say?"