Rammstein Skinner is one of the most respected mobsters in the mafia but little does he know I've had a crush on him for the longest time. My feelings don't seem to be mutual and he confuses me by going hot and cold. Then I find out he has secrets. The man who once was held in the highest regard by the mob is now its biggest enemy. And as if things couldn't get any worse... I'm carrying the enemy's baby.
Freya
The best word to describe the whole spectacle is awkward. I've celebrated a ton of birthdays in my time but my nineteenth is turning out to be the most embarrassing one.
My uncle hasn't cut any corners. Fairy lights cover the whole park, surrounding our gothic mansion. Alcohol's overflowing in champagne glasses, strange music that sings about plundering and pillaging plays from the giant speakers.... Exotic animals from the north have been flown in; Nordic lynxes, arctic foxes and even Siberian tigers.
The whole Nordic Mafia is obsessed with exotic creatures from the north but all I feel when looking at the tiger pacing in his cage is sadness. I know what it's like to feel like you're locked in a cage. And suddenly I'm struck by an impulse to just let the giant cat out and give him that taste of freedom.
Freedom. Mmm...I bet it tastes delicious.
"There you are," a male voice grunts and suddenly my head locks in a chokehold. "I've been looking all over for you. Happy birthday, fairy."
Struggling to breathe, I curse inwardly at my uncle. Sometimes he just doesn't know his own strength. Especially when he's been drinking and I search for his wife. When she catches my pleading gaze, she lets out a soft laugh and walks over to us.
"Viper, go easy on your niece," she urges, before grimacing. "You're ruining her gorgeous hairdo." She goes on to groom me, making sure I look respectable in front of all the men that could potentially be my husband.
My uncle snorts. "She looks fine," he growls and I sigh when his knuckles rub my scalp until the skin burns. "Any man will count himself lucky to have her."
His wife looks up at him in awe, squealing something about him being socuuute. It makes uncle all full of himself, his chest bloating and he throws his wife over the shoulder before running away with her into the dark corners of the park.
My cheeks heat from their antics and I squirm when some of the males raise their glasses at me. Oh hell...I just want this to be over. It's way over the top and the males looking at me with hunger in their eyes makes me feel like I'm prey about to be eaten.
I know I'm supposed to be flattered that I'm desired by powerful men. I'm not the prettiest woman around. Most of the other women in the mob are a lot more beautiful than me. They're all walking, talking bombshells while I'm...
Curvy.And that's the nice word for it. The other word is chunky.
Despite my dress being tailor made, I still feel uncomfortable in it. It's too tight, sticking to my limbs until all I want to do is rip off my clothes and erupt into a wild dance. Dancing is my life.
Modern dance specifically, the kind where you pour out all your emotions, the kind where you tell stories with your whole body. When I dance, is the only time I feel amazing. The only time when I feel somewhat at home.
I swallow when I catch the group of girls in the corner, whispering behind their hands while looking at me. Most of them are girlfriends of the soldiers and I wince when I notice Julien is among them. She's the worst. And she doesn't even bother to hide they're talking shit about me, pointing at my shoes and then my dress and I can only imagine the things they're saying.
She looks like a stuffed sausage in that dress.
Those shoes are for hot girls. Fatty will just pop the heel.
Gulping, I reach for a glass of champagne and swipe down in one go. It makes my head spin and when I try walking, I stumble and almost fall nose down onto the grass. The catty girls burst into laughter and I turn red in the face. Unable to withstand it anymore, I run into the house, causing my dress to rip and a split tears all the way up to my mid-thigh.
Struggling to breathe, I climb up the staircase, feeling sick of everything and everyone when I bump into a hard body. It punches the breath out of me and I almost yell out a curse. Strong hands steady me, my eyes darting to great heights until I'm looking into the terrifying face of Rammstein Skinner.
Rammstein joined the mafia a year ago. He works closely with my uncle and is both well-respected and well-trusted. Despite being in his early thirties he doesn't have a family of his own and doesn't live at the compound.
He's mysterious like that.
Out of all the made men, Rammstein is the most...fascinating. His towering height and broad shoulders make me feel tiny and delicate. His tan skin makes him look exotic, and his hair that's a mix of gold and silver blond is always plaited in intricate braids that go past his shoulder blades.
But it's the eyes that get most people talking. One eye is amber, the other a milky white due to the three, thin scars slashing it. It's rumored a made man gave him the scar when he'd been a child.
Right now his eyes fixate on me and I feel like I'm under a microscope. As if everything that I am is on display for him, my body, my face...my heart, everything's ready for his taking. And my skin heats underneath his strong hands.
"Are you okay?" he rasps and I whimper in response, overly flattered by the sudden concern. His brows knots and I figure I sounded like a strangled cat just now but then he adds, "If anyone gives you any trouble, you tell me and I'll deal with it."
Speaking like a true protector. But I'm not his woman. I'm not his to protect.
"How kind of you but I'm perfectly fine," I squeak, flinching when fireworks explode outside. Rammstein's eyes narrow as if he doesn't believe me and I quickly excuse myself. "Enjoy the rest of the party."
"It's your party," he murmurs in a strange tone. "What's to enjoy if you're not there?"
Magazine editor-in-chief, bride-to-be, and soon-to-be-step-grandmother at twenty-six, Sophie Scaife is looking forward to married life with her fiancé and Dom, wickedly sadistic billionaire Neil Elwood. As they enter unexplored sensual territory, Neil leads Sophie to the very edge between pain and pleasure-and she discovers a surprising new side to her sexuality. While Sophie balances her hectic work routine with her devotion to her unconventional family, Neil has to adjust to life as a retired mogul. With their big day drawing nearer, they have to forge through pre-wedding jitters, personal crises, and an unexpected houseguest to get to their kinky ever after. But a decades old trauma still haunts Neil. When the private details draw public interest, Sophie learns that the scars of his past are greater than he let on-and he'll need all of her love to heal them...
Have you ever mistaken a guy for a stripper and had a scorching hot one-night stand with him only to find out he's your new boss? No? Just me? The first time I met Van, I was instantly drawn to his charismatic smile and stunning good looks as I shoved dollar bills into his waistband. The second time I saw Van, he walked into my bakery as the new owner and boss. That time, I kept my dollars to myself. But there's a problem, owning a bakery wasn't his choice and all he wants is to sell. Somehow, I need to persuade him to keep the business, so I can keep my dream job. When he admits he doesn't know the difference between frosting and icing, I realize I have my work cut out for me. With each passing day, our chemistry ignites like a chocolate flambé. But it's a distraction I don't need. I know from experience that when I wish for everything, I end up with nothing. Van's young and irresponsible, he can't possibly know anything about running a bakery or falling in love. But he's determined to prove me wrong. It turns out he has a few cupcakes up his sleeve that just might satisfy my sweet tooth.
After a run of bad luck, Elizabeth Walker is desperate to make some extra money. College is so important to her, and she won’t do anything to risk losing that. So, signing up to a Sugar Daddy website, where older, wealthy men find younger women, really is the only way to go. But no one seems interested in her as she’s a chubbier candidate—until lawyer Daniel Clark asks for a date. Daniel is tired of women declaring undying love for him, when all they want is his bank balance. There’s only one love in his life, and that’s the law. Seeing Elizabeth’s picture, he wants her, no doubt about that, and he’s going to have her. Before he agrees to anything, he gives her his ground rules: 1) He’s in charge. 2) He’ll give her more pleasure than she’s ever had. 3) Under no circumstances is she to fall in love with him. Can Elizabeth follow his rules? Will Daniel finally fall in love? Will Elizabeth walk away with a broken heart? They’re Daniel’s rules, but like he says, rules are made to be broken.
Xavier is the type of boss who likes women and loves to fuck a lot. Until he finally decided one day that he wants to have a child with his secretary Anya. It’s up to Anya now if she is ready to birth her boss’s child after knowing his true character.
A young girl who lives with her cruel stepmother and sister, accidentally meets 3 young and rich cousins who live a luxury life in a big mansion and is hired by the boys grandpa to look after their bad behavior.
It took only a second for a person's world to come crashing down. This was what happened in Hannah's case. For four years, she gave her husband her all, but one day, he said emotionlessly, "Let's get divorced." Hannah's heart broke into a million pieces as she signed the divorce papers, marking the end of her role as a devoted wife. Within Hannah, a strong woman awakened, vowing never to be beholden to any man again. Embracing her new life, she embarked on a journey to find herself and command her own destiny. By the time she returned, she had experienced so much growth and was now completely different from the docile wife everyone once knew. "Is this your latest trick to get my attention?" Hannah's ever-so-arrogant husband asked. Before she could retort, a handsome and domineering CEO pulled her into his embrace. He smiled down at her and said boldly to her ex, "Just a little heads-up, mister. This is my beloved wife. Keep off!"
During her three years of marriage with Brendan, Adeline had become as humble as dust itself. However, what she got in return wasn't love and affection, but endless indifference and disdain. Worse yet, when the woman in Brendan's heart suddenly showed up, he further distanced himself from her. Finally, Adeline couldn't stand it anymore and asked for a divorce. After all, why should she stay with such a cold, distant man? The next one would surely be better. Brendan watched as his ex-wife left with her luggage in tow. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him and he made a bet with his friends. "She'll definitely regret leaving and will come crawling back to me in no time." After hearing about this bet, Adeline sneered. "Dream on!" A few days later, Brendan ran into his ex-wife in a bar. It turned out she was celebrating her divorce. Not long after, he noticed that the damned woman seemed to have a new suitor. Brendan was starting to panic. The woman who had clung to him for three years suddenly didn't seem to give a damn about him. What was he going to do?
Eliza Greer was abandoned by her mother, raised in an orphanage, and sold to the Burns family at 19. Even though she marries Mason Burns, the other people in the Burns family look down on her for her poor identity and want to try every way to bully her. Unexpectedly, they all failed. Eliza's hidden identities are gradually revealed in one incident after another, which astonishes everyone.
She thought she was the love of his life, and he became the love of her life that fateful day she had seen him at the pack's party. Selene Grace was only a replica of Alpha Leo's real mate, and when he spotted her, Leo immediately claimed her as his Luna in order to suppress the rumors of him being mateless. Being unable to conceive turns Selene's marriage into a nightmare, and as if that wasn't enough, Alpha Leo finally reunites with his long time lover and mate, rejecting a pregnant Selene as a result. 5 years later, Selene, a now successful doctor, receives an invitation to the moon shadow pack in order to rid the pack of a deadly disease which has struck it. Will Selene return back to the pack which had caused her so much pain, and what would she do when she realizes that she is mated to the Alpha who had betrayed her in the past?
Sheila had her back against the wall when her family tried to force her to marry an awful old man. In a fit of rage, she hired a gigolo to act as her husband. She thought the gigolo needed money and did this for a living. Little did she know that he was nothing like that. One day, he pulled off his mask and revealed himself to be the world's top magnate. This marked the beginning of their love. He showered her with everything she could ever want. They were happy. However, unexpected circumstances soon posed a threat to their love. Would Sheila and her husband make it through the storm? Find out!
Being dumped by my mate, Ethan, on my dream New Year cruise tour was bad enough. Watching him swap spit with Vanessa? Absolute hell. Enter Lucas-the cocky, sinfully hot hockey Alpha-who claims I'm his mate. But he doesn't want love; he wants revenge, proposing a fake relationship to rile Ethan. Now I'm stuck sharing a suite with the guy who has secrets of his own. Christmas and New Year on a luxury ship was supposed to be magical...not a steamy, chaotic mess. What could go wrong?