Lucian has always lived a life free from sin, until he meets a mysterious and lethal beauty who lures him in with her lying eyes. Despite his reservations, Lucian becomes obsessed with her and plots to steal her away, knowing that she will be his biggest regret and damnation. Gypsy, a seasoned con artist, takes what she wants from life with no regrets. But when she marries Lucian, a soulless criminal attorney and recluse, she finds herself struggling with her own vulnerabilities. She knows that a wild animal can't be domesticated, and she doesn't know how to love men - only how to leave them. As Lucian and Gypsy navigate their tumultuous relationship, they must confront their own inner demons and learn to trust each other. But with secrets and lies lurking around every corner, they both know that their love may ultimately lead to their downfall.
"FORGIVE ME, FATHER, FOR I have sinned."
The shadow on the other side of the metal grate moved, and the priest cleared his throat. "How long has it been since your last confession?"
I had a difficult time believing he didn't know, but he always asked that same question.
"Three weeks, give or take."
A moment of silence passed between us, and I wondered what he was thinking. I wasn't well versed in the practices of the church, but from what little I knew, this circumstance we found ourselves in was out of the realm of normality for both of us. He was supposed to ask me questions, I was supposed to talk about my sins, and then I'd receive my punishment. But after my first visit here, that had never been the way it went down.
"Speak freely," the voice on the other side of the wood instructed.
He was patient with me when I didn't obey. As usual, I never knew where to begin.
"Why don't you tell me what brought you here," he suggested.
My fingers moved over the weathered wood bench beneath me. This building had always felt so vast. Too quiet and holy for the likes of me. But in this booth, I was safe. The anonymity granted me the freedom to confess to someone I couldn't see.
"Have you ever wished that something was a dream?" I asked.
The reply was somber. "Every day of my life."
The gravity of his statement sounded like a confession, and I didn't know what to do with it.
"I just finished another job." My hands were wrung together in my lap. "Another con. It was a lot of money."
The wood from his seat creaked, and I imagined him shifting, trying to process what kind of monster I was. "How did that make you feel?"
"This isn't about my feelings."
"Then what is it about?"
I closed my eyes, and the image came flooding back to me. My lungs burned. The landscape of my mouth turned to desert. I'd never said this part out loud before, but I needed to. Someone had to hear it.
"My sister suggested we get ice cream to celebrate. We always celebrate after a job." I tried to will the nausea in my stomach away as I spoke. "I couldn't even remember the last time we had ice cream together, though. She got bubblegum, her favorite. And it... it triggered something."
"A memory?" the priest asked.
"The day I got home from juvie, I found her in the kitchen eating ice cream. I'd been gone for six months, and every day, I was sick with fear for her. She was so small. So helpless."
I heard the priest swallow, and his voice was hoarse when he responded. "You thought it was your job to protect her?"
"It was," I assured him. "She had nobody else. And when I walked into the kitchen that day, for a split second, she was so happy to see me that I thought everything was going to be okay. I thought he'd kept his word, and she was okay."
"But she wasn't?"
I looked at the floor, clutching my stomach as I recalled her eyes. For as long as I lived, I would never forget what I saw there.
"No," I whispered. "I could see that something had changed."
"What was it?"
"Her innocence," I answered. "It was gone."
"HERE." I SHOVED A FAT wad of the twenties into the cabbie's palm. "That's half. I'll give you double that if you're here when I come back. Twenty minutes tops."
He glanced down at the stack of cash and shrugged. "No problem, lady."
I checked my lipstick in the mirror and swung open the door. It was a chore getting out of the cab in my fluffy white dress, but I made it work.
Outside, New York City Hall was bustling with crowds rushing to their destinations, but they all paused to look at the woman scurrying down the sidewalk in a wedding dress and cowboy boots.
I waved like a princess and even blew a few kisses to a pair of little girls with stars in their eyes. No doubt they were dreaming about their wedding someday. Hopefully, theirs would turn out better than this one.
A chivalrous stranger with dark eyes opened the door for me, and I thanked him while I rushed past, nearly colliding with my groom the moment I stepped inside.
"Graham," I squeaked.
"Where have you been?" He glared. "You're ten minutes late."
I bit my tongue and smiled. This was the most charming he'd been in the past two weeks, and it only solidified my decision to play him like a fiddle.
"The bride is supposed to be late." I offered him a wide smile. "It's tradition."
"Nothing about this wedding is traditional," he muttered.
That wasn't news to me. He couldn't even spring for a cake or flowers, and he hadn't invited a single family member to this shotgun wedding of ours. Yet he was deluded enough to believe I thought he loved me. The reality was that he was gunning for senator, and he needed to secure a wife for the upcoming political rallies. Family men were always more likable in the public eye.
He checked his watch and gestured for me to put my arm in his. "Come on. We're next in line."
I tagged along toward the courtroom where the magistrate was probably waiting. "This is all so romantic, but Graham, do you think I could have a word with you in private first? I have something I'd like to give you."
He glanced down at the envelope in my hand, his features tightening before he smoothed them with practiced civility. He would make a good politician.
"Sure," he said curtly. "But we'll have to make it quick."
I nodded and tugged on his hand, leading him into an empty vestibule that was closed off to the public.
"What are you doing?" He stared down the empty hall. "We can't go in here; they'll kick us out."
"Trust me," I whispered. "You'll want this to be private."
His face was a mask of irritation as he followed my lead and came to a stop around the corner. I looked up at him, mentally preparing to rip off my mask. It was always best to do it like a Band-Aid.
There was no love for me in his eyes, but even so, for a split second, I hesitated. I'd known Graham for three weeks, and in that time, he'd showered me with gifts and tokens of his appreciation. His appreciation for helping him to keep a secret he wasn't even aware I knew. I was just the dumb baby fawn being led to slaughter in a marriage he'd never truly be happy with but hoped he'd make work by pacifying me with money.
In part, he was right about that. Because I needed the money. My little sister needed the money. I wanted to give her a better life, and I decided long ago that if fate wouldn't give us our opportunities, I would create them.
I had to remember that when I looked at Graham, even if a small part of me hated what I was about to do. Sure, he was an asshole who thought he could buy me. I'd dealt with enough of them to know it wouldn't break his heart when I walked away. He'd be wiser, and I'd be richer, and we'd both be winners in the end. But lately, I didn't feel like a winner at all.
"Come on." Graham reached for the envelope in my hands. "We're wasting time here. Is that for me?"
His sharp words snapped me back to reality, and I narrowed my eyes. Rich men were all the same. They thought they could treat women like shit because they had fat wallets. And this was my reminder that it didn't matter what I was going to do. Graham would pay the money to avoid the humiliation of a scandal, and it wouldn't hurt him... much.
I handed him the envelope that felt so dirty in my hands. "This is for you, my darling."
He didn't spare me a second glance as he pulled out the contents of the evidence I'd gathered on him over the last three weeks. Sometimes this part of the game could be dramatic. I certainly never knew what I was going to find on a mark before I started researching him. One could only speculate, but even I wasn't past being surprised on occasion. Everybody had a secret. And I was very good at exploiting them.
"What in the hell is this?" The color drained from Graham's face as he looked over the photos of him with his best friend's wife. Those had been taken just three days ago, but there were plenty of others. Clandestine meetings in motel rooms and dark corners at dinner parties. It was all there. And it was an irrefutable fact that when he agreed to wait until after marriage to consummate, he was full of shit.
"There are plenty more where those came from." I dropped the Southern accent I'd been using since the night I'd met him. "As well as dates and times. Locations. They're all stored in a digital file."
"You're blackmailing me?" His eyes widened in disbelief. "You, the dumb blonde bimbo who's been parading around on my arm for three weeks? How the fuck did you get this? Who sent you?"
I pulled off my wig and shook out my hair with a smile. "I'm a brunette. And I'm a lot smarter than you give me credit for. I work alone, Graham."
The veins in his neck swelled, and his face mottled with red as he realized he'd just been played by the bimbo. "You know I'm a powerful man. How can you be sure I won't just make you disappear?"
"Because you don't want even the scent of impropriety around you," I answered. "The woman you were supposed to marry goes missing? It's a problem you don't need. Besides, I have fail-safes for such an event, and I can promise you that this information does not go missing with me. But you can make it all go away, Graham."
His eyes pinched together, penetrating me with the resentment he'd been hiding up until this point. "What do you want?"
"One hundred thousand."
"You must be joking," he seethed.
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
He turned away, curling his lip as his eyes fell on the picture in his hand. The lovers in the frame were lost in the throes of passion, disgracing the guest bedroom of his best friend's summer house on the cape. I was there with him that night on the beach with his friends, regaling them with stories of my fake life. But when I snuck away and spotted them, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to snap the shot.
As I watched him now, his feelings were written all over his face. He wouldn't betray her. He couldn't.
"You love her," I said, "don't you?"
He dragged a hand through his hair and stuffed the photos back into the envelope. "It doesn't matter. You'll get your money if that's what you want. It's done."
His answer was what I expected, but at the same time, it renewed my constant companion of hopelessness. This was a cruel world. A world where people would choose reputations over love. Dirty escapades over happiness. I never wanted to weave myself into that fabric of society again. Situations like this reminded me why it was better to be a loose thread, dangling in the wind.
I didn't know how to love men. I only knew how to leave them, with everything I wanted.
"I'll need it by five o clock today," I told Graham.
And then I walked away.
Jackson King, the Alpha King, is desperate to secure his legacy and save his pack from extinction. He needs a surrogate to carry his child, and he's willing to pay handsomely for it. However, his chosen candidate, Layla Carlisle, a half-human and half-wolf, refuses his offer. Despite her initial rejection, Jackson is determined to make her change her mind, using any means necessary. As he struggles with his own darkness and the demands of his beast, Cain, Jackson must confront the consequences of his own cursed fate and the truth about his mate. Will Layla eventually agree to carry his child, or will Jackson's secrets and lies tear them apart?
Blue Learley, a bright and adventurous seventeen-year-old girl, lived a peaceful life in a small town with her loving parents and two protective brothers. Her days were filled with laughter, friendship, and dreams of a future filled with promise. But on one fateful night, her life took a devastating turn. Demetrius Easton, the ruthless and feared werewolf king, laid eyes on her, and his obsession was ignited. With a single glance, Blue became the object of Demetrius's unrelenting desire, and he would stop at nothing to claim her as his bride. But what should have been a nightmare scenario became a harsh reality when her own parents, blinded by greed and fear, betrayed her trust and sold her to the merciless werewolf king. With no escape from the clutches of Demetrius's unyielding grasp, Blue found herself trapped in a world of ancient traditions, dark magic, and unbridled power. Her once-peaceful life was now a distant memory, replaced by the constant terror of being at the mercy of a monster. With no one to turn to for help, Blue must rely on her own resilience and determination to survive the unrelenting forces that seek to consume her. As she navigates the treacherous landscape of Demetrius's kingdom, Blue will discover hidden strengths, unexpected allies, and the true depths of her own courage. But will it be enough to overcome the darkness that threatens to engulf her, or will she become just another pawn in the werewolf king's sinister game of power and control?
Sometimes, escaping the life you've known becomes a tempting salvation. That's the choice that Nate, an ex-band member grappling with a harrowing heroin addiction, makes when he opts to start anew on an island. His journey of recovery takes an unexpected twist when Abby, a woman also escaping her tumultuous past, enters the scene. Six years prior, the gruesome murder of Abby's mother and Abby's own brutal assault caught the nation's attention. While the two could not be more different, they find a compelling bond growing between them as Abby sees Nate's struggles and decides to lend a hand. Despite this newfound connection, Nate's world is rooted in Los Angeles, while Abby's cannot dare return to the mainland. With this difficult circumstance hanging over their heads, they find themselves faced with a significant question - Can they possibly nurture their sprouting romance despite their varying pasts and present realities?
THIS IS A COMPILATION OF ALL MY EROTICA BOOKS Within the shadowy realm of desires untold and the echoes of illicit whispers, an exciting universe awaits the brave of heart. Welcome to the provoking collection of erotica, where every page will thrill, chill, and provoke all manner of responses you never thought literature could invoke. Delicate yet defiant, carnal yet spiritual, the power of sensual human connections reign supreme in these scribed records. Tucked away within the passionate folds of this compendium, lovers transgress boundaries and consummate their unions in secret places, reveling in the rapturous exchange of emotional intensity, delicate beauty, and voluptuous fervor. In these explicit narrations, relationships unfurl themselves in an evocative symphony of words, bold and fearless.
In a quiet town lies a striking, successful surgeon, Cole Becker. A man so enticing he captures the attention of every woman he meets. Admired for his impeccable looks, bustling medical career and his enchanting son, Cole’s life seems the very embodiment of perfection. However, despite all his achievements, there is an empty spot in his life longing to be filled - the need for a loving woman. Allie O'Keefe, the new girl next door, couldn’t help but notice her enchanting neighbor. As an innocent and pure 24-year-old fleeing from the hectic city life, the allure of a simple life next to the alluring doctor becomes increasingly irresistible. Allie, oblivious of the depths and layers hidden behind Cole’s charismatic façade, gets lured into his captivating world. As the spark between them begins to kindle, Allie gradually becomes aware of Cole’s haunting secrets, causing an unforeseen storm in their emerging romance. Despite the intensity of their blossoming relationship, Cole’s obscure past becomes an imminent threat. With their love story hanging in the balance, the question arises - can love overcome the dark and unsaid mysteries of one's past or is it destined to fall apart?
Wealthy businessman Aiden Walker spirals into a dark abyss following a catastrophic plane crash that claims his beloved family. He sheds his opulent lifestyle and seeks solitude within the four walls of his vast Savannah mansion. However, his sanctuary isn't immune to external torment, as he becomes the target of a ruinous lawsuit by a bereaved family who lost their son in the same tragic event. Caught in her family's web of indifference following her brother's untimely demise in the same crash, Lexa Patterson, a dedicated ER nurse, stumbles upon the forlorn billionaire under unforeseen circumstances. As Aiden stumbles into her ER after a drunken bike accident, Lexa is struck by the vulnerable side of this influential tycoon. Ignoring ethical boundaries, Lexa decides to delve deeper into the tormented world of the reclusive Aiden Walker. In an intoxicating game of passion and lies, Lexa treads a perilous path by concealing her true identity. An unexpected connection blooms amidst grief and despair, as Aiden and Lexa seek solace in each other's company. But how long can Lexa keep her true identity veiled? Will their newfound love stand the test of truth or shatter under the weight of their secrets? Veil of Lies: A High Stakes Affair weaves a captivating narrative around fate's twisted games, insatiable grief, and the desperate search for love and solace.
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"
To exact revenge on her treacherous fiancé, Yvonne enticed Clayton into a liaison that promised advantages for both. Yet, when Yvonne spotted a woman resembling her at Clayton’s side, she recognized she was nothing more than a substitute. Discovering Clayton’s upcoming wedding, she departed with a generous severance sum. “Clayton, this is truly the end,” she declared resolutely. On the very day Yvonne was set to marry someone else, Clayton showed up, desperation clear in his eyes as he dropped to his knees. “Yvonne, please, don’t go through with it. Don’t marry him.”
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"
Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins—a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. "It's time to reveal your true identity, darling."
Scarlett was left betrayed and broken beyond repair when her best friend Megan set her up with the male escort who stole her virginity...Or at least, that's what she thought he was. There was something odd about the strong and strikingly beautiful man that she spent a night with. Despite the pure hatred she felt for him, the deals he ended up offering wasn't one she could refuse. Scarlett always thought she'd marry her soulmate but turns out, that won't be the case for her. But could her mysterious husband make his way through her broken heart and fix it? It's hard to imagine but love has funny ways to manifest in places where it's least expected....