"Where have you been hiding, little wolf?" He stared at me with his amber eyes, a vicious smile on his lips. I faced him, chin held high. "Move out of my way." "I could kill you, you know..." His fingers dipped to my inner thighs before his hands came to rest at the joint between my legs and hips, and his fingers squeezed. His large hands moved over my breasts and stomach, running over my skin as if it was made from the softest velvet. His caresses were tender, unhurried, and appreciative, and I could feel myself swelling up with a strange emotion. My lips never left his skin as he slowly thrust up, nipping, kissing, and sucking on his shoulders and neck. I whispered sweet encouragements". _____ Hidden away by a cruel uncle for years, where she was kept prisoner, treated like a piece of trash in the basement of his house. Beaten, broken, neglected, hated and rejected by him for reasons she can't even understand. Sable's life takes an unexpected turn. A chance for escape leads her straight into the arms of a mysterious wolf shifter named Ridge, the alpha of the North Pack. As her world shatters, she discovers the shocking truth about the existence of shifters and the undeniable pull she feels towards Ridge The alphas of the East and West Packs step forward, claiming her as their mate too. Now, she finds herself torn between four powerful and captivating alphas, each with their own secrets and desires..The four alphas who've each claimed her as their mate kept their promise to protect her. They came for her. They saved her. For one beautiful, blissful moment, the five of them were united, joined more closely than she have ever been with anyone. As sable learns to navigate this new world of shifters, danger lurks at every corner. Witches threaten the borders of shifter lands, and insurrection brews within the packs. But the greatest danger of all may come from within herself. Will her potential mates accept her now that they know the truth? Can she trust them to protect her from the looming threats?
Sable
The fluorescent lights in the ceiling emit a faint, incessant buzzing that hurts my battered head almost as much as the harsh illumination does. I stare down at Doctor Patil's shiny black hair as his capable fingers, clad in sapphire blue surgical gloves, prod at my ankle.
He's already x-rayed my arm and shined his light in my eyes to check my pupils for signs of concussion. He declared me safe from brain damage, but he let out a long, low whistle at the other parts of me that weren't so lucky.
The doctor presses on a particularly sore spot, and I hiss through my teeth, gripping the paper-covered table beneath me.
"This area hurts?" Doctor Patil asks, pressing the nodule again like a damn sadist.
My jaw tightens as I try to restrain the impulse to yank my leg out of his grasp. "Yes. That area hurts."
I notice his gaze pause over the crescent-shaped scars above my knee, but he doesn't say anything. The same suspicious look crossed his face when he saw the scars on my arms. And again when he lifted my shirt to press on my stomach to check for any internal abnormalities, only to find more scars-some of them old and faded, some a fresh, shiny pink.
Doctor Patil steps back and settles onto his little rolling stool. Scooting away from me a little, he dips his head to catch my gaze, his words measured and careful. "Tell me again how it happened. Can you do that, Sable?"
Uncle Clint shifts, the movement so minute that I bet the doctor doesn't even notice. My uncle is standing against the wall by the door with his blue flannel shirt tucked into his Wranglers, the sleeves rolled to his elbows. He has the darkly tanned skin of a man who's spent his life beneath the Montana sun-and that particular planetary body has done little to preserve any of the good looks he might have once had. Now, north of fifty with a balding head, he looks like a dried, wrinkled potato with a beer belly.
He glares at me over Doctor Patil's head, dark eyes promising retribution if I so much as put a toe out of line.
My stomach seems to turn in on itself, an all-too-familiar heaviness settling over me as I look back at the doctor.
"I fell," I say around the lump in my throat. "Down the stairs. Carrying the laundry to the basement."
"Are you often clumsy?" Doctor Patil glances down at my chart then back up at me. He has startling gray eyes that seem to be at odds with his dark skin and hair. They also seem to see a lot more than my usual doctor.
I shrug, goosebumps breaking out on my skin as my nerves prickle. The ruthless fluorescents shine too much light on the scars that cover my body. Each thin line of knotted white skin tells a story that my uncle doesn't want told. After years of visits, years of injuries and bruises and strange ailments, Doctor Jones only sees the dollar signs each of those things ticks off on his final bill. He doesn't ask questions. But Doctor Jones is out this week, so we got Doctor Patil instead.
Uncle Clint doesn't bring me to the hospital for every little injury. Only the bad ones, the ones that clearly need extra care. Unfortunately for him, he pushed me too hard tonight.
And unfortunately for us both, Doctor Patil asks questions.
"I have an inner ear abnormality," I say, parroting the same excuse I've used for years. "My balance is awful. Uncle Clint tells me to use the laundry chute, but I'm stubborn."
I smile, trying to add a bit of warmth behind my last statement, but I'm absolutely certain it looks more pained than affectionate.
Doctor Patil narrows his eyes, then swivels on his stool. "Mr. Maddock? Could you give me and Sable a moment alone?"
Uncle Clint straightens up from the wall but leaves his arms crossed over his barrel chest. "No, sir. You ain't our usual doctor. I won't be leaving my precious girl alone with no stranger."
God, Doctor Patil would have to be a moron to not hear the syrupy false note in my uncle's voice.
Precious girl. Right. More like punching bag.
Doctor Patil, to his credit, doesn't seem the least bit intimidated by Clint's brutish warning. "You understand that at eighteen years old, she's a grown adult, and she would be well within her right to ask you to leave the room."
My skin goes cold as I understand what he's telling me. Say the word, Sable, and I'll have security remove him from the room so we can really chat. His clipped Indian accent and his deep, melodious voice is a balm to all the aches I've ever walked into this building with-even the ones on the inside.
But I can't do what he's suggesting. I can't tell Uncle Clint to leave so that I can confide in this sweet doctor who knows something isn't right.
"No, that's okay. I'd prefer that my uncle stay with me." My voice comes out small. Dejected. I'm sure Doctor Patil can hear that too. Clint and I are putting on a soap opera, and this man sees right through it. Too bad there's not a damn thing he can do to save me.
Doctor Patil swivels on his stool again, his long white coat swishing. He purses his lips as he looks at me, like he's trying to solve a puzzle that's missing key pieces. There's pity in his gaze, concern etched into the lines that frame his mouth.
"Sable, are you okay?" He speaks slowly, as if willing me to answer with the truth.
Uncle Clint's gaze is like fire searing my face, and my stomach twists into an even tighter knot.
"Well, doc, I fell down the stairs and broke my arm, so I'd say I've had better days," I joke, forcing levity into my tone. I want to signal to this man-this good man-that I need help. I want to admit to him that my uncle beats me and keeps me locked up in the house like an animal.
But I can't. I know too well what will happen to me if I even hint at the truth.
I plaster a smile on my face. "Other than the bumps and bruises, I'm fine."
Doctor Patil gives me a hard look. Acid burns up my throat as nausea bubbles up inside me. I pray that he'll give up. The harder he fights to get the truth out of me, the worse it will be for me later. Please, please let it go, I urge him silently, keeping that damn lunatic smile on my face.r />
"Excuse me. Doctor?"
We're interrupted by the nurse arriving with my x-rays, and my muscles unclench a little as Doctor Patil stands to take them from her. Uncle Clint keeps his glare on me as the doctor strides to the viewing box and shoves them into place, hitting a switch to illuminate the images.
My arm fills the white screen. I remember reading once that there are sixty-four bones in the arm, and they're all just right there on display. A bunch of shades of gray that make up my insides. I wonder if Doctor Patil can see the bones that have been broken before.
Do they grow back harder? More crooked? Like my heart does?
"Ah. Well. Good news, Sable." Doctor Patil turns around, shoving his hands into the deep pockets of his coat. "No broken bones after all. I'd venture to guess we've got a sprained wrist, like I suggested before."
My smile turns a bit more genuine at that news. I wasn't looking forward to healing another broken bone. Not that sprained wrists hurt any less, but the downtime for fractures is hell. Plus, my bones have been through enough over the years. I consider this a win.
Doctor Patil finishes up, equipping me with a wrist brace and instructions to give it a rest for the next few weeks. He tells me to rest my ankle too, if possible, and I nod dutifully at his instructions.
And that's it.
He can't do anything for all the bruises, and he can't do anything to save me from a situation he knows in his gut is wrong, so when all is said and done, he sends me on my way.
This is how it will always be. The words slip through my mind like poison as I walk away from Doctor Patil's kind, concerned gaze. I'll always live in fear. I'll always be a prisoner. And no one can help me.
Fear follows me through the maze of hallways as I walk through the medical center in Uncle Clint's shadow. He grips the keys to his Silverado as if they're a weapon and anyone who stands in his way might get a key to the eye. There's mud on his boots, and he leaves a trail of dried flakes on the clean hospital floor.
Electric doors slide open with a whoosh before we step out into the dry, cool evening air. Night fell sometime while Doctor Patil was trying to save my life, and I close my eyes, breathing in the scent of pine and distant snow. The hospital Clint took me to is a good twenty miles away from our small town, but no matter where I go, I can always smell the mountains. The mountains steady me. They stand over my little piece of Montana like sentinels in the distance, proof that the wind can scream and storms can rage, but they will never bend.
The alarm chirps on Uncle Clint's maroon Chevy Silverado. He's already in the cab behind the wheel by the time I manage to haul myself into the passenger seat. My limbs are ready to give in, my body ready to crumple into a ball and sleep. Climbing into his ridiculously jacked up truck hurts almost as much as the fall did.
He jams his key in the ignition and turns on the car. Classic country blares from the speakers, and Uncle Clint turns the music down enough for me to hear him say, "You did good, girl."
My stomach turns. I don't respond, turning away from him and tucking myself against the passenger side door to put as much distance between us as possible.
I stay that way as he turns the music back up and begins to drive. It's back roads all the way home, twenty miles but thirty minutes accounting for stop signs and wildlife. Neither of us speak, but I can't get Doctor Patil's knowing gray eyes out of my head. I keep going over the entire visit with a fine-toothed comb, wondering if I could have done something differently this time.
If I'd been braver or smarter, maybe I could have ended this nightmare. Instead, I'm barreling back toward my prison without an end in sight.
Hot tears prick my eyes.
Dammit. I hate feeling so fucking helpless.
I'm watching the trees pass like ghosts in the darkness along the side of the road when my uncle suddenly slams on the brakes. The truck's tires lock up as it skids to a stop, the lighter bed fishtailing sideways so that we come to a rest across both lanes of the empty road.
A deer is standing outside the arc of the headlights. The angle we've come to rest at puts him just beyond my door. He's massive, all muscle and antlers, more regal than anything I've ever seen. His eyes glint in the moonlight as he stares at the truck, still as a statue.
Then he turns and bolts off into the night.
"Son of a fucking bitch!" Uncle Clint roars, slamming a hand to the steering wheel. "These goddamn deer! Almost ruined my fucking truck."
His blow and raised voice send terror shooting through me, and I press closer to the door, making as much space between us as I can.
My uncle grumbles something else about his precious Silverado, but I don't hear him. Adrenaline rushes through my veins as I watch the deer disappear into the trees, and a strange feeling washes over me.
Mr. Maddock? Could you give me and Sable a moment alone?
He tried to help me.
Doctor Patil tried to help, and I didn't even take the chance that he might be able to.
When will my next chance be? How many more chances will I get before my uncle kills me?
I'm eighteen. What will my life look like when I'm twenty? Twenty-five?
Uncle Clint will never let me go. He hates me too much, and he's too fucking sadistic to ever let me leave his house in one piece.
But I'm not in his house right now.
In this moment, the only thing standing between me and freedom is this car door.
A wave of absolute clarity washes over me, making all the blood in my body turn to ice. It's now or never.
So I throw myself out the door and take my chance, sprinting off after the deer.
What happens when a hook-up gets complicated by a baby? Can she hide the secret from him? Or will he show her how possessive he can be when he learns she's carrying his child? "Seven years ago, I had a one-night stand with my brother's best friend, who also happened to be my lifelong crush. The next day, he vanished leaving me pregnant. Now, I am a single mom raising our son in the same small town. Recently, he returned to attend my brother's wedding and the truth about our son was finally revealed. As he reclaims his place in our lives, the sparks between us reignite. However, danger from his past threatens to shatter our newfound connection. I am torn between my love for him and my fear of getting hurt again, especially now that I have two hearts to protect - our son's and my own."
Introducing the "Billionaire One Night Stand Romance" series of standalone novels. This enthralling collection will take you on a journey of passion, power, and forbidden love. Brace yourself for a captivating experience that will leave you breathless across all of the spellbinding books. 1. Elizabeth is faced with a difficult decision. Desperate to start a family, she turns to her ex-lover, a billionaire who once broke her heart, for help. Despite her reservations, she agrees to one night of passion, hoping to conceive a child and move on with her life. But as the night unfolds, old feelings resurface, and she finds herself torn between her desire for a baby and the risk of getting involved with her ex again. Will she be able to keep things strictly business, or will love complicate everything? 2. I'm twenty-five, and I decide enough is enough. Family responsibilities have made dating impossible. Now I’m single and inexperienced. Like, completely. My virginity is a millstone around my neck. And I want to get rid of it. All I need is one night, with one stranger, so I don’t look like an idiot when I start dating for real. My sister convinces this country bumpkin to sign up for Tinder, and to head to the city. My first two matches are complete failures, and I’m about to give up. Then I see Kip’s profile. I swipe right, and so does he. We chat for ages, and agree to meet that evening for dinner. He’s gorgeous. Kind. Sexy. Wicked. Perfect. So I tell him I want him to teach me as much as he can before the sun comes up. I ask for one night. But it’s only the start of Alice’s adventures in Wonderland… 3. When the hottest one-night stand of my life turns out to be my new billionaire boss, I don’t think I can ever live it down. And to make matters worse, he’s pretending not to know who I am—and seems hell bent on making my life a living hell.
Oh, God Not again, but again. All that flashed through my head in the space when Gavril let me back down, and bang! Bang! He cursed, pulling up my panties, then fastening his own pants. He had a gun out, and where did he get that gun? But he had it pointed down, and he took my hand, pulling me to the back of the shed. _____ Naomi finds herself trapped in a nightmare she never asked for. Forced into a marriage with the monster of her nightmares, she struggles to reclaim her identity and freedom. With every moment, her spirit is crushed as her name is erased, and her life is shattered. Garvril Kirilenko, a relentless and dangerous billionaire Boss , refuses to accept no for an answer. From the very beginning, his rough hands tore apart her dreams, leaving her with a choice: submit to a life of torment as his wife or face a fate worse than death. Their marriage, built on lies, becomes a twisted web of secrets and manipulation. The truth, if revealed, could cost her everything. But remaining silent means enduring the unimaginable. In the depths of his depravity, he breaks her, claiming her body as his own. Night after night, she surrenders to his dark desires, her suffering becoming his pleasure. Yet, amidst the pain, a glimmer of hope emerges when she discovers she carries his child. Now, with the life of their baby hanging in the balance, she must navigate a treacherous path to survival. Will she find the strength to protect herself and her child from the clutches of this monstrous Billionaire Boss? Or will she forever be trapped in a loveless, torturous existence?
In a desperate bid to save her mother's life, Elena Rousseau finds herself at a crossroads she never imagined. Stepping into the dimly lit embrace of a gentlemen's club, she prepares to make a sacrifice she never thought she would have to make. But fate has a twisted sense of humor, as she comes face to face with a man she never expected to encounter in such a place - Alexander Kennedy. What starts as a chance encounter quickly spirals into a proposition that turns Elena's world upside down. Instead of selling her body, Alexander offers her a marriage of convenience. A deal that promises to save her mother's life, but at a cost she never anticipated. For hidden beneath his charming facade lies a web of revenge, and Elena becomes a pawn in his dangerous game. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Elena is left with an impossible choice. Does she embrace the devil she knows, Alexander, and risk losing herself in his twisted plans? Or does she take a leap of faith into the unknown, hoping to find a way out of the darkness that surrounds her?
Raven has been in love with Ares Windsor ever since she met him. He is a man of great wealth, power, and influence, and his enigmatic charm has always captivated her. Unfortunately, Ares has only ever had eyes for Raven's younger sister, his fiancée. Raven has always felt like she lived in her sister's shadow, but when her sister doesn't show up on the wedding day, Raven is forced to take her place and marry Ares. Despite her deep love for Ares, marriage to him is nothing short of torture for Raven. She can feel his disdain and resentment towards her, and the fact that he only sees her as a substitute for her sister only makes it worse. But Raven is determined to win him over and make him fall in love with her. To her, this is a war, and she's prepared to do whatever it takes to win. She's determined to use every weapon in her arsenal, from her intelligence and wit to her beauty and sensuality, to make Ares see her as the woman he truly desires.
A one-night stand with a sexy stranger seems like a great idea, until he turns out to be my new billionaire boss… On her last night in Auckland, Heidi meets an attractive man in a bar who invites her to go back to his hotel room. Despite her reservations, she agrees to a one-night stand given that she's leaving the city the following day. The night turns out to be the most intense and passionate experience of her life, and she leaves the next morning feeling disappointed but excited to start anew. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned. She can't find a permanent secretarial position in Wellington, so she has to take up temp work. The only room available for rent is damp and tiny, and to make matters worse, she ends up with an unexpected complication from her fling. Feeling like she's hit rock bottom, she starts a new temp job, only to discover that her mystery man from Auckland is her new boss. Oddly enough, he doesn't seem to recognize her and acts as if they've never met. It isn't until later that he reveals he's actually the CEO.
The dream of everyone with regards to marriage is to be able to find that special someone and settle down with them. Even arranged marriages grant you an opportunity to meet your partner briefly before the wedding. How will you feel about waking up in the morning with someone sleeping next to you who is not just anyone but your legally married partner yet with no memory of how that had happened in just a few hours of going out the previous day? This is the story of Jason Haward and Julia Harrison, two strangers trapped in a marriage they never planned. The quest to find out why led to the unfolding of a mystery which made them realize they are both living a lie. To find out more, read this amazing story of love, betrayal, revenge and murder.
Sandra Hill, the long-lost real heiress of the Hill family, was shunned by her own kin. Instead of embracing her, they bestowed their affection upon an impostor. They even arranged her to marry a vegetative man in place of her so-called “sister”. Sandra sneered, refusing to put up with this humiliation, cut off ties with the Hill family immediately and ran into the flash marriage with Wesley Cooper, her unconscious billionaire husband. With her incredible medical skills, she defied the odds and revived him. Little did she expect that her husband spoiled her with all his love... A medical genius, a computer prodigy, a national treasure in painting, and a racing legend... Her husband revealed her various identities, leaving the Hill family regretful. Her father came pleading, "It's Dad's fault. Please come back." Her mother wept, "Mom will protect you from now on. Please come back." Even her five brothers knelt before he, begging for forgiveness. Yet, Sandra's smile held a hint of mockery as she vowed, “Never!”
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.”
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
Sophia Drake braced herself for the worst when she was forced to move across the country in the middle of her junior year. Desperate to escape her shattered home as soon as she turns eighteen, her plans are disrupted by the enigmatic and captivating Ashford twins. Sophia can't fathom the intense attraction she feels for the twins and tries to avoid them at every turn. As she's thrust into an unfamiliar world, her past demons resurface, making her question her true identity. Will Sophia flee from her past's secrets, or will she embrace her destiny and take control of her future?