Clarity was better. "I'll be gone in the morning." I said quietly. It was sometime between two and three am. We both sat, lost in our own thoughts, my body shamelessly yearning for his comfort, when I'd just broken his heart. I kept sobbing quietly cause there was no stopping the tears that stemmed from a place of pain and guilt. Three times, three solid times, I stopped myself from lurching at his feet. I wanted to be held by him, but even though the distance between us, physically, was so small, we were more than miles apart emotionally. What terrified me more than the look on his face was what was going through his mind. Emma has caught the attention of the playboy in school, who happened to be the sexiest bully, and her Stepbrother.... They battle webs of secrets and lies, from friends and family, and finally, their own ego and desires. Chase wants to be Emma's last 'Goodnight' and her first 'Good morning', so does Kevin. Can he battle the insane attraction she has for Kevin, whom she had unfinished business with? Will Chase throw in the towel and let the rich tech guy swoon his girl? Will Emma ever forgive Chase's betrayal and indifference? Are their issues even solvable? Find out in the fast paced Falling For My Stepbrother 1
Emma's POV
"Are you sure about that?" I asked my mom as soon as she flashed her diamond ring in my face.
She's been head over heels in love with her new man, and while they get on my nerves sometimes, especially on the days I caught them making out in the living room, one thing I can't deny is the fact that they are good together.
"Yes honey." She replied beaming. "What's wrong?" Mom looked concerned, she probably sensed that I wasn't so cool with it, but I didn't want to be the party pooper.
"Oh no. Don't get me wrong. I just wanted to make sure that you are certain about it." I replied to her. "Besides, is it an old people's thing to not propose in public. Why did he slip the ring under the duvet?" I teased her.
"Please!" She said, laughing. Before Mark, my soon to be step dad, it's been a really long while since I saw my mom so happy. She was a workaholic. A lifestyle I think she picked up after my dad.
It was a great save from alcohol, but I still didn't have her to myself, it was all work, then Mark came along.
"So what's next?" Do I get to be on your train?" I asked.
She seemed so eager to laugh at every single thing. That probably is what happiness feels like.
I hope I get to experience it someday.
"You know that's a given." She replied.
I wasn't expecting that. I know it was a little delusional of me to think it was all a joke, but some part of me really wished it was.
I needed my mom!
Her marriage to Mark was going to mean a lot.
Mark is a great guy, but I'd rather we stayed like this. I don't ever want anyone else to hurt my mom the way dad did. He broke her so bad, she could not help it.
Our life wasn't so great afterwards, but it was at least drama free.
Mark, who owns a chain of stores, one of which my mom operated, started visiting more often, and not just for business sake.
In the beginning, it was nice that she came back from work less grumpy. Or that she started staying out a little later, giving me a itsy-bitsy little bit of freedom.
Then she brought back leftovers, which were far more classy than the veggies we always had for dinner.
I was excited and wished that whatever was driving change in this direction never stopped.
Then she started coming home with my own pack. I knew she couldn't afford that from her salary, and that was where the suspicion started setting in.
I mean, it was great that I could finally relate to all the great foods the girls at school always talked about, but I had my mom less.
Mom was home less frequently, fortunately or unfortunately, it was also around that time that a new neighbor moved in with her kids, both about my age.
Kayla made the first move. "Hi, I'm Kayla, he's Kevin." She broke into my thoughts on one of those days when I stood in the hallway, hoping no one saw me while I gawked at how toned 'he' was. It had always been 'he', now I knew his name, I could call him by his name in my dreams. Shamelessly, I was enjoying the fact that he was stealing my dreams and that I said everything I ever wanted to say to him in real life there.
"Oh. Uhm. Hi, Kay, Kayla." I stuttered dumbly after she snuck up on me. Her voice clearly betrayed that she found it amusing. She was seconds away from ripping at the seams.
"I'll tell him you fancy him. Some yeast to his ego that is already far off the roof." She gave an eye roll and stalled off. She was a very attractive girl. For a second, she made me wish I was into women. I'd have all that beauty to myself, till my eyes caught Kevin again. I instantly unwished it.
He was a Greek God in the form of a high school kid.
"Oh, and he takes your classes too." Kayla turned back and said when she was already within his earshot. Kevin turned back immediately and looked at who Kayla was referring to.
Determined to not let him see me, I turned back and ran back into the house.
I'm not proud of the last bit of memory I have from that morning, but the story is really incomplete without it.
Mom always had the decency to not be in the same space I was when she and Mark were on their never ending calls they made when Mark was out of town.
This time around, I ran inside determined not to let Kevin see who his stalker was.
Mom was clothless, stark naked. I wished that was all. She was on a video call with Mark, and trust me when I say she had more clothes on than he did.
I immediately ran back out, screaming.
This time around, Kevin and Kayla ran towards me. With each step he took, I saw his thighs contract and relax, his hair toddling in the breeze, and his eyes looking for who just made the eerie sound in the ever quiet hallway. They had gotten really close before I remembered that I had to have something to tell them. Stupid me!
I can't say anything about mom, never, that was between her and I...
"Are you alright?" He asked. The moment he opened his mouth, I wished he took mine in his. My hormones were rioting and running wild. Kayla, who understood, stood behind him, laughing at the exchange.
I was too embarrassed, already reddening in the cheeks.
Kevin put his hands on my shoulder and held my face in one hand. "I asked if you are alright. You screamed really loud." He repeated.
"Sorry." It's the only thing I could utter. My mind was blank.
Emily never imagined herself caught between not one, but three irresistible alphas. After Damon, her first love, broke her heart to protect his power, she swore off the dangerous, possessive world of werewolves. But when she's forced back into his life, Emily finds herself tangled not just with him-but with two other powerful men who have their own dark reasons for wanting her by their side. Damon, the ruthless billionaire who rejected her but now won't let her go, is determined to make her his. Then there's Adrian, the brooding, enigmatic alpha who sees through her defenses and ignites a fire she can't deny. And finally, there's Lucas, the charming rogue with a deadly smile, who promises her freedom if only she'll join his pack instead. Each man claims a piece of her heart, each drawing her into their own seductive, dangerous world. But Emily has a rule: no one owns her-not even the alphas who'd burn down their kingdoms to keep her. As rivalries, dark secrets, and brutal betrayals threaten to tear their world apart, Emily must decide: will she give herself to one, or will she defy every rule in the pack and choose them all? In a world of alphas, she's about to prove that one woman's heart is wild enough to conquer them all.
My legs grew extremely weak and I slumped to the floor. "Help." I yelled out to no one exactly. The one person I could trust in this crowd was the one killing me slowly. My consciousness sliped away from me gradually. The last thing I saw right before shutting my eyes close was Vance holding Nadia close, while I slowly wasted away. Talia's happily ever after ended abruptly as she couldn't satisfy Vance and he took a liking to her best friend, who is also her brothers mate. She is caught in a Web of conspiracy and pays the highest price, her life. But that is not all for her... Talia's rebirth in another body is the beginning of her second chance at life, love and Revenge. She has to go through fire and ice and has to do that as soon as possible, always being between a rock and a hard place. Would Talia be able to figure out her way with almost no memory of her past life and in very close contact with her enemies? Would she ever find love and learn to trust anyone? Find out in Her Moonlit Revenge.
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?"
COALESCENCE OF THE FIVE SERIES BOOK ONE: THE 5-TIME REJECTED GAMMA & THE LYCAN KING BOOK TWO: THE ROGUES WHO WENT ROGUE BOOK THREE: THE INDOMITABLE HUNTRESS & THE HARDENED DUKE *** BOOK ONE: After being rejected by 5 mates, Gamma Lucianne pleaded with the Moon Goddess to spare her from any further mate-bonds. To her dismay, she is being bonded for the sixth time. Whatâs worse is that her sixth-chance mate is the most powerful creature ruling over all werewolves and Lycans - the Lycan King himself. She is certain, dead certain, that a rejection would come sooner or later, though she hopes for it to be sooner. King Alexandar was ecstatic to meet his bonded mate, and couldnât thank their Goddess enough for gifting him someone so perfect. However, he soon realizes that this gift is reluctant to accept him, and more than willing to sever their bond. He tries to connect with her but she seems so far away. He is desperate to get intimate with her but she seems reluctant to open up to him. He tries to tell her that he is willing to commit to her for the rest of his life but she doesnât seem to believe him. He is pleading for a chance: a chance to get to know her; a chance to show her that heâs different; and a chance to love her. But when not-so-subtle crushes, jealous suitors, self-entitled Queen-wannabes, an old flame, a silent protector and a past wedding engagement threaten to jeopardize their relationship, will Lucianne and Xandar still choose to be together? Is their love strong enough to overcome everything and everyone? Or will Lucianne resort to enduring a sixth rejection from the one person she thought she could entrust her heart with?
After my family's sinister plots collapsed, they lashed out at me, taking their rage to a violent level. Cornered and desperate, I married Jaxtonâthe town's most sought-after bachelorâdue to an unplanned pregnancy. Love had no part in this marriage; I assumed he married me purely out of responsibility, his heart belonging elsewhere. The moment I chose to let him go and turned to leave, he grabbed me and pinned me down hard. "Jaxton, you promised you'd never touch me!" I snapped, glaring fiercely. His eyes flashed arrogantly as he leaned closer. "You're the one who started this!"
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the townâs richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. âWay to go, honey!â
"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?"
"You're a creepy bastard." His eyes smolder me and his answering grin is nothing short of beautiful. Deadly. "Yet you hunger for me. Tell me, this appetite of yours, does it always tend toward 'creepy bastards'?" **** Widower and ex-boss to the Mafia, Zefiro Della Rocca, has an unhealthy fixation on the woman nextdoor. It began as a coincidence, growing into mere curiosity, and soon, it was an itch he couldn't ignore, like a quick fix of crack for an addict. He didn't know her name, but he knew every inch of her skin, how it flushed when she climaxed, her favourite novel and that every night she contemplated suicide. He didn't want to care, despising his rapt fascination of the woman. She was in love with her abusive husband. She was married, bound by a contract to the Bratva's hitman. She was off-limits. But when Zefiro wanted something, it was with an intensity that bordered on madness. He obsessed, possessed, owned. There'd be bloodshed if he touched her, but the sight of blood always did fascinate him. * When Susanna flees from her husband, she stumbles right into the arms of her devilishly handsome neighbour with a brooding glare. He couldn't stand her, but she needed him, if she was ever going to escape her husband who now wanted her dead. Better the devil you know than the angel you don't. She should have recalled that before hopping into Zefiro's car and letting him whisk her away to Italy. Maybe then, she wouldn't have started an affair with him. He was the only man who touched her right, and the crazy man took no small pains in ensuring he would be the last.