Forbidden Desires: Embraced By My Stepbrother

Warning: 18+ content for mature audiences. Book Excerpt: Donovan's POV Her enchanting green eyes that were alive with passion the day I told her she could go shopping are pale with only despair dancing in them. "Oh, I'm quite aware of my duties as your wife, Mr. Castellano." My eyes darken at the formal use of my name. I've told her to stop doing that. It feels wrong. Like she doesn't belong to me. I clench my jaw as I wait for her to finish her sentence but her cold smile widens. "Ah, you don't like when I call you Mr. Castellano, right? Too bad. You can't force my mouth to say what you want to hear." Blood rushes to my groin as her words settle in the tensed air between us. Does she realize the gravity of what she'd just said? Does she know she'd moaned my name while I had her wet cunt in her mouth? Does she know how needy she'd been when she wanted me to take her even though she wasn't awake? And is she aware that I know how bad she wants me in her dreams while she pretends in real life to hate me? She glares up at me while I seethe, looking down at her. "It's Donovan," I say darkly, resisting the pull of her lips and maintaining my vision at her eyes. "Mr. Castellano," she retorts. My face draws closer, getting ready to give her a punishing kiss but a harsh sound fills the room and then I realize, belatedly, that I'd just been slapped as my face swings to the side, turning away from Eliana. Eliana slapped me. Luis Santario's daughter just slapped me. Just like her father had done many nights ago. Shame fills me but it's quickly trampled upon by hot, violent anger. How dare she? How dare the whore?! Her cheek instantly goes red with the imprints of my fingers. Blood trickles from her nose and her hair that was up in a messy bun scatters all around her face. Eliana's head remains bowed as the blood from her nose drips onto her white bedcovers. ***** Eliana's POV I know I'm signing my death warrant by provoking him like this but what else can I do when he's already planned to kill me? I could just as well make it easier for him to by getting on his nerves. If I don't push him away, I'm scared I'll start to blur the lines between my dreams and reality. The Donovan in my dreams is drastically different from the one in real life. If my plans to escape from this marriage don't work, I may end up dead or worst, in love with Donovan Castellano. And I'd rather die now than to fall in love with him and die later. *** Many years ago, Donovan Castellano went through something that irrevocably changed him for the worst, and Eliana's father was to blame. Years later, Eliana's father dies. Eliana doesn't know her father's dark past or why Donovan Castellano bought her and then married her. But she knows he's out for blood and wants to kill her, but how long will she continue to defend herself when the way he touches her and kisses her in her dreams is starting to blur the lines between reality and fiction? Will Donovan succeed in finally getting revenge on Eliana for what her father did to him and will Eliana succeed in resisting her possessive mafia husband's advances even when he says he wants her dead? Read on to find out.

His voice dropped a tempo as he spoke again. It was deep and almost seductive. "I don't think I've properly apologized for this mess I've put you in. But I've given it much thought, and I've concluded it's not working out. For me, it's not. So, I want to say that I'm sorry for everything. You did not deserve it. I shouldn't have given you any ideas if I didn't maintain my stand. We..." "It's fine. Apology accepted. I'm not mad. You told me before that you didn't date, right? You have casual flings like Julia and Janice. I get it...you don't have to apologize," Elsie said in a small voice, cutting Luca off. "And if you're apologizing because you want us to be cordial and friendly with each other, then I can try," she added, uncertainty tinged in her tone. Luca swallowed hard. He did not want anything cordial or friendly with Elsie. He wanted to consume her, ruin her, and show her what it felt like to be with someone like him. None of that was cordial or friendly. "Can't do that, Elsie," he said in a husky voice. "Uh, okay. That settles it, then. I'm just your employee, and you're my boss." "Fuck that," Luca growled before crashing his lips to hers and swallowing the remaining words he didn't want to hear. Elsie couldn't think, but her body could act. Luca struggled to get her to kiss him back. Her hand lifted on its own and landed on his cheek. Then she seized the opportunity to push him away as shock took control of his features. Hurriedly, she wiped her wet lips with the same hand that had begun to sting and hurt. Tears welled in her eyes as she stared directly into Luca's confused eyes. "Why are you doing this to me?" Her voice cracked. "Why won't you let me be? Why can't I just work for you? What did I ever do to you, Mr. Vanthross?" Elsie asked as hot liquid streamed down her cheeks. Hearing her call him Mr. Vanthross sparked something in him. Luca's expression turned cool and indignant. He scrubbed his face with his hand, sighing exasperatedly. "Mr. Vanthross?" He scoffed. "Can you stop calling me that?" He asked with a hint of threat. "What?" Elsie was stunned. Wondering where the conversation was going. He'd kissed her forcefully. Now, he's acting offended because she'd called him by his name. "It's been weeks, Elsie. Months since you called me Luca!" Luca suddenly exclaimed. "God. It's maddening," he said, taking a step towards her. Then, tentatively, his hand reached out for her. When Elsie didn't move, as she was still stunned and trying to understand the turn of events, Luca's hand caressed her cheek. "This lack of emotion. The way you spit out 'Vanthross' like it's poison. These past few weeks have been hell for me. I can't deny it anymore that what I feel for you is stronger than I'm used to. I don't think I've ever felt this way about a woman before," he continued, talking in a rush before Elsie shut him out again. This was the only opportunity he could use to explain how he felt. "I don't know how to prove it to you, but I'm not with Janice. I can't explain how complicated our situation is right now but know that I am not with her. There's nothing going on between me and her. Or even Julia. I haven't even spoken to Julia since the last time she was here when I told her it was over between us. I want to..." "Enough." Elsie cut him off. She didn't want to believe his words, even though they made her heart flutter with hope and something dangerously close to affection for Luca. "Whether you're with her or Julia is none of my business. I think it's best we maintain the current status of our relationship. Nothing good has ever come from an employer-employee relationship anyway. I appreciate your thoughts and feelings for me, but it's long overdue for us to...explore it," she finished. All of what she said was a lie, but Luca didn't have to know that. There was nothing more she wanted than to explore whatever feelings they shared together. But she was scared. Her mother's story was always at the back of her mind. She was terrified that she'd end up longing after a man that her heart would never forget for years to come.

"I stood at the edge of my heart and watched him choose her. In the end, I was not the one he needed. I was simply the one he settled for." - Noelle ~~~~~~~ I thought I was the one he loved. But a few days before our wedding, I saw him in a way I never had before. His eyes softened as he spoke to her. His first love, and the very woman who had left him in pieces. Heartbreak was something I knew too well. And as I watched the love he still held for her in his eyes, I realized what I had to do. I couldn't marry a man who wasn't truly mine. With no means to cancel the wedding and lacking the courage to confront him, I made a desperate choice to leave. I painfully gave his first love my treasured engagement ring thinking it was for the best and the only way to free myself. But when he saw that ring on her finger, the fragile world I had tried to escape began to shatter. His obsession to find me and bring me back ignited a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

In her previous life, Kimberly endured the betrayal of her husband, the cruel machinations of an evil woman, and the endless tyranny of her in-laws. It culminated in the bankruptcy of her family, and ultimately, her death. After being reborn, she resolved to seek retribution against those who had wronged her, and ensure her family's prosperity. To her shock, the most unattainable man from her past suddenly set his sights on her. "You may have overlooked me before, but I shall capture your heart this time around."

Blinded in a crash, Cary was rejected by every socialite—except Evelina, who married him without hesitation. Three years later, he regained his sight and ended their marriage. "We’ve already lost so many years. I won’t let her waste another one on me." Evelina signed the divorce papers without a word. Everyone mocked her fall—until they discovered that the miracle doctor, jewelry mogul, stock genius, top hacker, and the President's true daughter… were all her. When Cary came crawling back, a ruthless tycoon had him kicked out. "She's my wife now. Get lost."

Kaelyn devoted three years tending to her husband after a terrible accident. But once he was fully recovered, he cast her aside and brought his first love back from abroad. Devastated, Kaelyn decided on a divorce as people mocked her for being discarded. She went on to reinvent herself, becoming a highly sought-after doctor, a champion racer, and an internationally renowned architectural designer. Even then, the traitors sneered in disdain, believing Kaelyn would never find someone. But then the ex-husband’s uncle, a powerful warlord, returned with his army to ask for Kaelyn’s hand in marriage.

On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.

6 years ago, Lydia suffered a brutal betrayal orchestrated by her own husband and step-sister, who drugged her and framed her. In a twist of fate, she ended up having a one-night stand with a stranger. Don't even remember what he looked like. Later, in the throes of death, she discovered the truth about her mother's death all those years ago. In the blink of an eye, she lost everything. 6 years later, Lydia returned with her genius son, vowing to exact revenge on all her enemies! Little did she know, she encountered an incredibly familiar man at the airport! *** The man was briskly pushing open the door to the restroom, heading to the urinal. Even with such a mundane action, he did it with unparalleled elegance and grace. Lydia, following him in a daze, saw his fierce lower body and suddenly snapped back to reality. She let out a high-pitched scream, instinctively covering her eyes with her hands, her cheeks flushed, and stood there stiffly, unsure of what to do. Lambert furrowed his brows slightly but remained calm as he continued to relieve himself. The sound of water hitting the urinal made Lydia's face even redder. She angrily shouted, "You pervert!" Little did Lydia know that Lambert, seeing her in this state, had a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Memories from many years ago flashed through his mind, and his heart couldn't help but stir. It was her!