When a bubbly track star meets a grumpy Dutch baller... A college sports romance between two polar opposites.

The candlelight was dancing around his skin now, too, as he stood there, still shirtless, exposing all of those muscles that she'd licked down and kissed up so much since the middle of May. Those were the same muscles she'd had countless wet dreams and day dreams about when she'd been locked up. Amusement had Carmen giggling as she thought to herself, And look at us now. Well, whaddya think?" Carmen asked, arms spread as she turned in a slow circle for him. Chance let out a low whistle that had her skin burning, and god, his voice was so gravely and even deeper than usual. A shiver slid down her spine as he said, "Bend over." As she planted her feet on the carpet, legs closed, she did as he requested. As her fingers brushed the carpet, she looked down at them, took in how they were shaking with excitement before she turned her head over her right shoulder so she could see his expression. She was glad she did. With the way that her boyfriend's face was twisted up, if she didn't know him, she'd have thought that he was grimacing in pain, not raw need. "I think I'm the luckiest fucking man on the face of the earth," He all but growled, eating up the distance between them in a few long and hurried strides. ~*~ You could say that Carmen and Chance are... pen pals. His momma calls her Birdie. After Wesley, a mutual friend between the pair, recommends that Carmen reach out to a skeptical Chance, a friendship blooms into much more. COPYRIGHT 2016-2026 to _macc_ I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION TO REDISTRIBUTE MY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY TO ANYONE OR ON ANY SITE

Joelle Jordan is just trying to survive university and her life at home. Bryce Valentine is trying to survive everyone else. Projected first-round NFL draft pick. Campus celebrity. The most watched college athlete in the country. When the two strike a deal to trade study sessions for Bryce and personal training sessions for Joelle's little brother, everything seems simple enough. Then Bryce crosses the line. Now Joelle is trying to navigate a boy who is emotionally repressed, touch-starved, obsessively devoted, and surrounded by more pressure than any twenty-year-old should have to carry. Add the coaches, media attention, NIL deals, scouts, photo shoots, and Bryce's oppressive father. The pressure that comes with being attached to Bryce Valentine is something Joelle is not equipped for. Especially when she starts getting a little too comfortable with the fact that Bryce can't seem to leave her alone.

Tasha Clarke is twenty-seven and stuck. What was meant to be a temporary job at a golf club has stretched into years of serving drinks, forcing smiles, and enduring the leers of men twice her age. With her best friend Nyla's wedding on the horizon, Tasha can't help but feel left behind. Nyla has love, stability, and a future. Tasha has routine and a gnawing hunger for something more-something dangerous enough to make her feel alive again. Across the ocean, 30 year-old, Ignacio Montoya prepares to step into Seattle for the first time in years. His empire stretches across continents, claiming cities like New York, Chicago, Miami, and Los Angeles in blood and power. But Seattle remains unscarred-a weakness he intends to remedy. On the surface, Ignacio comes as a best man, to toast the wedding of his oldest friend. Beneath the tailored suit, however, lies a predator's intent. He sees Seattle not as a city of celebration, but as prey. Ignacio Montoya is a storm-silent until he breaks, relentless once he does. While Tasha aches for change and Ignacio charts his conquest, fate coils their paths together. What begins as a wedding celebration will unravel into something far more dangerous: a collision of hunger and power, yearning and control. When the storm finally reaches her, Tasha Clarke's life-and Seattle itself-will never be the same.

In the gilded and volatile world of nineteenth century Tuscany, where noble titles carry more weight than conscience and desire moves beneath the surface of every formal gathering like current beneath still water, Corinna arrives at the Laurent Estate with dark eyes, a past carved by grief, and a beauty so complete it rearranges every room she enters. She is a Black woman who has traveled far from the shores that raised her, drawn to Tuscany following her grandmother's death and the need to begin somewhere that does not already know her name. The Laurent Estate is one of Italy's most storied noble houses, its ancient stone soaked in wine and older scandal, presided over by Count Alexandre Laurent, a man of devastating composure and barely contained feeling who is formally betrothed to the cool and calculating Sophie Beaumont. What builds between Corinna and Alexandre across harvest seasons, candlelit cellars, masked balls, and crackling family ruin is a slow and punishing accumulation of desire that neither can outrun. ©️ _RelleLebby_// R. L.

Malika Danai is pressure. Friendly, social, and loved by all, Malika thrives in college and is often seen as a mirage - seemingly real and attainable but disappears when approached. She's a party girl to the core. Loves to drink, flirt, and explore with her best friends, Ayana and Isabella. Her beauty is undeniable. With curly black hair cascading over her shoulders and golden-brown skin that glows no matter where she's at, Malika's presence is impossible to ignore. Her dark brown eyes often sparks with mischief, and her full two-toned lips often curves into teasing grins that hints at secrets she rarely shares. Malika excels at a lot of things but she was never the study type. She prayed the night before exams and hoped that her grades would at least give her a passing score and somehow, that always worked. Until now... Her grades are barely holding on- good enough to pass, but not good enough for a sorority like the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA). She wants to join. No she needs to. It's the only way she can prove to her mother that she's worth it. And she'll do whatever it takes. Even if it means casting her pride aside to get help from the boy who loathes her existence. Meanwhile... Theo Sinclair is a weapon. An academic weapon that nobody can beat. Coming from an old money family where the expectations and bars are set high, Theo surpasses them all and is often pushed towards greatness by his family. Yet he has a big flaw: boredom. Because of his uncaring attitude towards everything and everyone around him, Theo is often alone. Deliberately avoiding attention and validation from peers; he thrives in the silence and rhythm of his own scheduled routines. He has only one rule; 'Never let myself feel things I can't control.' To him, parties are ratchet and vile. An enigma vastly contrasting his reverence for solitude, silence, and carefully ordered thoughts. So when he's pushed into an unwanted arrangement, he resents the intrusion because slowly, his rule...

Deborah sought freedom through music; Markus sought to possess her because of it. A young violin prodigy was abandoned and trapped within the confines of a popular brothel named The Flower's Garden. With a burst of courage, she and two others planned their escape. Yet their defiance was met with death and blood. But Daniel Wellinger, a respected apothecary, found one of the girls alive and took her home. He nursed her back to health and gave her a new life, a new name - Deborah. Despite the racial prejudices in the country of Briersberg, Deborah grew like a flower under Daniel's protective care. Her new goal is to be a professional musician, but she must fight to achieve this in a world that is set against her. Her music tickled the ears of Duke Markus Beaufort, a sickly noble haunted by inner demons. Her songs soothed his mind and brought color to his otherwise dull existence. Yet, what began as fascination soon morphed into a dark obsession. During an outing, Deborah captures the attention of Jonah Watson, the son of a wealthy doctor. He shows her a tender love of which she had never experienced. But will she accept this love or would the abuse she suffered make her push him away? And will their budding connection survive in a society bound by class and prejudice? From the shadows, Markus watches, unwilling to let her go. Deborah had once saved his life, and now, in his mind, she belonged to him. He has one goal: "I must destroy her if I'm to have her." Torn between a man who'd do anything for her and a man who'd do anything to get her, Deborah must fight for the career, freedom, and love she truly deserves. But after surviving the darkness once before, can she face it again without losing herself?

Camilla Hartley, a disciplined, ambitious law student with no time for distractions, takes on an elite private tutoring job to pay her way through school. Her client? Julian Kingsley-the enigmatic, spoiled heir to a powerful empire, infamous for his charm, apathy, and trail of scandals. What begins as a transactional arrangement quickly spirals into a psychological chess match as Camilla's razor-sharp mind clashes with Julian's dangerous allure. But behind his smirk lies a restless intellect-and behind her composure, a history she refuses to confront. In a world ruled by money, manipulation, and masks, who's really teaching whom?

Queen Charlotte did not believe in coincidence. She believed in design. From her throne, she observed the ballroom as a general might survey a battlefield-every movement calculated, every whisper a weapon, every marriage a maneuver. The ton believed themselves clever, believed love and scandal ruled the Season. They were wrong. Power did. That was why she had summoned her niece from across the sea. Princess Amara Charlotte Obeng stood now at the far end of the hall, her presence subtle yet unmistakable, like the hush before a storm. She wore no diamonds yet-only gold worked delicately against her dark skin, an echo of her homeland. Her posture was flawless, her expression serene, but Queen Charlotte knew better. Amara was brilliant. Observant. Dangerous. And across the room stood a man who had no idea his life was about to be dismantled. Anthony Bridgerton, Viscount Bridgerton, pillar of English nobility, champion of duty, enemy of love. Perfect. The Queen's lips curved, ever so slightly. Let the game begin

She owns a quiet coffee shop filled with books and soft light. He belongs to a world built on blood, silence, and power. He was never meant to find peace. She was never meant to fall for a monster. But every devil needs somewhere to rest.....