One lesson I learned very early in life was to be cheerful, to be agreeable, to do as I was told and ask for nothing, and to never ever complain. Smile Maddie. Be happy Maddie. Don't make trouble and maybe they'll love you. I grew into an adult who took care of others and never expected that those I loved would take care of me in return. I gave and never asked, never expected, never demanded. Smile Maddie. Be happy Maddie. Don't make trouble and you'll find someone that will love you. And then one day, a Dragon walked into my workplace and turned my world upside down with a single wink. Having grown up watching his father treat his men like they were disposable, just meat bags to be fed into the grinder, Dragon was determined to be different when he became president of the Dragon's Inferno MC. He cares about his people. He takes care of them. He was upfront with me, taking care of his MC and those he considered to be his would always be his priority. And I agreed to that, I joined him in that mission, throwing myself into becoming the perfect old lady of the prez. Smile Maddie. Act happy Maddie. Take care of them and maybe they'll love you. Smile Maddie. Be happy Maddie. Don't complain and maybe he'll love you. I told myself I was independent. I was strong. And I didn't need my Dragon to take care of me. And I almost believed it. Almost. But now I'm watching him with her. I'm watching him comfort her. I'm watching him listen to her, support her, reassure her. I'm watching him take time from his day to check in with her. I'm watching him worry about her. I'm watching them become closer right in front of my eyes. I'm seeing every thoughtful gesture he does for her. And me? I'm not happy. I'm not smiling. I'm done being agreeable. Fuck not causing trouble. I'm about to set my Dragon's world on fire. And then I'm walking away. She can have him. For the first time in my life, I'm choosing myself.

Theodore Bancroft is intelligent, despite what some may think, but he has never had the respectability that an investor needs. He needs a wife to bolster his rakish image. A perfect wife. Adelaide Kingsley is perfect. Her one imperfection - getting caught in the Haversham gardens with Theodore Bancroft - is entirely by design. Not only does it get her out of her impending engagement to the odious Lord Greeling, but it also wins her the only thing she has never known: freedom. Her marriage to Theodore is more than convenient. It is a space for her to find herself for the first time in her life. Somewhere along the way, she starts to wonder if convenience has turned into love. Then, she finds her husband in a passionate embrace with another woman. NOTE: HEA between OG couple. Trigger Warnings: Dark themes surrounding sexuality, cheating, revenge cheating, questions of sexuality during an oppressive era, some domestic violence, and scenes of BDSM/control in a sexual context, depictions of disordered eating.

To most people, my husband is Viper. VP of the Devil's Rejects MC, hard, uncompromising, and completely committed to the club and his brothers. But the man I fell in love with was simply Roman, a man who called me Sunshine, and treated me like I was his treasure. By the time I realized the club would always come first, I was in too deep. And when his enemies came for me? He wasn't there to protect me because he was busy protecting her. And that I don't know how to forgive. Now I'm building a new life for myself without Roman. He promises he will give up everything to win me back, but promises are cheap and his aren't worth much. When we discover our enemies are still alive and planning to strike out again, however, I might not have any choice but to put my life in the hands of the man who's already let me down once.

I allowed myself to look past my intuition and distrust of a certain someone and their interactions with my fiancé ... I mean ex-fiancé. I chose trust in him over distrust of her at every crossroads his choices created, and now I'm lost. Maybe breaking it down again, piece by piece will help me look at the big picture logically. Maybe then I can feel less illogical pain and find my way back to myself again. A story about a relationship breaking down because of broken boundaries and a breakdown in communication.

ONC 2025 SHORTLIST. Book 3 in the Black Cat series. Born to drug-addicted parents, Linc Bridgestone was crippled in an accident when he was a child. After breaking up with his girlfriend, he overdoses and is brought back to life by his sister. Linc doesn't believe in luck. He doesn't believe in love. He doesn't believe in anything except broken relationships, pain, torture, and the demons that possess him. Darby Dermot has a beast list. They come in different shapes and forms. Sometimes, she questions her career choice. Little Help Home Services has its ups and downs. Most of her clients are evil fiends, monsters, and devils. Falling in love with a demon wasn't on her wish list, but here he was, crippled, curled in a ball, spitting hate and vengeance, smelling like a sewage pit and demanding she leave him the fuck alone. ONC 2025 Prompts - 2: To be in love with a demon was the last thing on your wish list. 32: - A non-believer of love wakes up one day to find themselves in a world where love is everything. What will they do in a land ruled by hearts? THE DEMONS AND BEASTS IN THIS STORY ARE THE ONES WE BATTLE EVERY DAY. Thanks for taking a look at my first-ever entry in ONC. Wish me luck. ♥♥♥