"WHY CAN'T YOU GET IT INSIDE YOUR HEAD?" He trapped my trembling body between his arms and slammed his fist into the wall. I flinch at the sound as I feel tears forming in my eyes. "I'M SICK AND TIRED OF YOUR CRYING. JUST ACCEPT THE FACT THAT YOU'RE NEVER LEAVING. THIS IS YOUR LIFE NOW, WITH ME" He spits, anger consuming his voice as I push myself further against the wall. Shutting my eyes closed and turning my face to the side as I do. Moments later, I feel his rough hand on my waist and his finger grazing my cheek. "Look at me, love." His hand grips onto my jaw, his thumb playing across my lower lip. He turns my face to meet his as I lower my gaze to the floor. He lowers himself to my level and I feel his breath fanning my cheek causing my breathing to become unsteady. "I love you so much, darling. But you need to learn. You need to learn that you won't be going anywhere. You're mine." With that being said, his other hand slides down to my waist "Your entire body, your mind, your soul. All mine." All I could do was tremble at his touch. How can someone so beautiful be so heartless? ~~~~~~~~~~ All a 19 year old Aurora Shaw wanted to do was work to make a living and volunteer at the orphanage. Unfortunately for her, ruthless and cunning 26 year old Mafia leader and billionaire Tristan Black had other plans for her. He's been waiting for the perfect moment to kidnap her and finally make her his queen after 2 years of watching and stalking her every move. He'd kill anyone who gets in the way of getting what he wants. What will happen when he ruins everything she wanted and forces her to marry him? Will she escape and resist him? Or will she submit and accept her fate?

"What else do you want me to say, Mia?" "Did you mean it?" There is a pause and I just-I feel exhausted, the kind that 12 hours of sleep hasn't been able to fix. "Hannah said I don't deserve to be loved, is that how you feel too?" She might not have said it in as many words but that's exactly what she meant. He takes my hand in his and kisses it. "Between the both of us-it's I who doesn't deserve to be loved." "Too bad you already are." "Please stop saying it!" he may not have screamed the words at me but he might as well have. "You think I am lying?" He holds my face with both his hands and looks deep in my eyes. "Mia, I will say this for the last time. I don't do love. I don't want to be loved by anyone and I will never fall in love with anyone ever. If you love me, keep that love to yourself. Please." "Why?" "This is the deal, Mia. Take it or leave it. I will give you my loyalty and my time but I will not have you telling me you love me ever again. I don't believe in love and I can't give you love. Can you live with that?" "What if I can't?"

As a new school year starts, Dominic Romero's goal is the same, educating young minds and winning the Greenwood Cup for best teacher. From the start, this year feels different. It could be the new teacher or a secret he doesn't want to keep. Juliette Farris has finally left her father's home and is determined to succeed on her own. Being the new teacher won't stop her from winning the coveted prize. Greenwood Academy in idyllic New Hampshire prepares wealthy students for the best universities. As autumn turns the leaves, the students begin to unify around shipping their teachers. © 2026 Pseudoannie All rights reserved

Aria is the beautiful, smart, and beloved daughter-praised by everyone and trusted with their father's company. But her twin sister, Alina, lives constantly in her shadow-unseen, uncelebrated, and forced to work under Aria's command. When Aria causes a major financial loss to a powerful, mysterious company owned by an unknown billionaire, their father is forced to pay a large sum in compensation. But it's not enough. In return, the company demands an unusual form of settlement: the CEO responsible must marry their CEO until the debt is cleared. To protect Aria, their parents make a secret decision. Alina is forced to marry the unknown CEO in Aria's place. She's terrified-of the marriage, the man, and the new life ahead. No one knows what he looks like, and he's never appeared in the media. He's a complete enigma. Alina's first night in the mansion is unsettling-she's kissed from behind by a stranger while humming a song known only to her and a long-lost love. The kiss stirs something in her, something painfully familiar. And when she finally meets her husband, Darren Blackwood, she's stunned. He looks familiar-too familiar-but she can't place him. As days pass, memories from eight years ago start surfacing. Clues hidden in the house, songs, and gestures slowly unravel the truth: Darren is the man who once loved her and vanished from her life. The heartbreak returns-but so does the spark. Their love story reignites, beginning with slow trust and deep emotion. But Aria, full of jealousy and rage, isn't done. She wages a subtle war to tear them apart, using lies and manipulation to destroy Alina's newfound happiness. Yet, against the odds, and despite the pain of the past, Darren and Alina prove that love-true, hard-earned love-can conquer even the deepest wounds and fiercest enemies.

Jenny Miller would never forget the day Chrissy Chambers was abducted. Ten years later, the past is back to haunt her, and this time she might not be able to escape with her life.

Life in Pesmo Beach is consistently slow and uneventful. A never-ending cycle of hot humid days and cold lonely nights. Moving to the small coastal town is Scarlett Ryan's only option since quitting the prestigious internship she'd secured after her senior year. Leaving it all behind, Scarlett heads across the country to live with her older sister, arriving with no money or friends and with no idea what to do with her life. As the days and weeks pass by Scarlett's feelings of isolation deepen until a bicycle ride and a punctured tire leads to an introduction with the sweet and charming Noah - a boy with rosy cheeks and scruffy hair. Forming an unlikely bond, the two try to navigate the storms that stir within them and the town, learning that often in life it doesn't matter how far you travel, it's those who you meet along the way that count. Wattys2015 Winner! For fans of summer romances, To All The Boys I've Loved Before and teen romances. Cover design by @Shanteena

Fourteen Authors. One contemporary romance. Fifteen happy endings Edited by Belinda Holmes Long distance relationships don't work Nix Sutherland is at a crossroads. She loves running the family business, the famous Sydney Harbour-side Cafe Nix, and she also loves Linc, whose vet practice is in Melbourne After months of jumping on planes and swapping cities, both of them too stressed and tired to enjoy being together it’s all come to a head. In the middle of a typically busy day at the cafe that includes everything from broken hearts to breaking waters, cops to canoodling couples, Nix realises that loving the cafe means giving up Linc. Meet Nix and characters from the novels of favourite Escape authors in fresh original shorts, and experience a day in the life of Cafe Nix. Authors in order of appearance: Elizabeth Dunk Juanita Kees Sandra Antonelli Jane O’Reilly Nicole Flockton Cate Ellink Ros Baxter Jenny Schwartz Ainslie Paton Jennie Jones Lee Christine Lily Malone Rhian Cahill Amy Andrews

Taking your best friend's place on a blind date to let the guy down easy was the plan...taking him to bed wasn't.

I stand there wide eyed and frozen where I am being held in place. The sounds of fists connecting on skin, cracking under his bloody fists. How can he be so cruel and heartless? Why doesn't he just leave me alone? "STOP PLEASE JUST STOP!" I hear myself scream feeling warm tears fall down my cheek. I couldn't bear it anymore. At the sound of my scream, he stops midair snapping his head towards my frightened one with a sadistic smirk. He does that every time someone begs. "Sorry Princess, I don't think I heard you?" He heard me, that's how he plays with people's emotions. "Stop just let him go he didn't do anything wrong." He stares at me blankly. His eyes show anger. "HE DID DO SOMETHING WRONG! HE TOUCHED YOU! NO ONE TOUCHES WHAT'S MINE!" I flinch from his screams, something I always do when he yells. "I'm... we aren't." I shake my head. "Say it. I WANT.TO.HEAR.YOU.SAY.IT!" I know what he wants me to say, I just couldn't. He notices that I am not going to say the three words he wants to hear. Turning to face his punching bag, he lifts his arm again, hatred in his eyes. "STOP! I -- I'll say it, just please stop. He's had enough." I say defeated. Dropping his arm, he drops him on the ground like a sack of dirt and stalks towards me as the arms that restrain me let go. "Tell me Princess. Tell me what I want to hear." he cups my face with his bloody hands. Staring into his cold-hearted eyes I let out a shaky breath "I -- I'm...only...yours." His lips curl up into a smile pulling me into his lips. Kissing me possessively, I shut my eyes tightly. Pulling away he goes back to a serious face. "You.Are.OnlyMine! Remember that. You belong to me. You know I will kill any guy that even thinks to look, speak or touch you. Do you understand me? I nod my head yes glancing over at the limp body on the ground then back at him. Stepping back, he turns and kicks him on his side making him spit blood out. "Next time you're dead!" ... I'm only his...