"Don't contact me if you're dying." When Keith Ingram utters those cruel words to his new wife, he doesn't know how much he'll come to regret them. For years, Ella Bryce has loved Keith from afar. When a contract marriage gives her one chance at happiness, she vows to make him see her-even though the scars of her past make her efforts fraught with pain. But just as her devotion begins breaking through his guarded heart, devastating lies shatter their fragile bond. Broken and discarded, Ella rebuilds her life from the ashes, determined to live on her own terms. She is no longer the unseen girl he left behind. Years later, Keith storms back into her life-colder, harder, and more ruthless than ever. He thinks he knows the truth about their past. He is wrong. Now, Keith must face the reality of what he destroyed. Fate has given him a second chance to see the woman he was blind to, but the road to redemption is paved with secrets. Will he make the same mistake twice... or can he win back the wife he so carelessly threw away? Trigger warning: Trigger warning: This story contains emotional abuse, gaslighting, and family abuse.

She's trying to find herself. He's forgotten how to take care of himself. She came to the city chasing opportunity. He never expected to open his home-or his heart. Hera Okorie wasn't running away-she was reaching for more. Tired of small-town limits and a life that never quite fit, she moves to the city with nothing but ambition, a half-packed suitcase, and the hope that something better is waiting. When a chance encounter lands her a job as a live-in nanny for one of the city's most elusive billionaires, it feels like fate-just not the kind she expected. Kai Roosevelt built an empire from the ground up, but behind the glass walls of his luxury penthouse is a man worn thin. A devoted single dad, he's spent years taking care of everyone but himself-his sons, his company, his reputation. Opening his home to a stranger wasn't the plan, but something about Hera's honesty and warmth chips away at the walls he's spent a lifetime building. As Hera navigates the challenges of city life and slowly rediscovers what she truly wants, she begins to see through Kai's carefully curated distance. And in the quiet moments between bedtime stories and boardroom calls, a fragile, unexpected connection begins to grow. But trust isn't easy-for either of them. And when past scars resurface and boundaries blur, Hera and Kai will have to decide if what they've found is just a temporary comfort... or the beginning of something real.

A Good Girl's Guide To Being Naughty • • • Ivy Collins is a normal 21 y/o woman. Except for the fact she's a virgin ... or at least she was until she had sex with her university rivals hockey captain. After a quick (devastatingly quick) night with the man and being called a lousy lay, Ivy made a promise to herself that she wouldn't do it again ... sex that is. Who needs sex when all it brought was insecurities and more, and it wasn't even that good to begin with. Enter Asher Hudson, Ice Hockey captain, her brothers best friend and her best friends brother - triple trifecta of why she shouldn't get involved with him. But when he overhears a conversation Ivy has with her best friend, he gives her an offer she can't refuse. Well, she can, and she should, but why would she want to? Three months, she helps him with his grades, and he'll help her with her sex life. Only one rule, don't fall in love. Easy, right? He'll teach her everything she wants to know, and show her that sex can be fun, you just have to know how to do it right. And Ivy should refuse, after all he's the Ice Hockey captain, her brother's best friend and her best friend's brother - but what's the fun in that. Ivy knows she should say no, but she won't. And she won't fall in love, she can't. ••• Completed • First Draft - half edited. Watty2025 winner #1 in #Romance #1 in #Brotherbestfriend #2 in #bestfriendsbrother #2 in #icehockey

Sci-fi nut, blonde bombshell, and severely no filter Brooke is ready for a fresh start. Done are the days of trashy boyfriends, who couldn't find the right spot if there were fluorescent signs pointing to it, and deadbeat mega mooches. Not to mention, the one night stands that leave you having to take a mental inventory of exactly what you've brought with you, when you're trying to make a speedy exit. That is until she meets Deacon. The mountain of a man she wouldn't mind trekking up to reach the top. He's the right kind of charming, the perfect amount of flirt, and the first guy who hasn't looked stumped when she opens her mouth to sass. In fact he's lightning quick on the sass himself. There's just one problem.. He doesn't date. In fact, Deacon's specialty is the one night of hot, sweaty fun. Something which Brooke is avoiding like the damn plague. However, when the conversations flow on, the insane attraction grows stronger, and the time spent together gets more heated, will they be able to resist the obvious pull they have towards each other forever?... Or does the man who never dates, have a reason for it that might tear them apart over and over...

A jilted, curvy accountant joins a gym on a journey of self-love. The last thing she plans for is to fall for her grumpy trainer. ***** Who needs men, anyway? Certainly not Joanna Lozano. The youngest of five and the only girl, she has learned at a young age the importance of survival in a man's world. It's what drives her to be a successful accountant in the corporate world of Chicago. When her boyfriend of six years unceremoniously dumps her--though her pride is wounded--she accepts the rejection as an opportunity to rediscover herself, starting with a reluctant agreement to join an eight-week fitness boot camp. Sage Kingston is a straightforward gym owner who appreciates and lives by the monotony of his life. His only goals are to provide and care for his young son after his divorce left him jaded. He doesn't have the time or patience to play games that come with dating or relationships. Who needs that headache, anyway? Yet, with a new season of boot camp at his gym underway, he's instantly attracted to the curvy and feisty participant, Joanna. However, his work is cut out for him since she's not easily charmed or swayed by his bulging biceps or six-pack abs. But even Joanna can't deny the mounting tension after each draining and sweaty training session. As they grow to know each other, so does their affection and both must deal with overcoming their hurt pasts and decide if unexpected love is worth the risk. ©2022 LJ Rae

[BOOK ONE] [Completed] [Voted #1 Best Action Story in the 2019 Fiction Awards] Liam Luciano is one of the most feared men in all the world. At the young age of 18, he inherited the family name. 10 years later, the Luciano name is well known for its roll in the Mafia; along with two other families: The Costello's and The Corinelli's. But when a 21 year old is put on all three of the families radar, Luciano steps in the way, doing something he had never done before. Protect her. Through their own series of trials and tribulations, they learn how to love and how to trust. But most importantly, they learn that blood does not define family. - © 2015 taintedkissesxo * cover by thelucianoseries on instagram *

Running from hell isnʼt easy. Especially when someoneʼs dragging you back down into it. Belligerent, brash and always in shades of black, Freya is hardly a lady. Hidden away by her father, sheʼs lived a normal life despite being born into the dark waters of New Yorkʼs underworld. Heʼs cold, cruel and calculating, with a proclivity for destruction. Feared by even Made Men, Torren is the boss of the stateʼs most leachorous crime syndicate. Freya hates his crudity and possessiveness, but she canʼt deny the way her breath hitches at his rough touch, the deep timbre of his voice, and his dark, heated gaze. Torren hates her disobedience, her recklessness, and her chaos. To him, sheʼs only something to be tamed. And after he slips a ring on her hand, snatching away her future, she makes only one vow---to become his biggest torment.

♤♤ MATURE CONTENT warning ♤♤ • • • He's charming. He's handsome, talented, charismatic. People hang on to his every word. A bachelor, stone cold businessman and a man of very few words. A whole package that's definitely way out of her league...should be out of her league yet...why does he seem to be purposely appearing before her everyday as the days go by. Why the hell did this upper echelon businessman suddenly appear inside her complex and how the absolute f*ck was he able to make the hairs on her neck rise and her legs clench whenever she just so happens to coincidentally brush past him on those fleeting days. Sophia thought she had it all figured out, that was until that fateful day. Two paths that were certainly never meant to collide had crashed into each other in the most unexpected of ways. The product of this fateful encounter? A man whose interest could border on obsession and a woman who's hellbent on ignoring and avoiding the man who is solely responsible for making her feel these weird and uncontrollable urges. ■ | ♧ |Status: ongoing | ♧ |Updates: on weekends ● (Also this is a first unedited draft so there might be errors) Lovely cover by Denise~ ■

After spending a night together, Alani never expected to see Valerio again. That is, until three months later when their paths meet once more. "𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒐 𝒘𝒆𝒕, 𝑨𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒊," 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒍𝒚, 𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒌. 𝑽𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔. 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒕, 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅. 𝑰 𝒑𝒆𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏, 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒚 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒓. 𝑰 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒅 - 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒅.

He was powerful. He was terrifying. Said to be cruel and unjust. Terrifyingly possessive. He had the world, but to him she was his world. There was nothing he wouldn't do for his miraculum.