Young Adult Novels

Sealed With Love She was hopeful that her life would change. There would be a new start after she graduated from high school. She was ready to fly in the sky, and rise towards her dream. Little did she know that her life would turn upside down on returning home. The biggest life-changing event was waiting for her. She was hardly aware that the bracelet she had been wearing since her birth was a token. The token of her marriage to a man she had never met. She could do nothing but follow the arrangement, for life wasn't willing to spare her. Her helplessness left her no choice. Finally, she decided to give up everything and run away! And again, destiny made fun of her. Unexpected and unknowingly, he stepped into her life again. What was in store for her in the future and where was life leading her? *************** In S City, Z Country... It was mid-June, and the tall mulberry tree was in bloom once more. Fiona Ji looked up and down at the trees. With a sigh, she went on her way, thinking that she ought to be on her way to school. The high school auditorium was jam packed with people. It was graduation day, and all the students and parents waited excitedly for the opening ceremony to begin. It was another year, and another set of fresh graduates. The students had just finished their college entrance examinations, and were about to set off to a new milestone in their lives. Backstage, Fiona Ji was waiting behind the curtain to deliver her speech. Fiona was undoubtedly beautiful. Her smooth, black hair fell elegantly on her shoulders. It made her fair skin stand out even more, which had a faint, pinkish glow. Fiona's eyes wer...

P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #2) Book Online Lara Jean didn't expect to really fall for Peter. She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren't. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever. When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean's feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once? In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that's part of what makes it so amazing. *************** 1 KITTY'S BEEN A LITTLE COMPLAINER all morning, and I suspect both Margot and Daddy are suffering from New Year's Eve hangovers. And me? I've got hearts in my eyes and a letter that's burning a hole in my coat pocket. As we're putting on our shoes, Kitty's still trying to weasel her way out of wearing a hanbok to Aunt Carrie and Uncle Victor's. "Look at the sleeves! They're three-quarter length on me!" Unconvincingly Daddy says, "They're supposed to be that way." Kitty points to me and Margot. "Then why do theirs fit?" she demands. Our grandma bought the hanboks for us the last time she was in Korea. Margot's hanbok has a yellow jacket and apple-green skirt. Mine is hot pink with an ivory-white jacket and a long hot-pink bow with flowers embroidered down the front. The skirt is voluminous, full like a bell, and it falls all the way to the floor. Unlike Kitty's, which hits right at her ankles. "It's not our fault you grow like a weed," I say, fussing with my bow. The bow is the hardest thing to get right. I had to watch a YouTube video multiple times to figure it out, and it still looks lopsided and sad. "My skirt's too short too," she grumps, lifting the bottom. The real truth is, Kitty hates wearing a hanbok because you have to walk delicately in it and hold the skirt closed with one hand or the whole thing comes open. "All of the other cousins will be wearing them, and it will make Grandma happy," Daddy says, rubbing his temples. "Case closed." In the car Kitty keeps saying "I hate New Year's Day," and it puts everyone but me in a sour mood. Margot is already in a semi-sour mood because she had to wake up at the crack of dawn to get home from her friend's cabin in time. There's also the matter of that maybe hangover. Nothing could sour my mood, though, because I'm not even in this car. I'm somewhere else entirely, thinking about my letter to Peter, wondering if it was heartfelt enough, and how and when I'm going to give it to him, and what he'll say, and what it will mean. Should I drop it in his mailbox? Leave it in his locker? When I see him again, will he smile at me, make a joke of it to lighten the mood? Or will he pretend he never saw it, to spare us both? I think that would be worse. I have to keep reminding myself that, despite everything, Peter is kind and he is easygoing and he won't be cruel no matter what. Of tha

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1) Book Online To All the Boys I've Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all. *************** 1 JOSH IS MARGOT'S BOYFRIEND, BUT I guess you could say my whole family is a little in love with him. It's hard to say who most of all. Before he was Margot's boyfriend, he was just Josh. He was always there. I say always, but I guess that's not true. He moved next door five years ago but it feels like always. My dad loves Josh because he's a boy and my dad is surrounded by girls. I mean it: all day long he is surrounded by females. My dad is an ob-gyn, and he also happens to be the father of three daughters, so it's like girls, girls, girls all day. He also likes Josh because Josh likes comics and he'll go fishing with him. My dad tried to take us fishing once, and I cried when my shoes got mud on them, and Margot cried when her book got wet, and Kitty cried because Kitty was still practically a baby. Kitty loves Josh because he'll play cards with her and not get bored. Or at least pretend to not get bored. They make deals with each other - if I win this next hand, you have to make me a toasted crunchy-peanut-butter-sandwich, no crusts. That's Kitty. Inevitably there won't be crunchy peanut butter and Josh will say too bad, pick something else. But then Kitty will wear him down and he'll run out and buy some, because that's Josh. If I had to say why Margot loves him, I think maybe I would say it's because we all do. We are in the living room, Kitty is pasting pictures of dogs to a giant piece of cardboard. There's paper and scraps all around her. Humming to herself, she says, "When Daddy asks me what I want for Christmas, I am just going to say, ‘Pick any one of these breeds and we'll be good.'?" Margot and Josh are on the couch; I'm lying on the floor, watching TV. Josh popped a big bowl of popcorn, and I devote myself to it, handfuls and handfuls of it. A commercial comes on for perfume: a girl is running around the streets of Paris in an orchid-colored halter dress that is thin as tissue paper. What I wouldn't give to be that girl in that tissue-paper dress running around Paris in springtime! I sit up so suddenly I choke on a kernel of popcorn. Between coughs I say, "Margot, let's meet in Paris for my spring break!" I'm already picturing myself twirling with a pistachio macaron in one hand and a raspberry one in the other. Margot's eyes light up. "Do you think D

Accidental Pregnancy Elena Harrington was the one woman who Harry Reynolds couldn't get out of his mind. She was the first and last person he thought of everyday. The one woman who he was scared about losing. So imagine his delight and surprise to discover that she was pregnant. Elena couldn't believe that the man she had given her heart to was him, her CEO. Confused and hurt, she didn't want to have anything to do with him. But the baby was his and she couldn't keep him from them, keep their progress from him. Even so, she resolved to not let him take any more of her. Harry had set about a hard task for himself. Realising how he had shattered her trust, he set about to win her back as well as take care of their baby. With unsolicited advice from his family and friends as well as a return of a family member, he had his work cut out for him. Will he be successful? Will Elena let him back into her heart? Accidental Series #1 Accidental Roommate (new version) #2 Accidental Babies (completed) #3 Accidental Pregnancy (completed) *************** Finding out that she was pregnant didn't scare Elena Harrington. She rejoiced at the news, happy about the growth in her family. On the other hand, being fired did. And that was what was happening right in front of her eyes. Reading the letter again, hoping she was misreading or misinterpreting, she couldn't help the words that came out of her. "What? You can't do that,"she said incredulously. Looking up at the head of her team, Jessica Reed, her mind grappled to understand what was going on. She looked at the piece of paper in her hand, unseeing. This couldn't be happening. Spying movement from her desk, she let out a small shriek and grabbed the hands of her colleagues who were clearing her desk. She tried to stop them but Jessica's hands on her shoulders pulled her away. "Stop. This must be a misunderstanding. I can't be let go just like that. There are laws and rules." "Elena, please understand. As much as I'd like to help you, I've checked with the relevant departments. All the proper channels have been traversed and everything has been approved. There's nothing else that can be done. So please allow Sheila and Priscilla to do as they're instructed." Looking at her desk while everything was packed, Elena felt so helpless. Why was this happening? Why had this been sprung up on her? Her eyes becoming dry, she blinked and looked at Jessica again only to avert her eyes. She couldn't stand the pity in her eyes. A sudden rush of tears hung on the precipice of her eyes when she felt the familiar churning, the loss of moisture in her mouth as her body prepared to expel everything in her stomach. Her arms immediately pressed against her stomach, Jessica let her go. She knew what was happening. Everyone in the office knew. Dropping into a chair, she hurriedly bent at her waist, her face pressing aga...

Living With The Anderson Boys Winter Monroe had planned out her last year at Cambree High. She would blend into the crowd, continuing to pass her subjects and stay away from trouble. Of course, all of that goes down the drain when Winter's mom drops the news that her daughter will be staying at her mom's friends place while her mom goes to Africa. Expecting nothing major, Winter was ready to continue her last year at high school, doing nothing except for what a good girl should be doing at high school. But what happens when she realises that the place that she will be staying for a year will be with four boys who basically rule Cambree High? When your staying with the four bad boys, you know that your life will be turned upside down in a second and thats exactly what Winter wasn't prepared for. Can Winter keep up with the four boys but also stay out of trouble or will the boys lead the trouble towards the good girl? *************** [ thank you noctuaries for the beautiful cover, this chapter is dedicated to you ] Winter's P.O.V I walk towards my locker and immediately frown when I see the one and only Gemma Hill standing against it, smirking at me like I am a pathetic excuse of a girl. I ignore her and start to fiddle with my locker, opening it and starting to take my books out for my first class. I close my locker and as I turn around, I notice that Gemma has disappeared. I furrow my eyebrows in confusion but inside my head, I am fist bumping the air. Is this the day Gemma Hill is done with the dare? Is she finally out of my life? I smile and spin around to walk to my first class but stop in my tracks when I see Gemma's group of friends standing behind the captain of the cheerleading squad, aka, Gemma. <p class='p_sj'...

Royal's Substitute Bride: Fall Into Love Trap Emily ended up being a replacement for Shirley, who was supposed to be engaged with James, a member of the royal family. However, Shirley ran off somewhere and Emily was kidnapped to play her part. That was how Emily entered the world of nobility and prestigious families. She thought she could make the most of this opportunity and just have a good time. The last thing she wanted was to lose her first kiss on her first day of school. In a fit of rage, she greeted her royal fiance, James, with a hard slap on his face. The entire school broke into gossip because of the commotion they made, But this was merely a prelude to their story. *************** In September, the autumn air was fresh as white clouds hovered the blue skies. The early morning sunshine sprinkled on the hurried pedestrians as if the sun was trying to greet them. At this time, the red light was still glowing, so everyone was held up on both sidewalks. Suddenly, a loud scream burst from the crowd. "Emily, from now on, you will be a freshman in senior high school. You can do this! Let's go!" Everyone glanced at the source of the voice with contempt. A slim young girl in a white school uniform had a schoolbag strapped to her back. She clenched her fists, stimulating all the positive energy she could carry. 'Oh my God! This is embarrassing.' Realizing that she had attracted the attention of everyone on the street, Emily Jia...

Accidental Roommate *Complete* After experiencing heartbreak and betrayal, Sharon Ashwood runs to New York, trying to get as far from it as possible. However, instead of the solitude she wanted, she soon found herself getting a new roommate in the form of her brother-in-law's best friend, Cameron Ballard. Giant's injured quarterback, Cameron Ballard, had planned to stay for a few days in his friend's apartment while he tried to get the paparazzis off his back. But, upon meeting Sharon, he becomes involved with getting her set up in New York and begins to fall for her. Join these two injured souls navigate through life and heal each other. Accidental Series #1 Accidental Roommate (new version) #2 Accidental Babies (completed) #3 Accidental Pregnancy (ongoing) *************** The LaGuardia Airport was bustling with people and luggage. People shouting, in happiness and anger. The wheels of the luggage and trolleys rolling could be heard, adding to the cacophony. All of which made Sharon Ashwood's head ache even more. With it being three in the afternoon, there was even more people, arriving and leaving. Having just gotten off a connecting flight from Atlanta, she was exhausted and yearned to get off her feet for the next twenty-four hours. But first, she had to find her family. Standing on her toes, she tried to find the familiar faces of her sister, Amelia Ashwood Garnet, or her brother-in-law, Scott Garnet. Being 5'4", she was not able to see over the crowd. And the constant bumps and shoves were not helping. She glared at the back of a man she was certain had deliberately bumped into her. She was standing near the wall, away from the crowd. Why were so many people bumping into her? Grumbling under her breath, she finally admitted defeat. They're not there. Disappointed and frustrated, she began to roll her suitcase to the taxi stand. Her lips began to tug down as she reflected that this was just the thing that would happen to her. Being forgotten. Being rejected. Her eyes welled up at the reminder. Refusing to give into her tears, she joined the long queue at the taxi stand. She blinked the tears back into submission and decided to take her phone out. This was going to be a long wait and she did not want to be left to the mercy of her own thoughts. She'd decided that she had to distract herself and a mindless game was the way to do so. However, the black screen of her phone put an end to that idea. Trying to switch it on while cursing under her breath, she had to accept that her phone was out of juice. Her level of horrified and despair were at odds with the situ...

Accidental Babies [Announcement: As per the author's request, this book will be taken down on April 28th, 2019.] Jason Halloway had a hard time finding a nanny for his recently acquired 9 month old twins, Daphne and Tanner.They hated all of their previous nannies and drove them away.However, maybe they didn't need his help to find their nanny? Maybe they could find her all on their own. April Saunders couldn't believe picking up two wandering babies would bring her face-to-face with Jason Halloway, the business magnate of Chicago.He was the hardest to reach man in the city and he was personally giving her a job.As a nanny. She was less thrilled with the prospect. Not because she thought it was a lowly position but because she had no skills or idea on how to take care of toddlers. However, Jason was unmoving and she took the position. With April trying her best to nurture the twins and Jason wanting to be in every part of the twins' life, how will their relationship go?Will it be 'familiarity breeds contempt'?Or will it be 'love conquers all'? Accidental Series #1 Accidental Roommate (new version) #2 Accidental Babies (completed) #3 Accidental Pregnancy (ongoing) *************** Jason Halloway leaned back into his chair, stretching slightly. He was happy that he managed to accomplish and clear his workload for the day. Clearly, his decision to leave the twins in his assistant's hands was a sound one. They hadn't bothered or called for him at any point of the day, aside from the first hour but that had been expected as they were in a new environment. Yes, it was a good day. Now, he just had to bring them home, hopefully have an uneventful bath and dinner and they'd fall asleep without any fuss. 'Janice, please ready the twins. I'll be going off in 10 minutes, 'he said into the intercom as he packed. Silence greeted him. He frowned. Janice, his assistant, was always prompt in acknowledging him. 'Janice?' 'Ah, Mr Halloway, 'she finally said but her voice was extremely strained. 'A few more minutes please. I have to-um- change them.' 'Alright. Do you need any help with them? They can be quite a handful, 'he offered. He was shocked to hear her sputter. He knew he had a reputation for being cold and stern but they were his children and he'd learned that he liked being a hands on father, soo different from his own parents. 'N-no need for that, sir. I, um, have to go now. I'll bring them to you in a minute, 'she said hurriedly and disconnected. A sense of foreboding started in his chest but he waited. Janice had assured him that she would be able to take care of them. He could trust her. She hadn't proven him wrong in the past. Surely his children were in good hands. - ---@@@@----- It had been 30 minutes and his patience was starting to fray. Actually, it had frayed within 10 minutes and now, he was ready to snap. He was second-guessing his assistant. Even if the twins were being difficult, it shoul...

Stuck With Mr. Popular It took everything in me not to kiss him back. His lips moved against mine in a perfect rhythm. "Soaf-Soaf please listen to me" He said while his blue eyes were gazing into mine. His breath fanned my face. We both were panting. My heart was thudding hard against my chest. "I-I have to go." I said shocked after what had just happened now. Fucking shit. Somehow I got myself out of his grip and took the file which fell on the floor when he pinned my hands on the wall and ran out of the classroom. I heard him mumbling a few curse words as I rushed to the door. "Soaf...Soaf" His voice faded as I ran out of the classroom. What has just happened? What the hell is wrong with him? He kissed me. Raymond Reynolds-The most popular boy of our school just kissed me. Why would he kiss me? No one even talks to me in at school. He didn't even know my name two weeks ago. Suddenly an image of light brown pair of eyes glaring at me pops up in my mind. Ellen Whitmore. She's going make my life a living hell. ************ Sophie Esinberg is your typical nerd with glasses, books clutched in her arms and face down while walking down the school hallway. She wasn't like this earlier. She used to be outspoken and confident. Then what changed her? Sophie faced a hell lot of bullying and had no one who could stand up for her. After her childhood best friend Daniel left her she accepted her life as a loner. Not until one day she is forced into a project with School's Famous Bad boy, also known as Mr. Popular- Raymond Reynolds. Everything comes crashing down when she finds that she is falling for cocky , super hot and irresistible Mr. Popular. But she knows she's a nobody in his world. She is incompetent. Will she fight against her instincts and let him break her heart? *************** Oh shoot I was late for school. Last night I was completing my chemistry project and so I slept late, around 3:00 a.m. I changed my clothes as fast as I could and rushed out of my home. Mom probably went on a walk otherwise she would have woke me up. Which means Lavy is still asleep. Lavy is younger than me by two years. Dad left us five years after Lavy was born, I don't know any legit reason behind their divorce but every time I ask mom she just shrugs it off by, "Things weren't working between us." and I never inquest any further. Dad never really comes around, not even to check how we are putting up without him. Initially it hurts, more to mom than us but with time we have grown accustomed to it. Growing up Lavy always use to question "Why always mom takes us to the Zoo and not dad?" It became so intricate for us to answer her. I went downstairs to Lavy's room to wake her up. After approximately fifteen minutes we were running four blocks down towards our school. I could feel sweat droplets rolling down between the valley on my bust. First period and I am already stinking. Taking a few deep breaths to counter my pants I entered the classroom. I knew I

Dreaming Of You Ivy Luo is ordinary and optimistic. She drops out of school, works hard, and raises the child for her sister. She goes to a job interview at a grand hotel, but she feels uncomfortable as if having been drugged. Then she runs into a room wanting to calm down herself with water, where she meets this handsome and rich man Edgar. Attracted by his handsome appearance, she takes the initiative and has a one-night stand with him. Later, she finds that he is considerate to her and she loves him back. When his ex-girlfriend comes back, he refuses her resolutely, because he finds that he has fallen in love with Ivy Luo. Would the couple be happy together? *************** Ivy Luo wore a simple white cotton dress with her long curly hair. It was simple and elegant. She wore light make-up, with a white handbag in her hand and a pair of black high-heeled shoes, which made her look like a fairy. Although she was not the most beautiful appearance, she had exquisite facial features and was outstanding, which made people feel so good. She was not stunning, but she was attractive. Just one of the very few women who had a unique temperament and breathtaking beauty. The man sitting across from Ivy Luo was shocked. He didn't expect that the woman would introduce such a beautiful woman to him! Casting an indifferent glance at the man in front of her who didn't care much about his clothes, Ivy Luo got more and more indignant. In fact, she came here for a blind date with her good friend Celine Zhao, but when she arrived at the appoin...

Forever And Always Twenty year old Viola's life seems to have bloomed into happiness as she proposes to her fiance at her birthday party. However, the man she thinks is in love with her turns out to be an extremely cruel husband, who takes control of her life after tying the knot. Expelled from the school, and humiliated by her in-laws, Viola supposedly gets a fresh start as she runs away with her son. But it all comes tumbling down once more when her husband comes back to wreak havoc on her life once more. *************** Viola Qi looked at herself in the mirror, her hands lying flat on the edge of the sink. The mirror had a thick, golden frame, which easily fitted along with the overall look of the deluxe presidential suite. "Come on, Viola Qi. You can do this. This is the big break you've been wishing for ever since you became a journalist. Just believe in yourself." Her fingers tapped nervously on the bathroom counter as she gave herself some pep talk. Although there wasn't an ounce of makeup on her face, Viola Qi was undoubtedly a beautiful woman. Seconds later, she heard the door to the suite open with a faint click, and the sounds of footsteps on the marble floor. At that moment, Viola Qi was so nervous that her heart almost jumped out of her throat. Carefully, she opened the bathroom door ever so slightly to take a peek at ...

Promise Me (Diamond in the Rough 2) Read Free *************** 1 Raelynn “Rae, stop!” I growled at him. “For the love of fuck, you’ll let me go. Even if it kills me.” My phone stumbled out of my hand as I bit down into Michael’s arm. But he released me. And I threw myself toward the edge of the bridge again. I felt him rushing for me, desperate to pull me back as I gazed over the twenty-foot drop. Sirens finally sounded in the distance. I flashed my light down there, catching yet another glimpse of where Clint was. After slipping away from Michael’s attempt to block me against the metal railing, I rushed for the tree line. “Rae, are you thick-headed? You’re going to get yourself killed!” “I’m not leaving him down there by himself, Michael! Get over it or go home if you don’t like it. I’ll have an officer take me home.” I tripped over tree roots I couldn't see and forced myself to slow down. It was a very long drop to the river. A drop that would easily put me in Clint’s position if I wasn’t careful. But I knew he was alive. He had to be alive. Because no God in this universe was as cruel as that. I refused to believe that. “I’m coming for you, Clint. Just hang on.” Sirens wailed at they rushed up the road. It felt like they were an eternity away. I heard the sirens, but I didn’t see their headlights. And I wondered how much longer until they actually got here. I pointed the flashlight on my camera down toward the ground. I heard Michael cursing my existence as I grabbed on to trees. They inched me down, centimeter by centimeter, until I slipped. “Rae!” “Shit!” I tumbled into a tree that caught me and I almost lost my phone. I lay against the tree, catching it as the steep ravine turned into damn-near the straightest drop I’d ever seen. Vines hung from the trees, dangling above the ground. And while I considered taking the chance, none of them dropped all the way to the river’s bank. Where Clint was sprawled out. I groaned. “Come on, Rae. Think.” “Rae! Can you hear me?” Michael’s voice echoed off the trees and I rolled my eyes. “Unfortunately!” “Quit being a smartass and stay there. If you move and that tree gives—” “Didn’t I tell you to go home if you couldn't stop ordering me around?” “Maybe I give too much of a shit to let my best friend kill herself over—” The sirens swallowed his voice and I was thankful for it. Because I was damn near ready to toss him over the bridge’s railing. I placed my phone inside my bra, with the flashlight facing outward. With the angle I was sitting at, it meant I had a clear shot of what the downslope had for me to cling to. Some rocks. A bunch of massive tree roots. If I was careful, I could still get down there. So I shimmied down the tree and hung on tight. “Damn it, Rae!” I blocked out Michael’s yelling as the sirens grew closer. “Don’t make me come down there after you!” I rolled my eyes as I slipped over the edge, placing my foot on the first rock. “Rae, Allison is going to kill you!”

The Wayward Sister (The Wayward Sons 5) Read Free On the outside it looked like Sierra Falco was keeping it together. On the inside she was totally falling apart. That's why she took off, leaving the boys, her coffee shop and her little town of Lee Vines behind. Six months later she's back, preparing to deal with her past and face her future, which includes three handsome park rangers; Adrian, Holden, and Smith. These three men are determined to help Sierra break down the walls she's building to survive while tearing down her inhibitions as her relationship develops with them. Can this Wayward Sister find her true loves the same way the Sons found theirs? The Wayward Sister is a follow-up novel to the Best Selling Wayward Sons series. *************** Prologue Walking away was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. No. That’s not true. Burying my parents at the age of eighteen, that was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. What followed--raising Dexter, taking in the boys, becoming a foster parent, building the Wayward Sun--all of that was done in a fog. A well-intentioned, exhausted, running-on-empty fog. Carry on, amirite? But where does that leave me? Twenty-three, burned out, and running away from home. God, my life is a mess. For a minute I thought theirs was too, and I couldn’t deal, but I saw that the boys would be okay, that Dexter would be okay, that they had Starlee and her mom and Mrs. Nye; I knew I needed to go. I just needed a break. So, I left. And I hate myself for it. It’s six months later and I’m sitting in the back of the high school auditorium, the same auditorium I graduated from five years ago, and watch them stride across the stage. Dexter with his shoulders back, pride written on his face. Jake, the one I wasn’t sure would make it, clutching his diploma tighter than a football. Charlie and George, smart, silly, broken, and ultimately rebuilt. My heart swells, seeing them accomplish this goal. This small goal that was so hard to achieve. I wipe a tear from my eye as the principal makes it official and they fall into each others' arms. I should be there. For Dexter, at the very least. For my mom and dad. But my legs feel like lead, and my is heart heavy. I need more time to get my shit together. To find my way back home. I glance down at my tattoo, the one we all share, knowing my family needs me, but right now I need something else. I just have to figure out exactly what. 1 Sierra I hear the car coming down the dirt road long before I see it. I step out on the front porch and shade my eyes from the early summer sun. The truck comes to a stop behind my Jeep and Katie steps out, blonde hair twisted into two knots on the top of her head. She’s wearing a cut off Def Leppard shirt that shows off her belly ring and she waves when she sees me. “I think I got everything you need,” she calls, heading to the steps, holding a bag in her hand. When she gets to the top, I take the bag and pull her into a hug with the other. “Thank

Shades Of Ruma novel online reading "Dear Kano, please be kind to me. Treat me with fairness and just. My days have never been great, I hope you'll change my tears of melancholy to that of happiness, please Kano don't be what Maiduguri had been to me. This is my sealed fate." Those were the words that kept ringing through the mind of a hopeless girl; Rumaisa, as she roamed through the streets of the damsel Kano with no destination. Life has never been great to her, she has faced many life turns and twists and now she was set to face her fate. A fate that'll determine what her future behooves. At the mere age of twelve! ~~~ As if being kidnapped from her last year at secondary school wasn't enough, Khadija was forced into a union with a terrorist, watch the beheadings of her fellow mates who stood against the tyrants. But those were the least of her hassles. She was expecting! ~~~ How will these two girls cope with the social imbalances the society throws at them? How will their life turn out to be afterwards? Will they ever surface those hardships or will their lives be gloomed forever? ~~~ *************** KANO, NIGERIA. 10TH JANUARY, 2019. • • • Rumaisa lifted the brown silky curtain of her window before sliding open the glass. She peeked through the window and her eyes landed on the chubby figure that brings delight to her day, her three year old son, Mahmoud. His chubby cheeks were clearly visible as his face was scrunched up. "Mahmoud?" She called through the window and he turned towards her direction, his face a little shade of disappointment. "Come inside, it's getting cold outside." She hallowed as the January breeze rattled against her window, making the silks move at different direction, encircling her within. "The wind is pushing me." He exclaimed, frustrated. He folded his hands over his torso and stumped his right leg to the ground, "Go away!" He cried. She smiled. It's Mahmoud and that's how his attitude is, exactly like his father. Albeit the two have no actual features in common as Mahmoud is the exact replica of his mother. Quite distant to his features, he took the exact behaviours of his father. At times he can be jovial tho' he's most frequently reserved, as unlike the other kids that adore friends and friendship, he easily gets frustrated as the same as Yusuf, his father. One thing quite peculiar about the boy is that he detests disappointment, and now the wind is disappointing him. The boy wanted to play but the wind is dragging him backwards. Adamantly, he strode towards his ball which was a few inches away from him and unfortunately upon his arrival to the ball, the wind swayed the ball further. "Nooo!" The boy gave a squeak of frustration. He stumped his right leg, again, to the ground and loosened his weight upon his legs. In fury, he slumped to the ground, his head hitting the ground with a sickening thud. He screeched an agonising cry. Rumaisa sighed. She's used to this. She was used to Mahmoud's bipolar mood

Did I Mention I Love You? (DIMILY 1) Read Free When sixteen-year-old Eden Munro agrees to spend the summer with her estranged father in the beachfront city of Santa Monica, California, she has no idea what she’s letting herself in for. Eden's parents are divorced and have gone their separate ways, and now her father has a brand new family. For Eden, this means she's about to meet three new step-brothers. The eldest of the three is Tyler Bruce, a troubled teenager with a short temper and a huge ego. Complete polar opposites, Eden quickly finds herself thrust into a world full of new experiences as Tyler's group of friends take her under their wing. But the one thing she just can't understand is Tyler, and the more she presses to figure out the truth about him, the more she finds herself falling for the one person she shouldn't – her step-brother.Throw in Tyler's clingy girlfriend and a guy who has his eyes set on Eden, and there's secrets, lies and a whole lot of drama. But how can Eden keep her feelings under control? And can she ever work out the truth about Tyler? Did I Mention I Love You is the first book in the phenomenal DIMILY trilogy, following the lives of Eden Munro and Tyler Bruce as they try to find their way in an increasingly confusing world. *************** Chapter 1 If movies and books have taught me anything, it’s that Los Angeles is the greatest city with the greatest people and the greatest beaches. And so, like every girl to ever walk this earth, I dreamed of visiting this Golden State. I wanted to run along the sand of Venice Beach, to press my hands on my favorite celebrities’ stars on the Walk of Fame, to one day stand behind the Hollywood Sign and look out over the beautiful city. That and all the other lame tourist must-dos. With one earphone in, my attention half on the music humming into my ear and half on the conveyor belt rotating in front of me, I try my hardest to find a spot clear enough for me to grab my luggage. While the people around me shove and chat loudly with their partners, yelling that their luggage just went past and the other yelling back that it wasn’t actually their luggage, I roll my eyes and focus on the khaki suitcase nearing me. I can tell it’s mine by the lyrics scrawled along its side, so I grab the handle and yank it off as quickly as I can. “Over here!” a familiar voice calls. My father’s astoundingly deep voice is half drowned out by my music, but no matter how loud the volume, I would probably still hear him from a mile away. His voice is too irritatingly painful to ignore. When Mom first broke the news to me that Dad had asked me to spend the summer with him, we both found ourselves in a fit of laughter at the sheer insanity of it all. “You don’t have to go anywhere near him,” Mom reminded me daily. Three years of hearing nothing and suddenly he wanted me to spend the entire summer with him? All he had to do was maybe start calling me once in a while, ask me how I was doing, gradually ease h

Moonlight on Nightingale Way (On Dublin Street 6) Read Free Logan from Echoes of Scotland Street is back with his own smoldering story, as the New York Times bestselling On Dublin Street series returns…Logan spent two years paying for the mistakes he made. Now, he’s ready to start over. He has a great apartment, a good job, and plenty of women to distract him from his past. And one woman who is driving him to distraction…Grace escaped her manipulative family by moving to a new city. Her new life, made to suit her own needs, is almost perfect. All she needs to do is find her Mr. Right—or at least figure out a way to ignore her irresistible yet annoying womanizer of a neighbor.Grace is determined to have nothing to do with Logan until a life-changing surprise slowly begins turning the wild heartbreaker into exactly the kind of strong, stable man she’s been searching for. Only just when she begins to give into his charms, her own messy past threatens to derail everything they’ve worked to build…Last book in the Series *************** CHAPTER 1 I stared at the bright pink thong draped across the hand railing on the landing I shared with the new neighbor I had yet to meet. My first semi-introduction to him was last night when my work was ground to a halt by the high-pitched squealing coming from next door. My neighbor’s girlfriend was loud during sex. Very, very loud. Although frustrating, there was nothing I could do but wait for it to end. It took so long (I had to give them points for stamina), it was time for me to go to sleep and I’d gotten hardly any editing done. Now the squealer’s thong was drip-drying on my handrail. Aghast at the thought of my clean and well-maintained stairwell suddenly turning into the set for Shameless, I could do nothing but stare at the offending item in horror. The sound of my neighbor’s door opening jerked my attention from the thong to his door. Stepping out of the doorway, phone to his ear, was an exceptionally tall man. My eyes roamed over the broad shoulders and muscular biceps and stopped on the black tattoo that took up a good part of his right forearm. It looked Celtic in design and appeared to be a sword with a semicircle arching over it and connecting on either side of the hilt. “Talk to Dad,” the man murmured, drawing my gaze from his tattoo to his face. “Whatever you decide, I’m on board.” His dark hair was close-shaven, and he was sporting heavy scruff that only made his rugged features that much more so. His large build and the scruff were too much in my opinion. I preferred my men leaner, clean-cut, and far less intimidating. Suddenly I found myself trapped in his gaze as he looked up and spotted me. I froze, flustered by the heat that suffused my cheeks under his perusal. He had the most extraordinary eyes I’d ever seen. They were clear and light. Beautiful, unusual violet eyes rimmed with black lashes. Those eyes softened his looks somewhat. I found myself released from his gaze as he dragged it down m

Frigid (Frigid 1) Read Free *************** Chapter 1 Sydney I was in love with my best friend. And it could be worse, I guessed. I could have been in love with a male stripper or a drug addict. Kyler Quinn was neither of those things. Although he could easily be passed off as a male stripper with those jaw-dropping good looks and messy brown hair, and he was as addictive as any drug out there. I saw him before he even knew I was here. There was no way anyone could miss Kyler, not even in the packed Dry Docks, where everyone from the University was out celebrating the start of winter break. People flocked to him, especially the girls. Always the girls. I didn’t want to say that Kyler looked like a god, because sculptures of Greek and Roman gods typically didn’t fall on the attractive side of things. And they were all really small down there. I doubted he was hurting in that department, since there was an endless train of women who came back for seconds and thirds. But he was beautiful in a purely masculine way. A nose with a slight hook in it offset broad cheekbones, defined jaw, and wide expressive lips. He’d broken his nose in a fight freshman year I still felt bad for that nose. And when he smiled? Aw man, the boy had the deepest dimples ever. His eyes were a warm brown, the color of a rich coffee bean that darkened whenever he was feeling froggy, and I bet he was feeling all kinds of froggy right now. Right in the middle of the bar, I stopped and leaned my head back. Exhaling loudly, I really wanted to punch myself in the face. Not only was Kyler completely off-limits due to the fact that we’d been inseparable since the day he pushed me off the merry-go-round and told me I had cooties for trying to hold his hand. I’d retaliated by holding him down and forcing him to eat a mud pie the following day. People had a hard time understanding how we were so close. Even I couldn’t figure it out. We went together like a lion and a gazelle. Actually, we went together like a lion and a gimpy gazelle that had no chance of outrunning the predator. I was the gimpy gazelle. As I made it closer to the table he and our friend Tanner occupied, a blonde with legs longer than I was tall plopped down in Kyler’s lap. His arms went around the girl’s impossibly narrow waist, and a stupid, totally inexcusable sharp pain sliced through my stomach. Yeah, Kyler might not be a stripper, an addict, or a terrorist, but he was a player. Veering back toward the bar at the last minute, I almost plowed straight into someone’s back. I rolled my eyes. Giving myself a concussion would be perfect. Multicolored Christmas lights dangled from the edge of the bar and I thought that was kind of hazardous with all the drunks spilling their drinks. I found an empty stool at the bar and waited for the bartender to notice me. And it was easy to notice me. I looked like I was sixteen, so they usually checked my ID right away. The bartender appeared, asked for the standard, and I ordered the

Dirty Players (Dirty Players 1) Read Free *************** Chapter One Zoe I stormed down the hall of the Southern Eagles training complex, feeling irritation clawing at my mind. My annoyance was held at bay, for now, only because things had gone as I’d expected. I was so preoccupied, I bumped into someone. He caught me as I stumbled, and I wanted to apologize, until I lifted my head and saw that smirking face. I froze, staring at him in surprise. “Hey, Zoe.” I gaped. “Howard! What the hell are you doing here?” Glancing around, I grabbed his arm and tugged him out of the way. My first instinct was to hide him. If he got caught here with me, he would be in some serious trouble. He just smirked. “I came to show my dedication for the sport, of course, Zoe. That, and I missed you, so I wanted to come see you.” “Did it have to be here of all places, though?” I hissed. He laughed. “Maybe I wanted to see how you look while you work.” If that was what he came here for, he was going to be sorely disappointed. I didn’t have any work today, so I’d planned to stop by somewhere to eat and go home for some alone time to get over my bad mood. Then Howard just casually walked in and shocked me out of it. “You should try and think of your situation a bit more. You do realize what could happen to you if you get caught, right?” He’d been letting me pull him behind me, but then his body suddenly went still, and I was jerked to a stop. With a hungry growl, he tugged me closer, whirling me around and kissing me before I had time to complain. I froze for a second, before pressing my hands to his chest. I wanted to push him away, but he bit down on my lip, causing me to gasp, and his tongue swept into my mouth. He kissed me, until I forgot what I’d been thinking before, pulling away only when we both needed to breathe, resting his forehead against mine. “Do you remember what I said, about why I came here?” He murmured, lips brushing against mine with every word. I shuddered, a moan escaping my throat as I dug my nails into his biceps. There was something he’d said, what was it again? “Dedication?” I blurted. He chuckled. “Exactly, Zoe. My dedication. Should I show you?” Somehow, I didn’t think he was talking about football. He released me, and I was so startled I blinked my eyes open, then wondered when I’d let them close. Howard wasn’t done yet, though. He grabbed my hand and tugged me behind him, headed for the locker rooms. “Howard?” If he heard me, he didn’t indicate it. As soon as the door closed behind us, I found myself pressed up against it, and a hard, male body plastered to my front. Soft lips slanted over mine, and I tried to resist for a second, because there was something important, I was supposed to remember. I couldn’t remember, though, because I was too busy melting into the hot kiss with a moan, parting my lips for the tongue that licked at the seam of my mouth. The kiss was slow and languid, almost lazy, but it quickly grew heated. We shouldn’t be doin

A Lifetime Love Their first encounter was nothing like the ones you would see in the movies-- an unexpected turn of events or a casual glimpse across a busy coffee shop. Wendy met Sam for the first time in a hospital... Wendy wasn't one of those girls who believed in love at first sight, but when she locked eyes with Sam, she realized how wrong she had been all along. She fell for him at that very moment. She decided to follow her heart, and that stubbornness led to her bloody trek through nursing school. Yet, it seemed like fate wasn't in her favor. Sam never took her seriously, and Wendy was stuck in an infinite loop of unrequited love. Where would her romance take her? How would their story end? *************** "Dr. Sam, have you really forgotten me?" It was the 281st time that Wendy Li had asked Sam Lu this question ever since she became an intern at the First Hospital. Sam Lu knitted his eyebrows together. "Miss Wendy, I really couldn't remember you." "How could you?" Wendy Li scowled, crossing her arms against her chest. "Why are you so forgetful?" Their first encounter was not as romantic as the ones in the movies. It wasn't an unexpected turn of events or a casual glimpse in a coffee shop. No. They actually met in a hospital... Three years ago... "Wendy, wait for me, okay? I'll get out of work soon!" After graduation, Wendy Li traveled to City A to visit her cousin, Sherry Qiu, who worked as a nurse in the First Hospital. <p class='p_...

Beautiful Redemption (The Maddox Brothers 2) Read Free *************** Chapter One CONTROL WAS ALL THAT WAS REAL. I had learned from a young age that planning, calculation, and observation could avoid most unpleasant things—unnecessary risk, disappointment, and most importantly, heartache. Planning to avoid the unpleasant though wasn’t always easy, a fact that had become glaringly apparent in the dim lights of Cutter’s Pub. The dozen or so neon signs hanging on the walls and the weak track lighting from the ceiling, highlighting the bottles of liquor behind the bar, were only slightly comforting. Everything else made it evident just how far I was from home. The reclaimed barn wood made up the walls, and the blond pine smudged with black stain had been designed specifically to make the Midtown space look like a hole-in-the-wall bar, but it was too clean. A hundred years of smoke hadn’t saturated the paint. The walls didn’t whisper about Capone or Dillinger. I’d been sitting on the same stool for two hours since I’d quit unpacking the boxes in my new condo. For as long as I could stand, I’d put away my items that made up who I was. Exploring my new neighborhood was much more appealing, especially in the amazingly mild night air even though it was the last day in February. I was experiencing my new independence with the added freedom of having no one at home who expected a report of my whereabouts. The seat cushion that I was keeping warm was covered in orange substitute leather, and after drinking a respectful percentage of my relocation incentive that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had so generously deposited into my account that afternoon, I was doing well to keep from falling off of it. The last of my fifth Manhattan of the evening slid from inside the fancy glass into my mouth, sizzling down my throat. The bourbon and sweet vermouth tasted like loneliness. That at least made me feel at home. Home though was thousands of miles away, and it felt even farther the longer I sat on one of the twelve stools lining the curved bar. I wasn’t lost though. I was a runaway. Stacks of boxes sat in my new fifth-floor condo, boxes that I had packed with enthusiasm while my former fiancé, Jackson, stood and sulked in the corner of our tiny shared Chicago apartment. Moving on was key to climbing the ranks in the Bureau, and I had gotten very good at it in a small amount of time. Jackson had been unfazed when I first told him I was being transferred to San Diego. Even at the airport, right before I’d left, he’d promised that we could still make it work. Jackson wasn’t good at letting go at all. He had threatened to love me forever. I dangled the cocktail glass in front of me with an expectant smile. The bartender helped me set it soundly on the wood, and then he poured another. The orange peel and cherry were in a slow dance somewhere between the surface and the bottom—like me. “This is your last one, honey,” he said, wiping the bar on each side of me. “Sto

There are people in this world who are Nobody. No one sees them. No one notices them. They live their lives under the radar, forgotten as soon as you turn away. That’s why they make the perfect assassins.The Institute finds these people when they’re young and takes them away for training. But an untrained Nobody is a threat to their organization. And threats must be eliminated.Sixteen-year-old Claire has been invisible her whole life, missed by the Institute’s monitoring. But now they’ve ID’ed her and send seventeen-year-old Nix to remove her. Yet the moment he lays eyes on her, he can’t make the hit. It’s as if Claire and Nix are the only people in the world for each other. And they are—because no one else ever notices them. Prologue One week earlier Nine letters. Two words. He refused to think of them as a name. With detached objectivity, his steady hands set the thin white paper, with its evenly spaced black lettering, to the side. He'd done this before. One, Two, Three He'd do this again. More needles, more knives. More evenly spaced black letters that carved themselves, blood-red, into the recesses of his mind. The only way you can make a difference in this world is to kill. From the moment he'd opened the envelope and seen the name, the pictures; from the moment he'd committed those nine letters to memory, the outcome had been a foregone conclusion. His target had been marked. Death was coming. So be it. 1

Manwhore (Manwhore 1) Read Free Is it possible to expose Chicago’s hottest player—without getting played? This is the story I've been waiting for all my life, and its name is Malcolm Kyle Preston Logan Saint. Don’t be fooled by that last name though. There’s nothing holy about the man except the hell his parties raise. The hottest entrepreneur Chicago has ever known, he’s a man’s man with too much money to spend and too many women vying for his attention. Mysterious. Privileged. Legendary. His entire life he’s been surrounded by the press as they dig for tidbits to see if his fairytale life is for real or all mirrors and social media lies. Since he hit the scene, his secrets have been his and his alone to keep. And that’s where I come in. Assigned to investigate Saint and reveal his elusive personality, I’m determined to make him the story that will change my career. But I never imagined he would change my life. Bit by bit, I start to wonder if I'm the one discovering him...or if he's uncovering me. What happens when the man they call Saint, makes you want to sin? *************** 1 DREAM JOB I walked into Helen’s office this morning certain she was going to fire me. It isn’t really my boss’s job to fire me. It’s HR’s. But the HR department has been cut. Edge, the magazine I have written for and loved since I graduated from college, is hanging by a thread. Three steps inside the cluttered room stacked with old magazines, ours and our competitors’, and my breakfast—coffee with two sugars, and strawberry jam on whole-wheat toast—turns into a stone inside my stomach. Without even looking up from the folder in her hand, Helen signals to the chair across hers. “Rachel, sit down.” I sit silently, a thousand things leaping to my tongue: I can do better; I can do more; let me do more, two articles a week rather than one. Even: I will work for free until we can find our feet. I can’t afford to work for free. I have rent, I’m still paying off my college loan, and I have a mother I love with a health condition and no insurance. But I also love my job. I don’t want to be let go. I have never wanted to be anything else other than what I am now, at this moment, as my fate rests in her hands. So it’s with dread and an impending sense of loss that I sit here and wait for Helen to finally lower that folder and look at me. And I wonder, as our eyes meet, if the next story I have to tell in my life is the one of her firing me. I am in love with stories. How they shape our lives. How they mark people who don’t even know us. How they can impact us even when an event didn’t exactly occur in our own lives. The first things I ever fell in love with were the words my mother and grandmother told me about my dad. In those words I got what I didn’t have in real life—a dad. I would collect them into groups, memorize the stories they formed. Where he’d taken my mother on their first date (a Japanese restaurant), if his laugh was funny (it was), what his favorite beverage was

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without. CHAPTER 1 am-bush: n. to pick a subject (me) and lie in wait to attack "Heads up," a loud voice called from my right. I looked up just in time to see a football smack me right between the eyes. I never really understood the saying heads up. At least not as a warning. Duck or watch out or flying object, even heads down would've worked. I lie on my back, book clutched to my chest, staring at the purple-and-gold streaked sky - the Perceptives must've been gearing up for the football game that night. As if the school colors splashed across the sky would send us running to the ticket booth. I mentally inventoried my situation. I'd landed on cement, so no mud was involved, thankfully. I'd only lost thirty seconds, at the most, so I'd still make it to class on time. I was fine. A little anxiety melted away with the thought. A familiar face with a mess of blond hair and a wide smile appeared above me. "Sorry. I said heads up." His smile proved he wasn't very sorry at all, but more likely amused. And I looked up, was what I wanted to say, but instead I ignored his offered hand and pushed myself off the ground. "Yeah, I heard you, Duke." I brushed myself off and continued walking. The spot the football had hit throbbed, so I pressed my fingertips against it, sure there was a nasty red welt. Guess I should've Searched the morning after all, and I might've seen that coming. But I didn't Search all my choices - only major ones. There were already enough alternate realities floating around in my mind that sometimes it was hard to keep track of which one I had actually lived and which was the opposing choice never made. And yet, earlier that morning when I climbed out of bed and saw the fog outside my window, I was tempted to see w

Stay With Me (She's With Me 2) Read Free *************** Prologue Life laughs at you sometimes. Perhaps people like me are boring to watch, so every once in a while life goes, Hey, why don’t I mess around with Amelia a bit? Don’t you think that’ll be funny? And then life’s friends, drama, pain, uncertainty, and unfortunate events, say, Hell, yeah, dude! We got your back. Watch the shit storm we can cause. And they all get to work inserting themselves where they don’t belong, stirring up the pot. Then they sit around with cold beers clutched in their hands and some boxes of pizza shared between them and laugh uproariously. At least, that’s how I think it happens, because sometimes it seems like my time here on Earth is just one long episode of let’s see how we can screw with Amelia today. There’s a man out there intent on murdering me: Tony. He has hurt and killed other people in the name of revenge. And I care very deeply about someone I’m destined to end up hurting—someone who discovered that he was being deceived from the start, and then was promptly arrested for murdering his stepfather, whom he’d been worried about harming his brothers ever since Greg was released from jail. Aiden is not a murderer; he’s not capable of doing something like that. Or is he? He’s a fierce protector of those he loves, and he would do anything to protect his brothers … but murder? Aiden hates Greg with a burning passion—I’m pretty sure he abused Aiden as a child. But I can’t see Aiden taking his life then coming over to my house to watch movies like it’s any other day. Why do the police think Aiden did it? He was at my house all night, and he was with Mason before that … right? When did Greg die, anyway? He’s been out of prison for a couple of weeks—wouldn’t he want to spend some time with his son, Ryan, and not bother with Aiden? Ryan. I wonder if Aiden’s stepbrother has heard about the death of his father. I wonder if he’s heard Aiden was arrested for Greg’s murder. Ryan hates Aiden for being Aiden; I don’t want to know what he’ll do if he thinks Aiden’s responsible for the death of his father. Before, this was just a petty rivalry, but now someone’s dead and Aiden’s in jail accused of murder. I can’t lose Aiden. Not right now, not when he’s come to mean so much to me. Everyone here in King City has. All my friends are the people I never thought I’d ever have in my life; people who make me feel like I belong, like I have a family. I can’t let anyone, not Ryan, not Tony, and not even the police, take that away from me. 1 The police station hums with activity. Men and women in uniform are all over the place, either walking around like they’re in the middle of some important task or standing around talking like they have all the time in the world. An odd combination of disinfectant and dirt scents the air, and the constant ringing of a phone drills at my head. We’ve been sitting here for hours. No one has told us anything, as the only interaction between us and th

Hoax (The Scarab Beetle 5) Read Free *************** Salt and Sand I dreamed of eating McNuggets with Raven while we watched SpongeBob. I dreamed of kissing Marc in a pool of black water. I saw Brandon and Corey, the three of us holding hands while being photographed. Axel was there, with a hurt expression. I dreamed I couldn’t breathe. Blake was next to me, also not breathing, his face turning blue. At some point, like a wave of icy seawater hitting my heart, I realized all at once I had killed Blake in my dream, if not by my own hands, then by my own inaction. I was powerless. Blake nudged my arm, waking me up. “Kayli. We should go,” he said. “We’ve got a ship to catch.” The anger faded, but as it receded, in came the realization that my body was itchy, and I was sore from head to toe. When my eyes opened and the blur cleared, I spotted a clock radio on a side table, glaring three in the morning. I groaned, burying my head in the pillow, mumbling curses into it. Never an early riser, I wanted to retreat, even back to my dark dreams, just to find that numbness that sleep provided. I wanted to hide from the world because it was a confusing mess and I was too tired to make sense of it. I felt Blake’s touch on my shoulder and then I realized it was his lips kissing my skin. “Come on. You can sleep once we’re there.” His kiss drew me out of my internal gloom, but at the price of having to deal with the soreness and itchiness. My eyes didn’t want to open, but I moved to try to sit up. My long brown hair was clumped and dry, stiff, like I’d used a ton of hairspray and teased it. My stomach and breasts were raw, the skin irritated. The bed was gritty with sand. My heart was a tight ball of misery. I was surprised to find myself mostly naked, only in underwear. He must have removed the shirt I’d been wearing after… I sat up sharply. I rubbed the grit from my dry and crusted eyes, looking around and realizing we were in a hotel room. What the hell? Not a nice hotel room, either, but one that was run-down and reeked of smoke, probably the cause of my burning eyes. How did we get here? And why were we getting up in the middle of the night? Beside me, Blake got out of bed, his feet padding on the carpet toward the bathroom. He flipped a light switch. The orange glow of the overhead lights was too bright for my sore eyes, but I focused on a dark corner until they adjusted. Blake was in his early twenties, just a little older than me. He was wealthy, a part of Charleston’s elite who moved within their polished world. He seemed the playboy type, well put-together with expensive clothes, perfectly cut hair and manicured nails. I stretched, trying to figure out why we were here and what was going on. My brain became distracted by his naked body. I stared blankly, tired as I was, at his nude form. His sculpted shoulders were covered in patches of red, irritated skin. His normally groomed golden hair was a mess—stringy, with patches of it stuck to his head. He tu

Heartbreak Chronicles: Billionaire Teens book online reading Riley Anderson is the son of a Billionaire, he's rude, arrogant and proud, he's bipolar and has severe anger issues, he's the definition of player who got played by his high school girlfriend and bestfriend when he became vulnerable, he detest love. Ivy Moore is the daughter of a Billionaire who deals on real estate, she's antisocial and hasn't been lucky in relationship and friendship department either so she doesn't want anything to do with love. In college, they meet and start on a bad note because of wrong first impressions, they develop hatred for each other,he sees her as bossy and Miss I know it all. She sees him as arrogant and a mess. Constant bickering becomes the order of the day, will enemies ever become lovers?. *************** ~ Riley ~ I laid on my bed,my ears blocked by the sound from my airpod,I sighed as I listened to Scared to love by Juice World ,I wasn&apos;t aware that someone has been banging my door,the phone call interrupted everything. "Hey mum."I answered the call. "Open the door."She hung up. "I have been knocking for long time now,why didn&apos;t you open?."She asked me as I opened the door. "Airpods."She rolled her eyes and shook her head when she saw one of them in my ears. "Have you checked your college application status?."She asked me for umpteenth time. "No." "Come on,go ahead and check it."She told me. I grabbed my laptop to check,it showed updated. I clicked it and the first thing we read was Congratulations!!!. ****** I stood at the airport as I waited for my chaffeur to pick me up,I scrolled through my phone to keep me busy. I looked up to see a man in his late twenties standing to me. "Riley?."He asked. "Good afternoon,,yes,I&apos;m."I replied him politely. I&apos;m not disrespectful to strangers unless they push me to it. "Okay, welcome to New York city ."He smiled as he took one of my suitcases. "Thank you."I passed a fake smile. I have been to New York before,it wasn&apos;t the first time since my family travelled alot for different vacations. I wasn&apos;t the one who talked much,I just like keeping to myself,I had only 3 friends in high school,one died,the other broke my heart in the worst possible way while the other is a terrible condition because of my anger issues. We drove out of the airport and into the busy streets of the New York. The city was beautiful,I liked the change of environment but I wasn&apos;t excited about it. He dropped me off in my dad&apos;s house,yeah,my dad is a billionaire so instead of staying in the hostel,he decided that I would stay in one of our houses. "Welcome."A female voice greeted me. "Thanks."I replied her. She had an hour glass that caught my attention. "I&apos;m Trisha."She stated as we walked into the house. "Riley."I replied briefly. Getting her won&apos;t be a problem after all she&apos;s works for me,I wasn&apos;t just in the mood for meaningless sexcapades but one will

Tempted (Bad Girls) Read Free *************** 1 Jaxxon * * * I knew she was going to be trouble the first time I laid eyes on her. I wasn’t sure then if it was the marrying kind of trouble, or just the forbidden, but I knew if I traversed those waters, shit was going to get complicated. I hadn’t been interested in a teenage girl before, not since I was a teen myself. So I couldn’t quite understand the attraction, but there was something. My first glimpse of her wasn’t anything special. She wasn’t wearing revealing clothes or even doing anything remotely sexual, it was just her. Her very essence was calling to me somehow. I tried for her sake to stay away from her, to never be alone with her, which wasn’t too hard since I only visited when my dad was home, but more and more it was getting harder to avoid the pull. At school when I saw her in the hallways it was becoming more and more awkward, not to mention difficult, to hide my body’s reaction to her. Then things got switched around two weeks after the semester started and she ended up in my class. That’s when the fun really begun. * * * BRIANNA * * * Oh boy, this is a conundrum. Ever since I’d met my new stepbrother, things have been crazy. I think about him all the time and not in a sisterly way. Story of my life, the one guy I’d ever shown an interest in was the one I couldn’t have, or could I? I mean what’s to stop me? It’s not like we’re blood or anything. Yes but you’re forgetting the fact that he has a reputation for screwing all the hot girls around these parts before he ran away, and that’s when he was a teen. I can’t imagine what he’s into now. I’m certainly no leggy blonde. I checked myself out in the mirror, turning from side to side. Lately I’ve been telling myself that I need to be more assertive. Life has been kicking me in the teeth a lot lately, and it didn’t seem like I had much say, in the shit that was happening to me. What if I make this my stand? What if for once I go after what I want instead of just accepting what life handed me? I didn’t know the first thing about tempting a man into wanting to have sex with me, but I’m sure I could find it on the net. Google here I come. * * * The shit seemed easy enough, I’d just started to come into my own, so it wasn’t a stretch for me to try out some of the things they suggested, like a change to my wardrobe. Instead of my usual sweats and tees, I went with short flirty skirts that showed off my legs to perfection, but not too much. Didn’t want anyone getting suspicious and start asking questions. The ponytail was replaced with a new blowout that fell down to the top of my ass. I invested in some push up bras that made my already bountiful breasts even more prominent in the new clingy tops, and some wet lips to add some color to my lips. I wasn’t quite ready to go the full war paint route. That’s all it took to make a difference, and I knew it was working because the popular girls were not too pleased with the new competition and th

It Ends with Us Read Free Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most.Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up — she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan — her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened. *************** Part One Chapter One As I sit here with one foot on either side of the ledge, looking down from twelve stories above the streets of Boston, I can’t help but think about suicide. Not my own. I like my life enough to want to see it through. I’m more focused on other people, and how they ultimately come to the decision to just end their own lives. Do they ever regret it? In the moment after letting go and the second before they make impact, there has to be a little bit of remorse in that brief free fall. Do they look at the ground as it rushes toward them and think, “Well, crap. This was a bad idea.” Somehow, I think not. I think about death a lot. Particularly today, considering I just—twelve hours earlier—gave one of the most epic eulogies the people of Plethora, Maine, have ever witnessed. Okay, maybe it wasn’t the most epic. It very well could be considered the most disastrous. I guess that would depend on whether you were asking my mother or me. My mother, who probably won’t speak to me for a solid year after today. Don’t get me wrong; the eulogy I delivered wasn’t profound enough to make history, like the one Brooke Shields delivered at Michael Jackson’s funeral. Or the one delivered by Steve Jobs’s sister. Or Pat Tillman’s brother. But it was epic in its own way. I was nervous at first. It was the funeral of the prodigious Andrew Bloom, after all. Adored mayor of my hometown of Plethora, Maine. Owner of the most successful real-estate agency within city limits. Husband of the highly adored Jenny Bloom, the most revered teaching assistant in all of Plethora. And father of Lily Bloom—that strange girl with the erratic red hair who once fell in love with a homeless guy and brought great shame upon her entire family. That would be me. I’m Lily Bloom, and Andrew was my father. As soon