Angst – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read

Angst – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.ilovenovels.com Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:11:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.1 http://www.ilovenovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png Angst – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.ilovenovels.com 32 32 Code Name Ember (Jameson Force Seattle #1) Read Online Sawyer Bennett http://www.ilovenovels.com/code-name-ember-jameson-force-seattle-1-read-online-sawyer-bennett Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:11:55 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/code-name-ember-jameson-force-seattle-1-read-online-sawyer-bennett Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Contemporary, Erotic, Suspense, Thriller Authors: Sawyer Bennett Series: Jameson Force Seattle Series by Sawyer Bennett
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Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >82

A whistleblower is dead. A journalist is hunted. And only one man can keep her alive.

After a career in special forces, then as a smokejumper, Cole Mercer is ready for a new challenge. When he hears that the world-renowned covert operations team at Jameson Force Security is opening a facility in Seattle, Cole knows exactly where he belongs. What he doesn’t expect is to come face-to-face with the woman he never stopped loving—the one who walked away before either of them said goodbye.

Investigative journalist Tessa Ward has uncovered proof that a powerful real estate developer is tied to a string of deadly wildfires in the Pacific Northwest. It’s the kind of story that could make her career… or end her life. When her source is murdered in cold blood, Tessa realizes the truth is more dangerous than she ever imagined. With no other options, Tessa knows she has no choice but to turn to the one man she swore she’d never ask for help.

Some fires are set on purpose. Others never stop burning.

Their past ended in heartbreak, but when it’s clear she’s being hunted, Tessa and Cole are forced to set aside their hurt. As they chase a trail of corruption, arson, and murder, every life-or-death decision reignites old passions. But the closer they get to the truth, the more dangerous the game becomes—and one wrong move could cost them everything, including each other

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

CHAPTER 1

Cole

Gunfire cracks through the training bay, sharp and contained, the sound ricocheting off steel beams and reinforced concrete. The air carries the acrid smell of burned propellant left behind by the sim rounds—the small polymer bullets we shoot at each other rather than real ammunition.

I pivot left around a fabricated drywall corner, Glock up, both hands steady. The digital overlay in my heads-up display flashes a red silhouette through the partition—an armed hostile, two meters beyond the threshold.

I drop to one knee at the doorway, lean out just enough to clear the angle, and fire three rapid shots.

Pop. Pop. Pop.

The projection target flickers and dissolves. A chorus of electronic beeps confirms the neutralization, but the overhead scoreboard still burns bright above the bay doors.

SECOND PLACE.

“Hostage compromised,” the automated system announces in its calm, infuriating voice over the comms.

Fuck.

The third floor of the Jameson Force Seattle headquarters isn’t just a firing range. It’s a full-immersion tactical maze with modular walls on hydraulic tracks that can be moved around in various formations. Programmable lighting can drop the room into blackout mode in half a second and ceiling-mounted projectors are capable of projecting holographic moving civilians, vehicles or armed suspects into the simulation drills. On top of that, we have the standard pop-up targets that will appear out of nowhere and shave years off your life.

Today’s scenario is a hostage extraction inside a two-story urban warehouse. The program is giving us several hostiles, three civilians and zero acceptable collateral damage.

I clear the doorway properly this time, sweeping the near corner before shifting deeper into the room. A hostage mannequin lies zip-tied behind stacked cargo crates, an attached LED light blinking yellow to indicate a moderate but survivable injury. My HUD—the heads-up display projected across my smart lenses—flashes the damage report at the lower edge of my vision.

All hostiles neutralized. Zero civilian deaths. Clean shot placement. Response time four-point-two seconds behind optimal.

Second place by a margin that would have been invisible to anyone not running at this level. Reid was faster today, but it won’t happen twice.

Somewhere to my right, another three-shot burst echoes, perfectly timed, perfectly placed.

“Mercer,” Reid calls from behind a barricade, a grin in his voice. “You slowing down, old man?”

I duck as a fresh hologram pops up to my left. “You’re welcome for the cover fire,” I shoot back, nailing the digitized silhouette before it can light me up. “Maybe focus on not getting yourself killed.”

Josie’s voice crackles over the comms. “Focus, gentlemen. We’re supposed to be rescuing hostages, not arguing like frat boys.”

“Frat boys get to drink more,” Reid mutters.

“True that,” I commiserate, grinning despite myself. Reid’s Marine Corps swagger and Josie’s NSA-trained sharp tongue keep this place from feeling like a funeral. It’s almost enough to make me forget the smell of real smoke and blood.

Almost.

“Clock’s ticking,” Malik’s voice cuts in, calm but firm. “Two minutes to extraction.”

I roll forward, scanning the virtual layout on my wrist display. Target room dead center—two hostiles, one hostage. Breach-and-clear.

“Reid, flank left. I’ll take point.”

“Copy.”

“Josie, bring up the rear.”

She doesn’t acknowledge but hangs back three paces as we sweep the corner. Josie is our lead intelligence specialist at Jameson Seattle. While she’s most dangerous at a keyboard, Malik insists everyone trains the same, and her tactical skills are every bit as sharp as mine or Reid’s.

My pulse steadies but then again, it always does when the adrenaline hits. Everything narrows. Breath, sight, timing.

The door is magnetically locked so I plant a breaching charge, count down from three, and we flow through after it blows. Two paint rounds zing past my shoulder. I drop one target and Reid takes the other. The hostage dummy screams through the speakers in mock terror, a realistic element that sort of creeps me out.

“Clear,” I say, and Josie comes in behind us, holstering her weapon and cutting the restraints off the dummy while Reid and I cover her in case Malik sends in some surprise hostiles.

But then we hear his voice over the comms. “That was really good. Mission complete.”

Josie grins as she rises from the now freed but still inert hostage. “Nice work, boys. Only one of you is bleeding this time.”

I glance down at the red paint blooming across my shoulder plate.

Reid smirks. “You hesitated. Thought you were supposed to be the calm, collected one.”

“Next time, you breach first. Let’s see how calm you stay.”

We exit into the corridor, the air shifting from propellant and burnt plastic to crisp and filtered sweetness. The Jameson Force Security–Seattle Division facility still smells new. It’s been three months since we opened unofficially, a spinoff from the Pittsburgh division, which spun off from the original in Las Vegas.

Tonight is the grand opening proper, and our owner, Kynan McGrath, spared no expense. The building is a 1908 brick structure in Pioneer Square, formerly known as the Blackwood Exchange, but is now referred to among us simply as headquarters. It’s four stories with Romanesque arches lining the upper windows, ornate stone cornices, deep red masonry and tall, narrow windows trimmed in dark metal. From the street it reads as old Seattle wealth—respectable, established, untouchable. Nothing about the facade hints at what happens inside.

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Pretty Little Scars (Silver Springs #1) Read Online Kristen Proby http://www.ilovenovels.com/pretty-little-scars-silver-springs-1-read-online-kristen-proread-online Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:11:02 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/pretty-little-scars-silver-springs-1-read-online-kristen-proread-online Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Contemporary, Forbidden, Suspense Authors: Kristen Proby Series: Silver Springs Series by Kristen Proby
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Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 100367 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >102

I absolutely should not be attracted to my boss.

I’m living on Tucker Hendrix’s ranch for the next year as a veterinary intern. But imagine my surprise when I walk onto the property on my first day and recognize the owner.
He’s the mysterious customer I used to flirt with at the diner all those years ago.
Now, the chemistry is hotter than ever, and all I can think about is his muscles and the fact that none of my scars bother him.
He’s seen everything that no one else has, and he’s not running away from me, or the fact that I’m a Lexington sister and we come from a monster.
In fact, for the first time in my life, a man is patient, gentle, and treats me like I’m the most important thing in his universe. Like he can’t live without me.
Like my scars aren’t the failure of a lifetime.
I’m starting to see a life for myself here with this man, on this gorgeous Montana ranch. His family has welcomed me into the fold as if it were a foregone conclusion.
But someone is hell bent on hurting me and making sure I don’t get the happy life I’ve worked so hard for.
Will they succeed? Or will Tucker and I come out the other side stronger than ever?

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

DARBY’S RECIPES

Darby’s Huckleberry Muffins

1 Cup White Sugar

3/4 Cup Butter

3/4 Cup Milk

1 Large Egg

1 t. Vanilla extract

1 3/4 Cups Sifted All-Purpose Flour

2 1/2 t. Baking Powder

1/2 t. Salt

1 Cup Huckleberries

1 T. All-Purpose Flour

Directions:

Step One

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 15 muffin cups or line cups with paper liners.

Step Two

Beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in milk, egg, and vanilla until well blended. Combine 1 3/4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; stir into batter until just moistened. Toss huckleberries and 1 tablespoon flour in same bowl to coat. Fold into batter.

Step Three

Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.

Step Four

Bake in preheated oven until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 15 minutes.

Step Five

Feed them to Tucker, who will devour them, and then you.

Darby’s Arnica Salve

Ingredients

3/4 C Arnica Oil

1/4 C beeswax pellets

1/2 t. Vitamin E oil

20 drops peppermint essential oil, or oil of choice for fragrance

Instructions

1. Using a double boiler, add a couple cups of water into the pot, then place a heat-proof bowl over the top of the pot.

2. Turn the burner on and allow the water to come to a boil.

3. Meanwhile, measure out the ingredients. Once the water is boiling, add arnica oil and beeswax pellets to the bowl of your double-boiler and stir consistently until the beeswax is melted (about five minutes).

4. Once the beeswax has melted, remove the bowl from the heat and let it sit for a few minutes on the counter to cool slightly.

5. Combine the vitamin E oil and essential oils, then pour into the oil and beeswax mixture.

6. Stir to incorporate all oils then pour into clean, dry pourable measuring cup.

7. Carefully divide the oil equally between four 2-ounce tins. Don’t forget to label your tins!

8. Let cool completely and store in a cool, temperature controlled cupboard.

How to use Arnica Salve:

-Rub on any sore joints or muscles.

-Apply to bruises or bumps.

-Rub on the back of the neck and along the jawline for tension headaches.

PROLOGUE

TUCKER

Five Years Ago

Imake the thirty minute drive over to Bitterroot Valley every Tuesday so I can have lunch at Kay’s Diner. Do I love the food there? Not particularly. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fine. But the cheeseburger and fries aren’t what’s brought me in here for the past year without missing a Tuesday.

I used to come in once a month with my friend Brooks Blackwell after we took a ride on our Harleys around the valley. We still have a standing ride day, but once every thirty days isn’t nearly often enough for me to see her.

The brunette with the kicking curves and glacier-blue eyes.

The woman whose stingy smile is etched in my mind and the only thing I see when I close my eyes.

Have I asked her out? No. But I will.

Eventually.

I’m in no hurry regarding most things in my life. I like to take my time, think things through.

For now, I like to come in here for lunch on Tuesdays, sit in my usual booth in the corner, and flirt with the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life.

I set the laminated menu aside, knowing exactly what I’ll order. When she walks over to me and her blue eyes brighten at the sight of me, I can’t help but smile at her.

“Well, fancy meeting you here,” she says sarcastically. Her voice is pure fucking sin. A little raspy, and a lot sexy. She rests her hand on her hip and immediately fills my mug with coffee. Her dark hair is up in a high ponytail, her gorgeous face is clean of makeup, and her lips quirk, making me want to bite them. “You’re late.”

I lift an eyebrow and check the time. “It’s 1:05.”

“Late,” she says again.

“Did you miss me?” I ask her, leaning back in the seat, taking her in. Fuck, she’s beautiful. Her cheeks darken a little as she tucks a few stray whisps of hair behind her ear. I want to do that. I want to feel that silk in my fingertips. Her Kay’s Diner T-shirt molds over her body perfectly, but not provocatively. There’s a tattoo peeking out of the sleeve on her right biceps, and I want to know what it is.

“Thought maybe you fell off that death trap out there.” She gestures at my bike with her chin.

“You’re worried about me.” I rub my hand over the scruff on my chin and smile smugly. “That’s even better. You could go for a ride with me, and I’ll show you that there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

A shadow slips behind her eyes, but before I can say anything, she shakes her head.

“Hard pass. Your usual today?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She nods and walks away to put my order in, and while I sip my black coffee, I watch her flit around the restaurant, taking orders, delivering plates, and closing out checks. Kay’s is a typical 1950s-style diner with a black-and-white checked floor, red vinyl seats, and a jukebox in the corner playing an old Madonna tune from the ’80s. There’s a long bar with red-topped stools, and the milkshakes rival Sundae’s over in my hometown of Silver Springs, but I’ll never admit to that out loud.

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Promise Me This (Chicago Railers Hockey #4) Read Online Jennifer Sucevic http://www.ilovenovels.com/promise-me-this-chicago-railers-hockey-4-read-online-jennifer-sucevic Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:11:00 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/promise-me-this-chicago-railers-hockey-4-read-online-jennifer-sucevic Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Contemporary, Sports Authors: Jennifer Sucevic Series: Chicago Railers Hockey Series by Jennifer Sucevic
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Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 85585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >87

I never planned to end up pregnant, alone, and starting over. But life unraveled faster than I could hold it together, and now the only thing that matters is protecting my baby… even if I have no idea what comes next.

Taking a live-in nanny job for Laiken Lennox is supposed to be temporary. A fresh start. A safe place to land while I rebuild my life. It’s not supposed to be dangerous.

Laiken is my brother’s teammate.
My new boss.
A guarded NHL goalie and devoted single dad already fighting a custody battle.

I tell myself I can handle the proximity.
The late nights.
The way he looks at me like I’m something worth saving.
But living under his roof blurs every line I swore I wouldn’t cross.
Especially when he starts caring for me in ways no one else ever has.

I’m carrying another man’s baby.
He’s the last person I should fall for.
But the more time we spend together, the more Laiken feels like the one thing I can’t lose.
And when the truth comes out, it could cost me everything.

Promise Me This is a forbidden, slow-burn pro hockey romance featuring a protective single dad, an off-limits nanny, and a secret that could tear them apart. It’s book four in the Chicago Railers series and can be read as a standalone

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1

Kia

The nausea hits before I’m fully awake.

One second I’m under the covers in my brother’s guest room, staring at the washed-out light seeping around the curtains, and the next my stomach cramps so hard it steals my breath.

“Oh crap,” I whisper, rolling onto my side.

My feet barely find the carpet before I’m rushing into the bathroom. The tile is cold against my bare feet as I drop to my knees, flip the seat up, and⁠—

My body takes over.

The vomiting is harsh and relentless, scraping up everything inside me until I’m shaking. My eyes sting and my throat burns. Even when there’s nothing left, my stomach continues to convulse.

Almost every morning for the past month has started out this way.

If I’m lucky, it’ll pass quickly. Sometimes it drags on for hours, leaving me to feel hollow and wrung out, stranded on the bathroom floor with fear buzzing beneath my skin.

I sag forward, my forehead resting against the cool porcelain as my hair hangs in damp strands along my temples. With my eyes closed, I breathe through my nose, trying to get my body under control.

My guess is that I’m around ten weeks pregnant.

Possibly eleven.

I stopped counting because numbers make it real, and real turns into panic faster than I’m able to manage. A bitter taste coats my tongue as I swallow and blink until the room stops swimming. It’s hard not to feel like the universe is punishing me for being naïve and trusting the wrong man.

The sound of footsteps padding down the hallway outside my room is enough to turn my blood to ice.

Please, please, please don’t let it be my brother.

I’m not ready to tell Oliver yet. I’ve spent weeks rehearsing the conversation in my head, testing different versions of the truth, but none explain how I let this happen. Or how I ignored all the warning signs when I handed my heart over to a guy who didn’t deserve it.

Here’s what I know: words aren’t going to fix this. But a plan will. Unfortunately, I’m still trying to figure that part out. So, until I have something concrete in place, I’m keeping this secret to myself.

The footsteps pause outside the bathroom door.

Shit.

My muscles brace on instinct.

“Kia?” Rina’s voice drifts through the door. A second later, she steps inside. Her expression fills with sympathy when she finds me on the floor. “Oh, honey.”

The relief that crashes over me is enough to make my shoulders sag. I hadn’t realized how tense I’d become until this moment. Rina grabs a clean washcloth from the counter and runs it under the water before crouching beside me. The gentle way she presses it to my forehead has my eyes burning all over again.

Even though we haven’t known each other long, we’ve bonded over our unexpected pregnancies. The shared understanding, unspoken fears, along with the strange mix of joy and terror that comes when you realize your life is about to change whether you’re ready or not.

Only, she has Oliver.

My brother is protective, loyal, and all in when it comes to this woman.

And I have⁠—

I squeeze my eyes shut and shove the thought away before it can finish forming.

I have myself.

That’s it. And for now, it’ll have to be enough.

“Are you okay?” she asks.

I nod, even though it’s a lie.

Her gaze skims over me, taking in everything I’m trying to hide from the tremor in my hands to the sheen of sweat on my forehead. Without comment, she rinses the cloth and wipes the corner of my mouth before folding and pressing it into my palm.

“Was it any worse today?”

I shrug. “Nah. About the same.”

She lowers herself beside me, her back against the cabinet. This isn’t the first time we’ve sat like this. It’s funny. I never thought my brother would settle down. But he fell hard for the Railers’ PR manager. And I can see why. Rina has a way of making me feel less alone in all of this. Her presence has been an unexpected lifeline. One I’m grateful for.

“I should’ve checked on you earlier,” she murmurs.

“It’s not your job to babysit me,” I mutter, swiping my mouth with the back of my hand. My knees ache against the tile. “I’m fine. Really.”

She lifts a brow. “You just threw up like your body’s trying to eject your soul. I’m going to go out on a limb and say you’re not exactly fine.”

A weak laugh slips out.

God, I’m so exhausted.

Exhausted from pretending I can carry all this alone.

And I’m scared.

No. What I am is terrified.

Maybe Collin is right, and I should’ve ended the pregnancy, but the thought never lasted long. How could I do that? How could I choose to get rid of the tiny life already growing inside me?

It doesn’t matter how hard this is going to be or how alone I might feel while facing it. When it comes down to it, there was never a choice to be made. I’m having this baby whether he agrees or not.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >87

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Keep Me Safe (Dangerous Obsession #2) Read Online Nikki Sloane http://www.ilovenovels.com/keep-me-safe-dangerous-obsession-2-read-online-nikki-sloane Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:51:02 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/keep-me-safe-dangerous-obsession-2-read-online-nikki-sloane Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Billionaire, Contemporary, Dark, Suspense Authors: Nikki Sloane Series: Dangerous Obsession Series by Nikki Sloane
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Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >96

She’s the one woman he can’t have, and falling for her isn’t just reckless—it could be deadly.

Billionaire Shawn Dunn has it all. Command of a global empire. Women who crave him. Wealth that means nothing is beyond his reach.

Yet Kara Hayward refuses to fall under his spell. She’s fire and defiance wrapped in temptation, the only woman who looks him in the eye and says no. It only makes Shawn want her more.

Getting involved would be shockingly dangerous. Kara’s sister is hiding from a ruthless assassin, and it’s safer for everyone if Shawn keeps his distance.

But the tension between them is inescapable. Every touch ignites. Every kiss sears hotter. Their desire grows into something more, something deeper . . . until the night everything burns.

Because the man hunting Kara’s sister has come to collect his revenge, and the price isn’t Shawn’s money, power, or pride.

It’s Kara.

* Keep Me Safe was previously published in 2014 as Keep by Karyn Lawrence (Nikki’s alter ego). This completely rewritten version features new content, more spice, and a point-of-view switch

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1

KARA

I sat motionless as all the color drained from my employee’s face.

“We have to terminate your employment, effective immediately,” I said. “I’m sorry. It was a difficult business decision that we’ve had to make. Your position has been eliminated.”

I knew I sounded robotic and unfeeling, but the truth was I felt like shit. Not just because of my jet lag, but because of the man who sat across from me in the glass conference room. Scott Rhodes’s jaw tightened until I was sure he was going to crack his teeth.

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” he hissed. “I expected nothing less from this company.”

Scott had been working at the Manhattan branch of Incentive Systems for the better part of twenty years, and he was the second person I’d had to let go this month.

I was a top-level project manager, the youngest at the company at only thirty years old, and I wasn’t experienced at laying people off. It’d be all right with me if I didn’t get any more practice at it.

Scott’s chaotic gaze went to my boss, who sat beside me. Jim had wanted this to happen for at least six months, but I’d fought a losing battle for my employee’s job. In Jim’s defense, Scott’s work had been declining. Plus, I’d heard rumors he was coming in late and leaving early, even after I’d put him on a performance improvement plan.

I still oversaw the New York implementation team from my office at the international headquarters in Maastricht, and rather than do it over a video call, I’d chosen to fly in from the Netherlands to relieve Scott. He was owed that for all his years, even if he’d been sliding.

“Human resources will be sending over a severance package,” Jim said. He looked, for lack of a better word, bored. Like he had no idea we’d sent the world crashing down on Scott.

This was just one of the many reasons why I’d left New York. My boss was kind of a dick.

Scott’s breathing was rushed, panicked. “What . . . happens now?”

“You’ll go to your desk,” Jim said, “and collect your items. Kara won’t hover, but we do need to make sure that’s done, and you leave immediately afterward.”

For a moment, I was concerned he wasn’t going to go quietly, and I held my breath.

But it left me in a relieved sweep when he rose from his chair, his glassy-eyed expression shifting away from me. He turned and plodded toward the door, leaving the conference room like a zombie.

“You still think flying in all the way from Europe was necessary?” Jim asked when the door swung shut.

“Yes.” I ignored his pointed question. It probably hadn’t made a shred of difference, but I wasn’t cold or unfeeling—and didn’t want anyone to view me that way either. If I hadn’t flown in, I was sure my ex-husband, who worked five floors up, would use it as an excuse to lobby for my dismissal. Paul had resented my climb through the company ranks from the moment I’d started here.

“The bright side is his wife will get less in alimony.”

I was able to disguise my personal feelings, but only barely. “He’s getting divorced?”

“Amber said the wife moved out last month. I thought you knew.”

“No, I didn’t. That explains why his work was suffering.”

Jim leaned back in his chair and stretched. “Yeah, maybe, but it’s not an excuse. People get divorced and keep doing their job all the time, you know. You did.”

I tore my gaze away from him so he couldn’t see my discomfort. The ink on my settlement papers had been dry for almost two years, but the word divorce was still a slap in the face.

“It wasn’t easy.” There was an understatement.

When he didn’t move, I stood on the high heels that hurt my feet. I was already tall at five-eleven, so the shoes were completely unnecessary. I loomed over people and made them uncomfortable. Really, I made men uncomfortable, and at this point in my life, that was a good thing. These shoes were a freedom now that I was single.

My ex-husband had been an inch shorter than me when I was flat-footed.

“I’ll go check on him,” I said.

I rounded the table and was halfway to the door when a woman darted down the hallway, sprinting past the conference room.

“What was that?” Jim asked.

It gave me pause. “Amber.”

“Was she running?”

Anxiety made the air in the room go thin. The offices beyond the glass were quiet. Too quiet.

I didn’t realize I was retreating until the table against my hip let me backpedal no farther. Even before I saw Scott and the small, silver handgun clutched at his side, I somehow knew.

Cold dread curled its fingers around me as he burst through the door and raised the gun toward Jim. His hand shook like he was completely out of control, which was exactly how I felt.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >96

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Make Me – Play Me Read Online Adriana Locke http://www.ilovenovels.com/make-me-play-me-read-online-adriana-locke Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:51:01 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/make-me-play-me-read-online-adriana-locke Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Contemporary Authors: Adriana Locke Advertisement

Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >82

I’ve always hated being told what to do.

Imagine my surprise when my grandmother calls me back to Sugar Creek and casually informs me that she’s leaving me the farmhouse I grew up in and a sizable inheritance.

There’s just one tiny little catch.

I must prove I understand our family’s legacy, and that I can stop chasing whims and put down roots … by marrying Hartley Adler

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Cast of Characters

Hartley Adler

Mira St. James

Audrey Van

Brooks Dempsey

Gianna Bardot

Drake Bennett

Gray Adler

Markie St. James

PLAYLIST

Playlist

“Just In Case” by Morgan Wallen

“Worst Way” by Riley Green

“Don’t Mind If I Do” by Riley Green and Ella Langley

“The Good Ones” by Gabby Barrett

“Love Somebody” by Morgan Wallen

“Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone

Go to Spotify for the full playlist.

CHAPTER

ONE

Mira

“Oh no. You will not bully me!”

My voice echoes through the empty car, loud enough for the red light glowing on my dashboard to hear. But it heeds me about as much as I heed it—which is to say, not at all.

“I need you to pull through for me one more time,” I say, patting the console. “Get me to Blackbird Ranch, and I promise I’ll start listening to you more.” I reach for the visor, tugging it down so I’m not blinded by the midmorning sun. “I mean, you know me, and the odds that you’re going to get regular oil changes aren’t great. But I’ll try my hardest to hit the gas station before you start screaming again if you can just hang in there for me. Okay?”

Bang!

“Ah!” I cringe as the passenger’s side of the car slams into a pothole that I didn’t notice until it was too late. Holding my breath, I listen closely for any sounds that would mean something broke. But after a solid minute of nothingness, I exhale. “I’m choosing to believe that isn’t an omen,” I mutter.

I glance down at my navigation screen and spot three little service bars. Finally. The service on the backroads surrounding Sugar Creek is hit or miss, and I always seem to forget that until it’s super inconvenient. But my elation over having contact with the rest of the world is diminished as soon as I glance at my phone.

No returned texts. No missed calls. No voicemails.

Dammit.

I bite my lip and press Hartley’s name for the twentieth time this morning. And for the twentieth time this morning, it rings until an automated voice tells me his mailbox is full.

“Come on, Hart,” I groan. “Answer your freaking phone.”

My fingers bite into the steering wheel as I glance at the clock. Practically speaking, I still have time. There’s not much wiggle room to spare, but I should be able to beat Oscar to Blackbird Ranch.

Chaos engulfs me—loud, urgent, and spiraling. Its tendrils wrap around every organ and nerve from head to toe. Because, yes, the delivery from Oscar will likely be … a situation. But the real situation wears a cowboy hat and mustache, and he probably won’t be smiling beneath it.

Before I can hit full-out panic mode, my phone rings. I accept the incoming call before I check the caller ID.

“Hey,” I say hurriedly, hoping like heck it’s Hartley’s voice on the other end.

“Why do you sound out of breath?”

I slump in my seat as I make a right onto Shoals Road. “Hey, Markie.”

My sister laughs. “Why do I feel like you’re on an epic side quest without me?”

“Because you know me. But trust me, this is one side quest you’re probably better off avoiding. Pleading ignorance will come in handy, I fear.”

“Oooh. Sounds juicy. Do tell.”

A smile slips across my lips until it splits my cheeks.

If anyone will understand this side quest, as she called it, it’s my sister. We’re alike in so many ways. We share thick, chestnut-colored hair, either big boobs or a short torso—it’s up for debate—and a propensity for finding ourselves in the middle of sticky situations that we should’ve seen coming. And this one is definitely sticky.

“I was headed to Patsy’s last night,” I say.

“Did you see Jasper there?”

I grin. “I thought you didn’t give a shit about Jasper anymore.”

She scoffs in disgust. I’m just not sure whether it’s at herself for asking about her ex-boyfriend, at me for calling her out, or at the failed relationship itself. Either way, a shit she does clearly give. “He can do whatever he wants. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not curious.”

I sigh, knowing all too well what she’s going through. It sucks to have broken up with a guy, regardless of the reason, and being desperate not to care. Yet you still find yourself wanting to know what he’s up to, even if it’s going to feel like a stab right to the heart.

Lucky for her, I have nothing to share. And that might be the only good thing about last night.

“Well, I don’t know what he was doing because I didn’t end up at Patsy’s,” I say. “I wound up at Oscar’s Auction House, where Patsy had an alcoholic pop-up, so I still got my beer—too many of them, it seems.” I pause to listen. Did the car just sputter? “After the auction, a bunch of us wound up convincing Oscar to let us hang out and play music. One thing led to another, and by the time I got back to your house, it was well after three this morning, and you were in bed.”

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >82

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Ruthless Mogul Read Online Whitney G http://www.ilovenovels.com/ruthless-mogul-read-online-whitney-g Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:50:54 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/ruthless-mogul-read-online-whitney-g Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Billionaire, Contemporary, Novella Authors: Whitney G. Advertisement

Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 32776 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >32

That moment when you show million-dollar apartments for a living—and quietly start sleeping in them because your place is the size of a shoebox…
I’ve been getting away with it for two years. No complaints, no close calls, nothing.
Until one afternoon a billionaire CEO walks in and finds me in his shower.
As much as I want to play it off, I’m completely naked and completely screwed.
This man’s heated stare is bad enough.
His name is worse.
Dante Hudson.
He’s the mogul behind Hudson International, which means he owns almost every building in this city, my job, and—at this point—my immediate future.
Within seconds, he’s threatening charges, termination, and making sure I never work in this city again.
So I do the only thing I can.
I run like hell and hope to never see him again.
It doesn’t work…
He knows where to find me, but to my surprise, he’s not interested in turning me in.
He has an offer instead.
A terrible, ‘you better not sign this’ deal, but I have no choice.
If I make it out of this without ruining my life, I swear I’m done breaking the rules.
…At least intentionally

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

THE CEO

DANTE

Being a “billionaire” was supposed to mean that I was entitled to buy whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

No price tag was too large, no budget was ever too much to consider, and the words “I want it” meant sold.

Period.

For years, I’d used my status to stamp my name all over this city. It sat on everything from the sleek skyscrapers that gleamed against the Hudson River’s waters, to the glittering glass condos that dotted Manhattan, and even the high-rise apartments that stood guard in Brooklyn and The Bronx.

And yet, the building I wanted the most—the one that I’d offered quadruple the asking price to buy—was being held hostage by protesters and city officials who hated me.

For no reason.

Well, no “good” reason.

“Mr. Hudson Is Too Damn Rich! He Can Eat a Bag of Dicks!” a deranged woman shouted into a megaphone as I stepped out of my car.

“Hey! Hey! Not Today!” her psycho colleague joined her. “The Holden Building Is Here to Stay!”

Usually, I would sip my coffee and stare at them while they screamed—letting them get a hint of satisfaction at me “listening” to them, but I didn’t have time today.

Moving past their signs, I strolled into my building and headed for the elevator.

“How long do you want to let them protest before we call the police today, Mr. Hudson?” my head security guard asked.

“You can give them five more minutes.”

“Are you pressing charges for trespassing?”

“Always.” I nodded. “Be sure to send the judge a gift in my name as well.”

“Very well, sir.”

The doors glided shut before the elevator carried me to my top floor.

I headed into the boardroom, anxious for this morning’s strategy meeting with my top assistants, highest-selling real estate agents, and the top person I trusted in my company: my executive broker, Anthony.

Taking a seat at the head of the table, I flipped open a brand-new folder titled “Ways to Make People Love Dante Hudson So He Can Buy The Holden.”

“Word of advice before we get started, Dante…” Anthony leaned closer. “Thank them for their hard work before storming off, and don’t threaten to fire them at the end.”

“If they give me some good ideas and suggestions, I won’t.” I adjusted my tie. “Making me look good is an easy job, trust me. I’ve looked in the mirror.”

“It would be easy if people in this city didn’t hate you,” he said. “They cannot stand you.”

“Lies.” I shook my head. “They admire me.”

“Your money, maybe, but that’s it. You are literally despised.”

“That won’t last long.” I waved a hand and cleared my throat. “I’m listening. Give me the ideas.”

“Well…” Alisha, the head of my luxury rental buildings, stood up from her seat. “We’ve all agreed that while your current persona may lean on the more ruthless and uh, evil billionaire side, we can correct that with some good ol’ community service from you.”

I arched a brow.

“We’re thinking that you could help the landscaping team plant some new flowers at all the parks you own.” She smiled. “Perhaps you can do that once a month.”

“No. Hell no.”

“It’s a good idea,” Anthony whispered. “It’ll make you look human.”

“I pay people to do my landscaping for a reason.” I rolled my eyes. “Next idea.”

“You could help clean up the lobby at one of the mid-tier complexes,” Alisha’s voice wavered. “We could make it a photo opportunity to show how much you care about everything in your portfolio.”

“I say ‘no’ to gardening, but you think I’ll say yes to scrubbing toilets?”

Her face paled and she looked around the room.

“What else?” I glared at her. “What are the other ideas that will make me come off less ruthless and more ‘let me buy The Holden?’”

“There’s also the idea of you giving all your tenants a few free months of rent?” Her voice was faint. “Everyone would run wild with how generous you are if you did that.”

“If I let people get away with not paying rent, how do I make money?”

“Well, you won’t…but just for like three months.”

“Then how about everyone in this room surrenders their paychecks instead?”

The room fell silent.

“These are the ideas you’ve been working on for weeks?” I felt my blood simmering. “This is it?”

“We’re working very hard, sir.”

“This meeting is over.” I stood up. “You all need to start looking for new jobs by the end of the week.”

I left the room and felt Anthony rushing after me.

“You literally did the exact opposite of what I suggested, Dante.” He groaned. “It’s not their fault you have a terrible reputation.”

“I just want to buy a goddamn building,” I said. “I shouldn’t have to do circus tricks to write a check.”

“I agree,” he said, sighing. “But if your heart is set on The Holden, you can start by being a bit nicer to everyone around you. You should also meet with the mayor again.”

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >32

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The Muse (The Chain of Lakes #2) Read Online Jewel E. Ann http://www.ilovenovels.com/the-muse-the-chain-of-lakes-2-read-online-jewel-e-ann Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:50:36 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/the-muse-the-chain-of-lakes-2-read-online-jewel-e-ann Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Contemporary, Funny Authors: Jewel E. Ann Series: The Chain of Lakes Series by Jewel E. Ann
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Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 96292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >97

Flynn Morley has spent his life getting by with as little as possible. No girlfriend. No real home. No money to speak of. Raised in the system, he learned early not to trust people who seemed to have everything. So when he takes a job as a “muse” for a wealthy Minneapolis couple, it feels like crossing a line he never thought he would.

Then he meets June.

June is a bike tour guide with a quick smile, a calm confidence, and a way of making Flynn feel seen without being judged. Their connection is immediate and playful, built on shared humor, quiet moments, and a mutual longing for a simple life.

As Flynn adjusts to his bizarre new job, he starts encountering something he never planned for: kindness without strings attached. It challenges everything he believes about money, power, and who gets to be comfortable in the world. And falling for June only complicates things, especially when it turns out she’s carrying secrets of her own.

When June’s past surfaces, Flynn has to decide what scares him more: becoming someone he’s always sworn he’d never be or letting her see his darkest secrets. If he can’t let go of his fears, he might lose the one person who finally feels like home

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Playlist

“Wi$h Li$t” | Taylor Swift

“Complicated" (Triple J Like a Version) | GRAACE

“Iris” - Live Sessions | Josh Ross

“Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major Prélude” | Johann Sebastian Bach, Yo-Yo Ma

“Serenade” | Franz Schubert, HAUSER, Robert Ziegler, London Symphony Orchestra

“Dangerous Woman” | Power-Haus, Tom Evans, Future Cello

“Nothing Else Matters” - Cello Version | Jodok Cello

“Moon River” | 2CELLOS

“Tired” | Sarah Proctor

“Hellos On The Loose” | Bo Staloch

“Everywhere, Everything” (With Gracie Abrams) | Noah Kahan

Maybe the journey isn’t about becoming anything. Maybe it’s about unbecoming everything that isn’t really you, so that you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.

—Paulo Coelho

Chapter One

Flynn

“My wife doesn’t like sex, so keep it in your trousers. I’d hate for you to embarrass yourself.”

Dude …

What’s happening?

First: Nothing about my “it” is embarrassing.

Second: What does it say about him if his wife “doesn’t like sex?”

Third: Who calls jeans trousers?

I force a tight smile and nod because, this morning, I took Rupert Rawlings’ cypress green Chevelle convertible for a joyride after giving it the platinum mobile detail service. He said he was golfing. I thought that meant four hours at a golf course, not thirty minutes with a simulator in the basement of his old mansion overlooking a lake just outside of downtown Minneapolis—a hub for outdoor enthusiasts, owners of designer dogs, and anyone who shops at Whole Foods.

I’ve been sitting in this same spot for forty minutes while he’s dicked around on his computer and stepped out of his office, twice, to make calls. At least he’s finally explaining the job he’s offering me in lieu of going to jail for grand theft auto—which it was not.

I inhale the scent of lemon furniture polish and musty old books. “What exactly are you hiring me to do besides keeping it in my trousers?” I ask, sprawled out on the cool, tufted brown leather sofa in Rupert’s office. The value of this single room exceeds that of any place I’ve ever lived. The arched doorway and floor-to-ceiling windows open to a view of the lake beyond the trees. Custom walnut cabinetry and shiny brass fixtures. Must be nice having money to burn on stupid shit.

“Do you know who you remind me of?” he asks, reclining in his cushy desk chair, hands laced behind his full head of black and gray hair.

“Yup, because I read minds.” I tear my gaze away from the wood-paneled ceiling to observe his reaction.

Rupert smirks. “You remind me of myself at your age.”

“Are you implying you were awesome or I’m destined to be a gazillionaire?”

“You’re the mind reader, so you tell me.”

I roll my eyes and sit up, running my hands through my hair. Maybe a ride in a police cruiser is the better option. “If your wife has to get herself off,” I say, “then awesome is off the table. Guess that means I’m gonna be a rich fucker.” I twist my lips. “They say money can’t buy happiness, but everyone I know thinks that’s bullshit. Personally, I hate rich people. They’re so out of touch with reality.”

This rich guy clears his throat, lifting an eyebrow at me.

I shrug. “Prove me wrong. I don’t think money buys happiness. I think it’s a burden. Money makes it too easy to become an entitled asshole.”

“Like me?”

“Dunno yet. I’ll let you know.” I scratch my chin. “But blackmailing me isn’t helping your case.”

He eyes me for a second before gripping the arms of his chair to stand. “I don’t need a case, because I have nothing to prove to anyone. I believe it’s called FU money. And no, it doesn’t buy happiness. Happiness is a fleeting emotion—at best.” The top of his crystal decanter clinks on the marble counter before he pours half a glass. Just one. This guy could work on his hospitality.

“Are you a shrink or something?” I ask. “Sounds like something a shrink would say.”

Rupert chuckles, facing me while leaning his backside against the edge of his desk. He sips the alcohol, dark eyes trained on me. I’m not afraid of much, but this guy could turn a simple joyride into a grand theft auto charge.

What must his life be like? I bet he has a dozen other suits just as fancy and expensive as the one he’s wearing. A person to shine his shoes before they get a single scuff. Maybe he’s a lawyer, and that’s how he knows he could put me in jail. I’d guess he’s in his fifties, but his hands are devoid of calluses. It’s unnatural. Not a speck of dirt under his trimmed nails. Does he get manicures with his wife?

I glance down at my grease-stained hands folded between my spread legs. Thick callouses. Two knuckles larger than the others from jamming them.

Pins and plates hold me together. I have so many scars from stitches that my friends call me Frankenstein’s monster.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >97

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Faking Forever (The Hawthornes #2) Read Online Natasha Anders http://www.ilovenovels.com/faking-forever-the-hawthornes-2-read-online-natasha-anders Wed, 20 May 2026 17:51:56 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/faking-forever-the-hawthornes-2-read-online-natasha-anders Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Contemporary Authors: Natasha Anders Series: The Hawthornes Series by Natasha Anders
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Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 104869 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >108

They married for a reason that no longer exists.
McKenna Hawthorne knows it’s only a matter of time before her husband leaves her. She’s a perfectionist, unaccustomed to failing, and she regrets starting something that never had a chance in hell of succeeding. But when he doesn’t leave, Kenny begins to tentatively hope that what they have can be more than just smoke and mirrors. Until he pulls the rug out from under her in the cruelest way possible, decimating her heart in the process.

Smith Jenson is ready to put this ill-advised marriage in his rear-view mirror. Write it off as an egregious lapse in judgment. He shouldn't have married her in the first place. They’re too different. She’s too… cold. Distant. Once upon a time, he’d cared enough to want to find out what lay beneath all those layers of control. Now he doubts that he’ll find anything of substance at all. Perhaps he could have been less harsh when he ended it. Less cruel. But Kenna is incapable of normal human emotion. He’d seen enough evidence of that over the course of their marriage. She can handle a few harsh words from him.

Their marriage is over. Doomed from the start. But with so much pain, resentment, and unfinished business still simmering between them, McKenna and Smith are not quite done destroying each other yet

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Prologue

Day 1

McKenna Hawthorne-Jenson couldn’t quite believe that they’d actually gone through with this farce.

She stared at the handsome man who stood smiling beside her and felt a disorienting sense of panic swell in her chest. She never panicked. Truthfully, she rarely felt much of anything. She was so accustomed to maintaining a tight rein on her feelings that she barely recognized the burgeoning bubble of emotion clawing its way up into her throat from her churning stomach as absolute terror.

Kenny had married a man she only kind of liked and sort of respected. And she’d married him for the worst possible reason.

She felt sick…but she’d felt sick so often lately she wasn’t sure if this time was because of this ill-advised jaunt into matrimony. Or because of the other, real reason she was standing beside this man with a fake smile plastered on her lips while dressed in an uncomfortably snug, mermaid-style wedding dress that wasn’t at all to her taste. The gown had sat perfectly at her last fitting, but that was no longer the case. Two of the concealed buttons in the back couldn’t close at all, and five more were hanging on for dear life.

Smith, her brand, spanking new husband, placed a warm, comforting hand on the small of her back and lowered his head to drop a whisper in her ear.

“You okay? You look a little green around the gills.”

The gesture probably looked very romantic to their wedding guests, most of whom stood staring at them with misty smiles. A few even awwed.

She kept what she was sure was a manic-looking grin on her lips as she offered him a succinct one-word reply, “Nauseous.”

“You want to take a break?”

A break? Kenny almost laughed at the ludicrous question. As if taking a break from one’s own wedding was even a possibility. She swallowed down her nausea and shook her head.

“I’m fine,” she informed him from between tightly clenched teeth while she clung to that smile as if her life depended on it.

“What about a sip of water? I could⁠—”

“I’m fine!” Her curt response cut him off and his face was troubled as he dipped his chin in a short nod and found his own—clearly fake—smile for their overenthusiastic photographer.

His hand fell away and she mourned its loss.

She shouldn’t have snapped at him. It was uncharacteristic of her. And she once again reflected on how she barely recognized herself anymore. She was an emotional mess, swinging wildly between tears, deranged laughter, and baffling rage from one minute to the next. It was frightening. Like she was losing herself within this swirling morass of messy, complicated, and often contradictory feelings.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered from between stiff lips, her face still frozen in that unconvincing rictus.

He once again lifted his strong, capable-looking hand, and it hovered between them uncertainly for a moment before he dropped it without touching her.

“This isn’t easy,” he said, the deep, soothing rasp of his voice washing over her like warm honey. She swallowed and felt the muscles in her face relax as her smile settled into something softer, gentler.

Smith wasn’t prone to exaggeration or hyperbole, but that was an understatement even by his austere standards. Kenny slanted a jaundiced glance at him, her silence speaking volumes.

He tugged his full lower lip between even white teeth as his concerned gaze swept over her face once more. His green eyes were piercing between those thick, fair lashes and she shifted uncomfortably beneath the weight of that stare.

“Sorry to interrupt,” the photographer said with a knowing little grin, clearly thinking he was interrupting some intimate, newlywed moment. “But we need just a few more shots with the parents.”

Smith released an impatient exhalation from his nostrils and glared at the man, whose smile immediately faded.

“We need a moment longer.” Despite the obvious irritation in his eyes, his voice remained quiet and neutral.

“No, we don’t,” Kenny denied. “I’m fine. Let’s just get it over with, okay?”

He shoved his hands into his pockets, his brow lowering, as he gave her a deeply unhappy stare. His broad shoulders shifted restlessly and he dipped his clenched jaw in reluctant assent.

“After you,” he invited and stepped aside, all sulky and sexy and snarly.

Kenny discreetly ran her damp palms over the elaborately beaded bodice of her dress and walked around his bulk to where his parents and her father stood waiting. Their siblings were also milling off to the side, clearly waiting for their turn at the photos.

God, what an unnecessary spectacle this was.

She regretted conceding to this three-ring circus. Smith had suggested a no fuss wedding in Cyprus, but Kenny had insisted on doing this “by the book,” knowing that her father would’ve had strong opinions about his only daughter having a quickie wedding. And neither of them had wanted people to speculate as to the reason behind their supposedly impulsive decision to marry.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >108

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Wicked Sanctuary (The McCarthy Family Legacy #2) Read Online Jane Henry http://www.ilovenovels.com/wicked-sanctuary-the-mccarthy-family-legacy-2-read-online-jane-henry Wed, 13 May 2026 18:52:58 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/wicked-sanctuary-the-mccarthy-family-legacy-2-read-online-jane-henry Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, BDSM, Dark, Erotic, Mafia Authors: Jane Henry Series: The McCarthy Family Legacy Series by Jane Henry
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Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 416(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >109

I’ve been watching her for six years.
Bianca White is sunshine and innocence.
I’m the monster they whisper about in the dark.
And she hates me, for good reason.
I told myself I’d stay away. That I’d keep my distance and just make sure she was safe. But on the night of her college graduation, I have no choice.
So I take her.
I cage my little bird in the woods where no one can touch her. Where no one can take her from me.
Yet she doesn’t take it easy. She fights me and begs to go back to the man who will kill her.
She’ll learn, though, that some cages are gilded for a reason, and that anyone who wants to harm her will have to come through me first.
Bianca didn’t know it, but she was always mine. Now everyone else will too.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Chapter One

Six Years Earlier…

Ashland

I love the taste of blood in my mouth during a fight. Proof I’m alive, that I’m winning. It tastes like victory.

I spit it on the floor of the ring, and red splatters across gray. The echo of cheering is like distant thunder, the smell of sweat and Guinness flooding my senses. The abandoned warehouse is officially a gym, but the underground knows that beneath the official exterior is where the real action takes place. This is where men like me come to fight, and I fucking love it.

Lawless. Violent. Cathartic.

My ribs ache where the Cork bastard caught me early, a hit I'll feel tomorrow. But when he comes in with a right hook, confident, thinking he's got me figured out, I duck. I drive my fist into his kidney. Once. Twice. Three times in rapid succession, each hit precise and targeted. I feel something give under my knuckles.

And I love this. God help me, I love this.

He grunts and tries to pivot away, but I'm too fast for him. He swings wild, desperate now, and clips my jaw. Blood floods my mouth, the familiar metallic taste sweet and satisfying. My opponent’s desperation is my first taste of victory.

Beautiful.

He grins, breathing hard, and his guard drops.

“Come on, then,” I say, my voice rough. I tap my jaw where he hit me. “That's all you’ve got?”

He charges.

I sidestep and drive my elbow into the base of his skull. Not hard enough to do permanent damage—I'm not trying to kill the fucker—but hard enough.

He staggers, and his knees buckle.

I'm on him before he can recover. Left jab to the temple, right cross to the cheekbone. I feel the satisfying crack under my knuckles. Another shot to his fucked-up ribs, and this time, something cracks.

“Finish him, Ash!” Tiernan shouts from somewhere behind me, and it's all the encouragement I need.

I drive my knee into his stomach. The air leaves his lungs in a sick whoosh.

He drops face-first on the canvas. The ref's beside him instantly, checking him, and I step back. My chest heaves. My hands throb. There's blood on my knuckles, and I can't tell if it's his or mine.

His crew screams for him to get up, but he won't, not after what I did to his ribs. Wouldn't be wise, would it?

“Time.” The ref's voice echoes through the warehouse, and the crowd erupts.

I don't hear them when I'm playing, don't hear them when I'm fighting, but I do after I win a damn fight.

“McCarthy! McCarthy! McCarthy!”

The McCarthy family's name is one of their favorite cheers, and I fucking love it. I love being part of something bigger, knowing I stand in solidarity with my brother and cousins.

Today, I don't move or raise my arms, don't celebrate. I just stand there, knuckles split and bleeding, waiting for the roar to fade. It doesn't, really.

I've found that violence just sits in my chest like a living thing, coiling tighter and tighter until the next fight. I've come to welcome it.

“Ash.” Tiernan's voice cuts through the roar of the crowd. “Get out of the damn ring, lad, will you?”

I turn and find him at the ropes. Tiernan's been in my corner since before I was tall enough to throw a proper punch. My mother's brother, near enough my age to feel like a brother himself. He has a family of his own now, but he's always been my mentor.

“Y'alright, lad?” he asks as I duck through the ropes. He tries to dab blood off my face with a rolled-up rag, but I swat his hand away and reach for the bottle of water—swig it, swish it in my mouth, and spit out blood. He reaches for my hands instead and starts unwinding the tape.

“Aye. Grand.”

“That wasn't grand, Ash,” he says, giving me the look of pride mixed with worry I've come to recognize. “That was fuckin' brutal.” He leans closer, and I can see the gray mixed with ginger in his hair, the lines around his eyes, and the way his brow creases. I remember when I thought he was invincible—the day I saw him in this ring and decided it would be me one day. Tiernan’s a legend here in Ballyhock.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >109

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Callous Desire (New York Underworld #4) Read Online Charmaine Pauls http://www.ilovenovels.com/callous-desire-new-york-underworld-4-read-online-charmaine-pauls Wed, 13 May 2026 18:52:28 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/callous-desire-new-york-underworld-4-read-online-charmaine-pauls Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Dark, Mafia Authors: Charmaine Pauls Series: New York Underworld Series by Charmaine Pauls
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Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 105775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >111

His weapon is seduction, the battlefield between his sheets, and cruel betrayal the blade he plunges deep.

My mother raised me on knights in shining armor and happily-ever-afters. She groomed me to be the perfect mafia princess. It was only natural that I’d believe in fairy tales.

Only, I didn’t fall for the prince.
I fell in love with my father’s enemy.

I’ve never deluded myself about the man Dante is. Powerful. Cold. Ruthless. Brutal. Bad doesn’t come close to describing him. But when he held me in his arms in a rented room, he showed me that he could be good. Just for me. He always chained the monster when I was pinned beneath him, at my most vulnerable and exposed, in the most dangerous place I could be.

The darkness I glimpsed in him is embedded in his soul, coloring his heart and world black. I knew exactly what I was getting into when I lost myself to a callous man. I just couldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams that his seduction was only part of a cruel strategy and that I was nothing but the pawn he used for his revenge.

Callous Desire is the first book in the Callous Duet and ends on a cliffhanger. Tatiana and Dante's story concludes in Callous Love. The duet is part of the dark mafia romance New York Underworld series (Books 4 & 5). You don't have to read the other books in the series to follow this duet

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Chapter

One

Tatiana

* * *

Unease creeps up on me as I peer through the window at the red truck parked on the opposite side of the street. The shiny bodywork and flashy wheel caps stand out in a neighborhood where people don’t polish their cars. It’s almost as if the owner wants to attract attention, which would be a good sign for me. If someone were on my tail, that person would’ve tried to blend in with the less fancy and not-so-expensive vehicles lining the curbs and driveways.

Still, I can’t help but steal a worried glance at Noah, who’s making fighter jet noises while flying a paper plane through the lounge.

Abandoning my task of packing chipped porcelain figurines into a box, I call to the back of the house.

“Jazz?”

I’m grateful for the sheer curtains that allow me to see outside but prevent others from seeing in. I hate that I’m like this, spooked by a vehicle simply because it seems out of place and the driver has shown up around the same time for the past two days. For all I know, the neighbor is having an affair, and the truck belongs to her lover. But being suspicious has become a part of my nature.

My best friend walks through the doorway that connects to the corridor, bogged down by the weight of the box in her arms. “Please tell me it’s knock off time.” She drops the box on top of the other ten or so stacked in the middle of the floor and dusts her hands on her jeans. “I’ve had my quota of sorting through messy papers for one day.” She twists a mass of cherry-brown curls into a bun on her head and secures it with a scrunchy that she pulls off her wrist. “Has your client never heard of filing or shredding? Some invoices date back twenty years. Don’t get me started on all those moth-eaten magazines from before I was born. Who keeps magazines for fifty years? At least the study is done. I’ll need a whole lot of caffeine before we tackle the basement, and I’m talking the good Colombian stuff and not that cheap replacement you call coffee.”

Noah runs a circle around my legs. “Whooossshhhh!”

He doesn’t seem to pay us attention, but I’ve learned that kids’ brains are like little computers that can store everything that comes out of your mouth, even when they’re watching Looney Tunes with a bad, tinny sound blasting from an old, fat-belly television, so I’m careful to lower my voice. “Have you seen the red truck parked out front?”

“Yeah.” She blows a stray curl from her forehead. “Don’t sweat it. I’ve already checked it out. Those snazzy wheels belong to a guy doing a handyman job for the neighbors.”

Alarm quickens my breathing. “Did you speak to the neighbor?”

She grimaces. “Not exactly.”

Hold on. I hope she didn’t do what I think she did.

My heart speeds up. “You spoke to him?”

“I just said hi when I took out the trash.”

I press a palm on my forehead. No. No way. “You asked what he was doing here?”

She props her hands on her hips. “I may have squeezed that question in between, ‘Hello. Nice ride,’ and⁠—”

“Jazz!” I exclaim under my breath. “You’re not supposed to talk to anyone. Please tell me you didn’t give him your name.”

Noah clambers onto a box, flying his plane higher. I step closer, ready to catch him if he loses his balance.

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