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 Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:28:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 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 Lovely Venom (Empire of Kings #3) Read Online A. Zavarelli http://www.ilovenovels.com/lovely-venom-empire-of-kings-3-read-online-a-zavarelli Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:28:02 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/lovely-venom-empire-of-kings-3-read-online-a-zavarelli Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Contemporary, Dark, Forbidden, Mafia Authors: A. Zavarelli Series: Empire of Kings Series by A. Zavarelli
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Total pages in book: 148
Estimated words: 143870 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 719(@200wpm)___ 575(@250wpm)___ 480(@300wpm)

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I’ve spent six years hiding behind a fake identity, too many deadbolts, and secrets that could destroy me.
Trust isn’t an option. Especially when it comes to the man who doesn’t know I’m rival blood.
In the Cosa Nostra, they call him Il Corvo—the Raven.
On the surface, he’s cold, controlled, aloof…and definitely not interested.
So I made a deal with a mysterious masked stranger instead.
It was supposed to be a simple arrangement. He would help me explore my desires and overcome my fears. No names, no attachments. But when it got too real, I ran.
What I didn’t know was that he had secrets of his own.
Because the man who’s haunted me for the last three years?
He might go by a different name…
But he and the Raven are one and the same

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

PLAYLIST

“Hope Is A Dangerous Thing For A Woman Like Me To Have” – Lana Del Rey

“Video Games” – Lana Del Rey

“Hypnotic” – Zella Day

“Bruises” – Lewis Capaldi

“Haunted” – Isabel LaRosa

“Heaven” – Julia Michaels

“More Than Friends” – Isabel LaRosa

“But I Am A Good Girl” – Christina Aguilera

“Happiness Is A Butterfly” – Lana Del Rey

“Feel Like Shit” – Tate McRae

“Ain’t No Other Man” – Christina Aguilera

“The Only Exception” – Paramore

“Dirty Thoughts” – Chloe Adams

“Middle Of The Night” – Elley Duhe

“Sorry” – Halsey

PROLOGUE

CHANTEL

Rough words. Steady hands.

A dark, addictive scent that wraps around me and doesn’t let go.

Those details are imprinted on me, and three years later, I still can’t erase the lingering ache of our final night together.

The memory lives inside me, haunting me in my dreams and loneliest hours.

It was supposed to be simple. No names. No attachments. Clear rules. But nothing about my time with him was simple, and when the memories come rushing back, they consume me.

“Do you remember what I told you, dea?”

The weight of his hand settles on my throat, tipping my head back as his voice brushes against my ear.

There’s something so possessive about the way he touches me. It sends lightning through my veins and makes it hard to breathe at times.

Of course he knows.

The efficiency with which he’s learned to read my reactions is as terrifying as it is fascinating. He’s observant, calm, composed, and he speaks with the quiet kind of authority a man can only be born with.

It makes sense that he chose Bran the Blessed as his alias because the watcher sees everything.

He knows when I need his control and when I need my own. He recognizes when to push and when to give. Nothing is forced. He leaves the door open and allows me to surrender on my terms.

And with him, surrender has become inevitable. My body reacts to him almost instinctively when he directs me now, and somehow, he calms the chaos inside my mind. It’s liberating, but also confusing.

A dynamic like ours can only work if I risk the free fall, knowing he’ll be there to catch me. But trust isn’t something I give easily, or in most cases, at all. I’ve spent years forging this armor around me, and it’s been impenetrable until him.

With every fear he strips away, he dismantles another piece of my defenses, leaving me exposed and vulnerable. Paradoxically, I can handle dysfunction because my nervous system recognizes it, but these moments of safety?

They unravel me.

Tonight, it’s so much more intense than anything else we’ve done. Beneath the blindfold, all I have to rely on are my senses. But even without sight, he’s there when I close my eyes.

Large, masculine hands. Dark hair. The smooth, well-carved lines of his jaw, and the steady pulse in his neck. The only mystery remains obscured beneath the matte black half-mask, but I know his eyes would be as devastating as the rest of him.

He’s all man—a fortress of muscle and bone, with the kind of protector energy that feels nothing less than primal.

That presence swallows me whole as I sit on his lap.

I’m familiar with the brush of his immaculate suit when he touches me, but tonight his chest is bare.

It’s become a ritual for me, drinking in the sight of him as he enters the room, methodically removing his cufflinks and loosening his tie.

When he takes off his suit jacket and rolls up the sleeves of his dress shirt, my mind conjures up the most unholy thoughts I’ve ever had. But seeing that broad expanse of olive skin for the first time, the ridges of muscle along his abdomen, and that faint dusting of dark hair that disappears beneath his trousers? My brain short-circuited.

“Peak male evolution” isn’t a strong enough description.

The pull of his masculinity triggers a primitive urge to lay myself bare for his pleasure.

If only he’d let me.

I often wonder what’s in this arrangement for him. He’s a man built to claim, and I’m certain he’d have plenty of willing subjects. But here he is with me, patiently working through these exercises in trust as he gives me pleasure and never takes any for himself.

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When the Smoke Clears Read Online Jewel E. Ann http://www.ilovenovels.com/when-the-smoke-clears-read-online-jewel-e-ann Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:27:28 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/when-the-smoke-clears-read-online-jewel-e-ann Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Contemporary Authors: Jewel E. Ann Advertisement

Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 104657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 523(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >108

From USA Today bestselling author Jewel E. Ann comes a bittersweet second-chance romance about deferred love, impossible timing, and the courage of choosing happiness after devastating loss.

Everleigh Reichart and William Landry fell hard—and far too fast. Their weeklong romance ended the moment Will, a twenty-nine-year-old firefighter, learned the Everleigh was seventeen. He walked away to protect them both. Destiny had other plans.

Eleven years later, Will is still running into burning buildings, while Everleigh has become a brilliant psychiatrist. When a house fire strands her on his land, their old feelings ignite like patient embers. But she’s desperate to keep concealing the childhood trauma that has shaped her life, and he’s struggling under the weight of his father’s terminal illness. Too soon, the strain snaps their fragile reunion, flinging them farther apart than ever before.

Now Everleigh must face her past to salvage a future with Will… if he can accept that loving her includes the broken parts too. But first, he needs to come and find her—this time by faith, not fate

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

Chapter One

Will

This could have been tragic. Thank god it’s empty, because there’s no way I’d send a single firefighter into the crackling inferno, windows popping, glass flying, and smoke so thick I can taste it in the hot July night air. The roof is seconds away from collapsing.

“You know who lives here?” our Station 2 squad captain asks in his tenor tone that matches his high energy.

“Unfortunately,” I grumble, adjusting my helmet as my engine crew keeps their lines on the fire. The owner of this flame-engulfed house tried to get me arrested eleven years ago.

He chuckles. “Why do you say it like that? Do you have a problem with Dr. Reichart? She’s a prodigy, ya know.”

“Yeah, she’s . . . something,” I say because she has ruined all prodigies for me.

After the fire is out and the overhaul is nearly complete, the prodigy flies out of her black Subaru on the opposite side of the street and sprints toward the house. “Marie!” She drops to her knees just past the sidewalk, hand over her mouth, tears springing from her eyes.

The squad captain nudges me. “You should do something.”

I sigh, tossing my jacket onto the front seat of the fire engine before adjusting my two-way radio over my turnout pants straps, boots scuffing along the sidewalk as I make my way to her. “Everleigh, I’m sorry for your loss. Is there anyone I can—”

“You didn’t save Marie!” She leaps to her feet. Despite being half my size, she digs her claws into my shirt, attempting to shake me. Long amber hair falls out of her ponytail while she bleeds tears onto her fitted white T-shirt.

“We did a primary and secondary search. There was no one in the house.”

“Marie Curie was in there! My canary.”

“A bird?”

She stills, but her grip remains firm, eyes narrowed into slits. “Yes, William. Marie Curie was a beautiful yellow canary. And you let her die as if the death of my virginity wasn’t enough for you.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. I survey the area for onlookers. “I’m”—I grunt and peel her talons out of my shirt—“sorry we didn’t save your bird. The smoke probably took her before we arrived.”

“Please stop trying to placate me. It’s an insult to my intelligence.”

I was one hour, one hour, away from the end of my shift. It shouldn’t be me standing here insulting her intelligence with my placating.

“What started it?” She sniffles and wipes her face with the back of her hand.

“I don’t know. They’ll investigate and let you know when they make a determination.”

“Where will I go?” She stares at the charred remains.

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Well”—I reach for her shoulder before rethinking the gesture and dropping my hand back to my side—“I need to return to the station.” Before she tears her gaze from the wreckage, I retreat a step, and then another, and—

“My things,” she mumbles, blotting more tears. “All my things are gone.” Her words die, barely a whisper.

I tell myself to walk away. If this were anyone else, I’d give my condolences and return to the station. It’s been more than a decade since she tricked me into taking her virginity. She’s a doctor who makes a shit ton more money than I do. Her house burned down, but I’m sure it’s all insured. Really, what can I do?

Am I a monster? No, so I do what any decent human would do. I volunteer my ex-roommates. “You should call Jamie. I’m sure she and Fitz would love to help you out.”

“Really?” Everleigh shifts her attention to me with a glimmer of hope in her teary eyes.

“Sure. Do you have her number?”

“I think so. Jamie was one of my favorite nurses. Did you know that?”

“Yeah, she’s great.” I puff out my Good Samaritan chest and grin. “Call her. They have two extra bedrooms. Jamie will loan you some clothes and any other”—I wave my hand in the air—“female things you need.”

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >108

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Gravehouse (Cursed Lovers Duet #2) Read Online Amo Jones http://www.ilovenovels.com/gravehouse-cursed-lovers-duet-2-read-online-amo-jones Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:32:34 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/gravehouse-cursed-lovers-duet-2-read-online-amo-jones Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Billionaire, Dark, Suspense Authors: Amo Jones Series: Cursed Lovers Duet Series by Amo Jones
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Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 100493 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >102

She has his dead sister’s heart. And that makes her entirely forbidden.

A stranger died, and Jassy was given a second chance at life. Now she’s finally chasing her dream of becoming an actress…and falling hopelessly in love with the mysterious billionaire who saved her life. The only problem? He keeps pushing her away.
Maximo’s rigid routine shatters the moment Jassy moves under his roof. He wants her more than he’ll ever admit. So he does the only thing he knows how to do. He keeps hurting the woman he can’t stop wanting.

A billionaire age-gap romance featuring slow burn, forced proximity, protective alpha heroes, laugh-out-loud banter, and a heroine who wears her heart on her sleeve

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

PROLOGUE

Thud.

His head rolled under the grand piano.

Le Boucher Sans Loi watched blood spread across the marble and gather around his boots before it ran on toward the dead man’s severed hand.

The study had been arranged to announce power to anyone who got past the walnut doors. Shelves climbed two stories. Leather chairs faced the fireplace at careful angles. A crystal decanter waited beside two glasses, set out for the civilized conversation rich men preferred before arranging another person’s death.

One chair had overturned during the struggle. The dead man’s torso lay against it, shoulders wrenched back until it gave.

Le Boucher drew a cigar from inside his coat. His gloves left a dark smear across the wrapper. He inspected the damage, clipped the cap, and struck a match against the underside of the desk.

The flame caught, and smoke filled his mouth, bitter and warm, before he pushed it out through his nose. Beneath the tobacco sat the dense metal odor of fresh blood, opened bowels, and fear.

Death had a scent long before decay claimed it. Blood was a word that was easy to digest, but Blood was only the beginning.

No one would find this rot. He planned to leave it here until the ground took it back.

He lowered the match into one of the crystal glasses, killing the flame in the remaining whiskey.

The head beneath the piano faced the wall. Dark hair covered most of the cheek.

If he was being honest, Le Boucher didn't plan for the man to leave with his life, but he didn't expect to kill him so quickly either. Guess that was what he got for thinking Le Boucher was some hit man

His hand went to the back of his neck without permission. The muscle had knotted there, hard enough to ache. He rolled his shoulders once beneath his coat and took another pull from the cigar.

He looked toward the desk. One drawer stood open. A compact pistol lay half inside it, caught against a leather ledger. The dead man’s fingers had missed the grip by less than an inch.

“That went well,” Le Boucher murmured.

The dead were excellent confidants.

Crossing to the body meant stepping around the deepest blood. His soles peeled off the marble with each step. He crouched, setting the cigar across the rim of the clean glass. The dead man wore casual clothes, his collar open on a narrow strip of skin. No pulse there. Head under the piano aside.

Two fingers into the inside pocket found a wallet. Cards, cash, and a photograph folded twice.

He opened the photograph.

Three people huddled together, one a child. Le Boucher studied the child for one breath, then folded the picture along its old lines and returned it to the wallet.

Children deserved better.

He searched the outer pockets. Keys in the left. A small folding knife in the right. Two receipts, one from a private club and another from a jeweler. The jeweler’s total carried enough zeroes to buy affection from anyone willing to rent it by the hour.

A dark rectangle pressed against the fabric near his right hip.

There.

He drew out the phone and wiped the bloody edge against the dead man’s jacket before moving to the head and taking hold of the hair. The strands were damp between his gloves. He turned the face toward the ceiling.

The eyes were open.

One had filled with blood where a vessel had burst. The other stared past Le Boucher at the painted cherubs above the piano. The mouth hung open around a breath it never finished.

The neck had been cut cleanly. His weapon was made for that work, though human bone always demanded commitment. Anyone who claimed otherwise had only watched from a safe distance.

Le Boucher held the phone above the face.

The lock opened.

He lowered the head carefully. It rolled an inch before the cheek settled against the floor.

The phone showed a stack of notifications: missed calls, messages, a banking alert.

None carried the name he needed.

Back on his heels, he opened the messages. His thumb moved through conversations while the cigar burned behind him.

Most were useless.

Reason to believe failure. She has been infected. Nonna made sure of it.

Le Boucher opened that exchange.

Ah. So this is how we got to this point.

His jaw tightened. The cigar smoke no longer covered the odor rising from the rug. He stood and carried the phone to the desk, where the reading lamp threw a narrow pool of yellow across the ledger and pistol.

We will call in Le Boucher. He will handle it.

Arrogant bastard.

Killing him this early had made everything ahead harder. Le Boucher didn’t care. He had patience, and in time she would come apart the way everyone comes apart.

Under his knife.

CHAPTER

ONE

ASHER

ONE YEAR AGO

My odds were shit from the start. Either my name or the slopes were gonna take me out eventually. But her?

Fuck.

I try to lift my head, but it weighs a thousand pounds, pulling at the muscles in my neck.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >102

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Where I Should’ve Been (Red Bridge #3) Read Online Max Monroe http://www.ilovenovels.com/where-i-shouldve-been-red-bridge-3-read-online-max-monroe Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:11:50 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/where-i-shouldve-been-red-bridge-3-read-online-max-monroe Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Contemporary Authors: Max Monroe Series: Red Bridge Series by Max Monroe
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Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 113270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >118

Resonance is supposed to be like finding your other half.
I’m not sure how that’s going to work, considering that I already feel like I’m only half of who I’m supposed to be. I’ve lost my memories of Earth. I can only recall fragments of a rich cultural heritage that I want back more than I want to resonate.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be in the cards.
Instead of returning my memories, fate has decided that I should resonate to cat-like Valmir, the most unlikable gladiator stranded on this planet alongside the human clones. He thinks I should take him to my furs, but I think I’d rather fling myself into the ocean. To stall the inevitable, I make a honey-do list for Valmir. If he completes a task for me, I’ll let him win a bit of my attention. A flirty touch here, a quick caress there. It’ll buy me time to figure out who I really am.

And in the meantime, it’s rather fun to make Valmir squirm

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

Prologue

I come over the hill, expecting to see home; instead, the devil bares his teeth in a heated smile, his wicked, dancing jubilation a most unholy welcome to hell.

My memories, my things, my home, picked for its perfect, quaint setting and idyllic white fence—up in flames.

The sight is a punch to the gut in every sense it can be, a glowing mix of orange and thick black and ash curling into the otherwise blue sky.

Before I can even think, my body moves. The truck isn’t fully stopped when I’m out, my boots hitting half-melted snow, and my knees jarring on the loose, sloppy ground.

But I don’t slow. I can’t.

The glow of fire through the shattered windows is all I see. All I feel. A living thing devouring everything I know.

I hit the front door with a shoulder, snapping the wood frame with ease and barreling into the house in what feels like a fraction of a moment.

My foyer is dismally dark, the normal laughter of jokes and banter created with love replaced by a smoke so thick I can’t even see my hand six inches in front of my face. My lungs feel heavy but not with soot—with the real, raw reality that my limitations as a human are on the precipice of being challenged. I overpower the feeling with urgency.

I can and will do whatever I have to do, no matter the cost.

Fear coats my movements, forcing me to rely on my training and muscle memory fully. I can hear my own breath in my ears, feel the thud of my heart in my chest, and see the film reel of a life in this house as it’s eaten by the lick of unbearably hot flames.

Palming the wall, I walk along it blindly with nothing to guide me but the experience of walking it a thousand times before and the determination to see if she’s okay—to see if they’re okay. To get them to safety as quickly as possible.

“Where are you?” I yell, my voice muffled unbearably. “Are you in here? Can you hear me?”

Ash and water mix with still-hot embers as they rain down on me, the crew outside fighting to knock down the flames enough to keep the structure standing. Beams above me burn near clean through, and the walls feel hollow to the touch. I use my elbows and fists to knock through barriers, but it gets harder and harder with every step I take forward.

This should be a hall—open and free from debris—to the back of the house, but it’s nothing more than an obstacle course now, burned and beaten by a fire that’s been unattended for just a little too long.

Words don’t seem clear or crisp right now, so I revert to anguish, screaming loudly instead.

I listen intently, and for a heartbeat, there’s nothing but my heavy breathing and the crackle and groan of failing wood in response.

Then, a sound. A cry. It’s faint, but it’s desperate enough to chill me to the fucking bone despite the temperatures being well over a thousand degrees.

The call wasn’t wrong. They’re inside.

Some part of me believed they weren’t; some part of me ignored the description of the dispatcher when she said people may be trapped. The most naïve part of me believed this couldn’t and wouldn’t happen to me.

Fuck!

I move more quickly, ignoring the creak and crackle of succumbing wood and pushing myself to my knees to go farther when structural collapse denies me at my full height. I have to get to them. I have to.

My brother Randy’s muffled yell rings out behind me, but I ignore it, pushing forward anyway.

I can save them, and I will.

Tad Hanson can do anything when he has to. There’s no other option.

1

Breezy

Monday, January 11th

If betrayal had a sound, it would be the rip of packing tape—a life redirected, a stage cut short, an eviction notice from best-laid plans.

If it were something new, I’d let myself be surprised.

But in my family, duplicity isn’t just common; it’s practically an art form. Cheating, arson, divorces, scandals—the Bishops could fill a museum with our disasters and still have leftovers for the archives.

The tape screeches sharply across cardboard and echoes in the newly hollow space of my Chelsea office like a taunt. Go on, Breezy. Pretend this isn’t gutting you. Pretend you’re not dismantling your whole damn life, one box at a time.

I catch my reflection in the big window behind my desk, and a humorless laugh bubbles up. It’s giving The Walking Dead: Manhattan Socialite Edition. My makeup is three days old and half sloughed off, my black bob is in wavy disarray, and the same gray dress slacks and white silk shirt I’ve pulled from the dry cleaner’s plastic three too many times tell the tale of a once-successful woman cast aside to the underworld of lost motivation and deep emotional wounds.

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Chase Read Online Raleigh Ruebins http://www.ilovenovels.com/chase-read-online-raleigh-ruebins Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:11:31 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/chase-read-online-raleigh-ruebins Genre: Angst, Erotic, M-M Romance Authors: Raleigh Ruebins Advertisement

Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 109038 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >111

Chase was never part of my plan.
A windstorm is hitting when I find him on the hotel rooftop.
He’s young. Wild. Impulsive. Standing at the edge of twenty stories, until I grab his arm.
And then I realize he doesn’t recognize who I am.
Chase sees me, not just the hot new actor. And he’s in pain.
He’s straight, but he wants to try something with me.
And then he becomes obsessed. And I cross a line I swear I never would again.
Logan is everything I’m not.
He’s perfect. Golden-haired. Then I find out he’s a star on TV.
I’m pure chaos, wrapped in a red-flag bow with a sprinkling of ADHD and touch fixation.
I admit my hands are needy, but he’s starved for touch, too.
I don’t do this with men, but he’s mysterious. Intriguing. So different from me.
My art is my world, and I paint in neon, take vivid photos, and want to capture him, too.
I’m getting possessive, greedy, hungry… addicted to his touch.
He’s not mine.
But when we’re together, I tell him he is. Over and over again.
And I’m starting to believe it

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

CHAPTER 1

LOGAN

I knew it would be a bad idea to come to the bar in broad daylight. Thinking with my dick is never the best choice, but it doesn’t ever seem to stop me.

The bartender has been staring at me. The Bellwood Hotel lounge is luxurious and private, and I thought I could escape fans and paparazzi and stay on the down low, but for the last ten minutes the young bartender’s eyes have been following me like he’s the goddamn Mona Lisa.

I know he recognizes me from TV.

A flash of sunlight reflects off a glass on the bar top and I wince a little, a jolt of adrenaline hitting my spine.

Chill out.

Act normal.

It wasn’t a camera flash, and it wasn't paparazzi.

I’m so on guard now that any flash will make me flinch worse than actual pain, apparently. I shift on the buttery-soft leather booth seat and swirl the Scotch I’ve been nursing for a while now, watching the golden liquid glint in the sun.

I’m halfway through this neat pour of liquor and it’s only 2 o’clock, which was another questionable decision. But it’s my first day off all month, and I got greedy when I thought I might be able to find a casual quickie in a place like this.

Then the bartender started focusing on me.

Intently.

And I realized it’s stupid to think I can be anonymous anymore.

I open my phone and see the punishing notification circle above my messages.

341 unread texts, and my email is tenfold worse.

I tap into my messages with Emily, ignoring the angry red dots.

Logan

Is it still considered thinking with your dick if you aren’t acting on your thoughts?

Emily

If you end up fucking someone, yes. If you’re just looking… still yes, I think.

I’m just looking. Probably.

I grin at the message and lock my phone again.

My manager Emily has been the brightest spot through all this. She’s been my friend for much longer than I’ve been famous, and I’d trust Emily with anything. She’s one of the only people who hasn’t started treating me differently now that my career exploded.

I gaze back up at the bartender.

I’ve been waiting for him to come ask for a selfie.

He pushes his dark hair to one side and his cheekbones stand out in the afternoon sun, like he’s trying to show off how good he looks. He’s young, and my TV show, Yard Line, is massively popular with with men in their early twenties, so he’s probably a fan.

I’ve stopped trying to hide that I’m staring back.

If he’s too proud to come up and ask for my autograph, I’m at least going to enjoy the eye candy.

He knocks over a small stack of paper coasters and a few fall onto the floor.

And he just leaves the coasters there, walking off.

Like a heathen.

I slide out from my booth and walk over to the bar, grabbing them and gathering them up.

“Trying to take my job?” he asks.

“Seemed like you were just going to leave them there,” I tell him, going back to my booth and settling in.

I watch as he cleans the beer taps, and now I seem to have instigated something.

“I was going to get them in a second. You going to keep staring at me or actually come up to the bar?”

He says it casually, with no venom in his tone. I get the sense that he’s teasing me.

“You’ve been staring at me since I walked in.”

He looks lightly amused. “Because you came in and got a Scotch at 2 o’clock.”

“And I'm almost ready for another. I’ll take a refill. Promise I'm a good tipper.”

He abandons the beer taps, his bar rag, and everything else he’s left behind, grabbing the bottle of single malt. He comes out from behind the bar, striding over to the edge of my table.

He eyes my glass, which is currently still in my hand. “Want to give me the tumbler, or are you waiting for me to pour it in your mouth?”

I hum, sliding the glass over on my table. “I guess you’re a fan of episode four.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “What?”

“Episode four. Where Damien leans over the bar and gets a shot poured right in his mouth.”

He neatly pours another serving for me, and I watch his lashes flick upward as he meets my gaze.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about. But if you want anything in your mouth, you’ll need to pay that big tip up front.”

He lifts his eyebrows at me before he walks back off.

I pause for a moment as a realization hits me, heat flooding my body.

Oh, fuck.

I’m a total douche.

I sip a little more Scotch, reveling in the fact that he doesn’t actually know who I am. He didn’t do a double-take. Didn’t pull out his phone to ask for a selfie, or say “wait, you’re that guy from…”

And I love that he didn’t.

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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.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >82

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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.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >102

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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.”

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