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

Crime – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.ilovenovels.com Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:37:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.4 http://www.ilovenovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png Crime – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.ilovenovels.com 32 32 Brutal (Vexley Sin Trilogy #1) Read Online Helen Hardt http://www.ilovenovels.com/brutal-vexley-sin-trilogy-1-read-online-helen-hardt Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:37:06 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/brutal-vexley-sin-trilogy-1-read-online-helen-hardt Genre: Alpha Male, Crime, Dark, Suspense Authors: Helen Hardt Series: Vexley Sin Trilogy Series by Helen Hardt
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Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 77171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)

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The Vexley empire was forged in blood the night three brothers crossed a line no man should survive—Samson with violence, Nathaniel with power, and Cain with a mind ruthless enough to design it all. The world sees wealth, control, and untouchable authority, but beneath it lies a secret capable of destroying everything they built.

Welcome to The Vexley Sin Trilogy—three dark romances where ruthless men meet the only women capable of bringing them to their knees

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

PROLOGUE

Rain pelts, making the wooden dock slick.

I shouldn’t be here.

I know it.

I knew it the second I left the car, the second I chose not to wait, not to call it in, not to hand this off to someone safer.

But safer doesn’t get you this close.

And I am close.

Close enough to feel it.

The truth has a weight to it. You don’t see it, not at first, but once you do, it settles in your bones.

The file inside my coat does exactly that.

It’s enough.

Enough to prove that what looks like separate companies, separate deals, separate incidents is anything but.

It’s all the same thing.

I press my hand briefly against my chest, feeling the edge of the folder through the fabric.

This is proof.

Not rumor. Not suspicion.

Proof from a reliable source who slipped it to me minutes ago.

The kind of proof that brings down families. Powerful families who think they can’t be touched.

But they can.

This is how I redeem myself. How I become what my girl deserves. What I should have been long ago.

The marina is quieter than it should be.

That’s the first thing that’s wrong.

Too quiet.

Like something already happened. I slow as I move down the dock.

I wasn’t supposed to come this far. That’s the second thing.

The meeting point was closer to shore where the light is better.

So either I misunderstood the instructions…or they changed.

Voices carry over the water. I stop to listen.

There are at least two of them.

No. Three.

The third doesn’t speak.

That’s how I know he’s the most dangerous one there.

“…not the way⁠—”

“…it doesn’t matter⁠—”

“It matters if⁠—”

The words cut off abruptly.

Something tightens in my chest.

This isn’t how the meeting is supposed to go.

I shouldn’t be here.

The thought hits again. I turn slightly, glancing back toward the shore.

I’ve come too far now. It’s too late.

I take another step forward.

I need to confirm, because if the contents of this file are true, I can destroy this family, their careers, their fortunes, their legacies.

All gone in an instant.

And they know it.

They have to.

Which means I’ve already crossed the line.

I slip on the damp wood, and my shoe makes a loud scrape.

Too loud.

The voices stop.

All of them.

I freeze.

Every instinct I have screams at me to move. To walk away. Not to run. That would make me look like I have something to hide.

I turn.

Take one step back.

Then another.

But behind me⁠—

A hand clamps around my arm and yanks me backward. Hard.

I don’t scream. I don’t gasp. But I stumble, catching myself on instinct, the file shifting under my coat.

“What the hell⁠—”

The man in front of me is bigger than I expected, and I don’t just mean size. His presence is big, the kind that owns every room he steps into.

He isn’t surprised.

He isn’t confused.

He isn’t even angry.

He’s simply fixated, as if I’ve stepped exactly where I was meant to.

“That’s far enough,” he says.

I swallow. “You’re making a mistake.” I keep my voice steady because I know what I’m holding. Because I know what it means.

He tightens his grip on me, pulling me away from the edge, while another man emerges from the shadows. This one isn’t quite as big, but already I can see his eyes even in the dark—emerald green and hard. Eyes that don’t miss anything.

And behind both of them, still in the shadow, is a third. Tall but thinner than the other two. Lanky, actually, like he still has to grow into his size.

He watches.

“I don’t think so,” the second man says.

I let out a breath. “You don’t understand,” I say. “What I have⁠—”

“We understand exactly what you have.” From the first man. The big one.

My pulse spikes. “Then you understand what happens next. This doesn’t stay here. It doesn’t disappear. I made sure of that.”

Rain hammers harder against the dock. Water splashes up against the wood.

The man holding me shifts slightly, just enough to further tighten his grip.

“Did something change?” I ask. “I was told that⁠—”

“Shut up!” The man holding me squeezes my throat.

I suck in a breath.

The third man in the shadows tilts his head, just slightly.

He’s not concerned. Not threatened.

And that’s when I know this is all wrong.

Not just the location.

Not just the timing.

Me.

I’m wrong.

I’m not supposed to be here.

“I think,” the second man says quietly, “you’ve misunderstood your position.”

I shake my head. “No. I know exactly where I stand.”

But do I?

The second man moves. And everything that happens next goes too quickly to stop.

Too quickly to fix.

The file shifts under my coat as I go down.

The last thing I understand is that whatever was supposed to happen here tonight with these three men…

I wasn’t part of it.

And that’s why I’m not walking away.

1

SAMSON

Fifteen years later…

The club smells like old money, perfume, and quiet corruption.

Yeah, corruption has a smell, kind of like dirt that’s laced with blood and a touch of manure. Sometimes I wonder if I’m the only one who can smell it. My old man sure can’t.

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By Blade I Love (By Blade #3) Read Online Penelope Sky http://www.ilovenovels.com/by-blade-i-love-by-blade-3-read-online-penelope-sky Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:36:56 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/by-blade-i-love-by-blade-3-read-online-penelope-sky Genre: Alpha Male, Crime, Dark, Mafia Authors: Penelope Sky Series: By Blade Series by Penelope Sky
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Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 88326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >92

I’ve lost everything—except Wolfe.

We flee my family home that’s been in my blood for generations and seek refuge at Wolfe’s villa in Palermo. With a heart so irreparably broken, even this beautiful seaside escape can’t repair the damage.

Warren’s men search for us in Palermo, and instead of snitching on our location, Don Russo and Cosa Nostra protect our whereabouts. I won’t stop until I get revenge, and I won’t stop until my family legacy is returned to its rightful owner—me.

But we can’t do that alone. We need allies—and Cosa Nostra is all we have. Wolfe forms an agreement. In exchange for their help in taking back the winery, he’ll help them defeat Icarus, the Skull King’s ruthless lieutenant.

But the path to success isn’t a straight line. With unexpected twists and turns and mountain slides, either Wolfe or I is in danger, and sometimes both of us. The entirety of Sicily is pulled into the fight for independence against Icarus and the Skull King.

And I’m not sure if we’ll make it out alive

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

1

WOLFE

She cried on and off during the drive. Sometimes she would be silent with her arms crossed over her chest, and then at other moments, her head would rest against the window and she would cry as quietly as possible, like she didn’t want me to hear. The blood had dried on her skin and clothing, and she smelled like vomit because either she’d hurled or someone else had.

I didn’t notice the smell as much as I normally would have, not when my adrenaline was still through the roof. Two different instincts gnawed at me. The first was to drive to the vineyard and annihilate everyone who was there. And the other was to care for Francesca.

Francesca was obviously the priority.

My hand remained on her thigh, but I didn’t caress her gently like I normally would. I didn’t comfort her with words. My vision was tinted red, and I was just fucking mad. Mad that someone had touched her. Mad that her brother was so fucking stupid. Mad that Don Mancini was dead, a man I didn’t necessarily like but always respected.

He didn’t deserve to die like that.

My woman didn’t deserve to lose her father right in front of her eyes.

It was normally an hour-and-a-half drive, but I got there in fifty minutes, breaking the speed limit and navigating between cars and traffic to get there as fast as possible, to put as much distance between us and Warren’s crew so we wouldn’t be followed. After he ransacked my house in Caltanissetta and found I wasn’t there, he would check Palermo next, but finding me in a big city like this would be a challenge.

I pulled onto my property and parked the Range Rover in the small parking garage underground. It could only fit two cars. The place had cost me almost thirty million because of its proximity to the sea, but it felt cramped compared to the other homes I had.

After I parked the car, she continued to lean against the window like she couldn’t move.

She was fucking devastated. Her eyes were open and emotionless, like her tear ducts had run dry.

It was one of those situations where there was literally nothing I could say to make it better. I could relate to her because I’d watched my own father die, but that would only make her feel worse, not better. I could get angry and vent and seethe, but that wasn’t helpful. I could only offer one thing—revenge. “I’ll make them pay for this, Francesca. All of them. Every single last one—especially Leo.”

She continued to stare out the window at the concrete wall of the garage.

“I can’t believe he’s gone.” Her eyes started to water again, but she blinked back the tears. “All this time, he thought it was you…because Leo wanted him to believe that. Kept whispering in his ear, I’m sure. Undermined my personal relationship with you for his own gain. It’s unforgivable.”

Absolutely fucking unforgivable.

“I just… I don’t know how to process this.”

I knew exactly what she’d seen because I’d seen something similar myself. “It’ll take your entire life to process it.”

The tears welled up in her eyes until they formed drops and streaked down her cheeks. “When Warren shot up my house, Leo cried. He held me and literally cried. How…how can he do that and then, just a few weeks later, stab me in the back?”

It took me a second to figure that out. “That probably wasn’t in the plan.”

“If he’d just told me I better step aside or there would be hell to pay, I would have just…” Her voice cracked. “I would have just given him the damn thing.” She started to cry again, her little body trembling from the weight of guilt that she shouldn’t carry.

I didn’t want to continue this conversation in the car where I couldn’t hold her, where only my hand could reach her. “Let’s get inside and get you cleaned up.”

As if she’d forgotten how she looked, she dropped her chin, looking at all the blood and vomit that had soaked into her hair and clothing. She touched her shirt with her fingertips then stared at the blood on her hands. “I—I threw up. They shot him in the head, and I threw up.”

“A common reaction.”

“Have you ever done that?” She continued to stare out the window.

I gave a nod that she couldn’t see. “Yeah, when my mom was shot right in front of me.”

Her eyes started to water again. “I hate that we have this in common.”

I gave her thigh a gentle squeeze. “Come on, baby.”

We left the Range Rover and headed inside. The house was full of light because the sun didn’t set until eight in the evening in the summer. Francesca moved slowly, at a snail’s pace, and it took her a while to get to the top floor. Instead of dropping all her clothes and getting into the shower, she headed into the kitchen to pour a glass of water. She drank the entire thing in one go before she left the empty glass on the counter.

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By Blade I Vow (By Blade #2) Read Online Penelope Sky http://www.ilovenovels.com/by-blade-i-vow-by-blade-2-read-online-penelope-sky Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:36:54 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/by-blade-i-vow-by-blade-2-read-online-penelope-sky Genre: Alpha Male, Crime, Dark, Mafia Authors: Penelope Sky Series: By Blade Series by Penelope Sky
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Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >83

Wolfe gives me an ultimatum—I tell my father or he will.

We only have one chance at this, so I know it has to be done the right way. Once my father knows that Wolfe has been sneaking around with me behind his back this long, he’s going to want to put Wolfe in the ground. The way we handle it is literally a matter of life and death.

But with all the funerals my father has to attend as well as rebuilding our property after Lombardi’s hit, we need to wait a little longer. This makes Wolfe go apeshit, especially after a family friend makes a pass at me right in front of him. I can only placate him so long, and once he’s officially initiated into the family, Wolfe knows we’re out of time.
But then a new enemy, Warren, puts a target on our backs. He provokes my father at a wedding, and when he makes the mistake of commenting about me, Wolfe loses his mind and starts another war.

Wolfe is so obvious about his feelings toward me, that it’s a miracle my father hasn’t noticed. The trust that Wolfe has earned among the syndicate is so strong that no one suspects his treason.

But when the war comes to a head, secrets are revealed and everything is destroyed. The business, my family, everything…up in smokes

The only person I have left is Wolfe.

My ride or my die. The person I trust most. The love of my life.

He would do anything for me—and I him

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

1

FRANCESCA

They rushed me in the office, spraying me with bullets from their automatic rifles. I screamed for the only man who could help me. “Wolfe!” I felt my body jerk as the bullets pelted my bulletproof vest.

“Baby, baby, baby, I’m right here.”

I screamed again and then felt my eyes snap open, seeing the dark ceiling over my bed.

“Nightmare.”

I jerked upright and saw Wolfe beside me, propped on one elbow while his palm rested against my stomach underneath the big t-shirt I wore. He was hard to see in the dark, my eyes unable to adjust as quickly as my adrenaline needed them to. I heaved with breaths, blinking quickly to dismiss the images of the nightmare.

“It’s not real,” he said gently as he started to rub me with his fingers. “I’m right here.”

I finally gave a nod then lay back down, but my breaths were still haywire.

He remained over me, gliding his fingers down my hip and then my thigh, caressing me with his callused fingertips. His dark eyes stared at me with a softness I never saw him wear in front of anyone else. “You can tell me.”

“I—I was in the office, and they were coming for me.” I wasn’t sure how long this memory would haunt me. A couple weeks…a couple months…or maybe all my life.

He gave a slight nod. “Well, they wouldn’t have lasted much longer because you would have blasted them all to hell.”

My breathing still didn’t return to normal. It continued to feel labored.

“Never underestimate yourself, Francesca,” he said quietly. “Just when I thought you couldn’t turn me on more…” He pulled the sheets back then lifted up my shirt to expose my panties. He rose up over me as he gripped the fabric and started to tug them down my ass and hips, his face directly above mine as he stared at my lips, watching me pant with my mouth closed.

Then he moved over me completely, made himself at home between my legs, and sank inside me like he had so many times. But now his entrance felt like relief more than pleasure, a comfort as real as a bulletproof vest.

Having his heavy body on top of mine, his dark eyes locked on mine with possessiveness, being completely swallowed by his magnetic presence, made me feel safer than anything else in the world.

He snaked his hand into my hair as he bent one of my knees back, rocking into me rather than thrusting, savoring the union between our bodies and the kiss between our souls. In the dead of night, the rest of the island asleep except for the two of us, he made me whole again. Made the nightmares run to the shadows where they belonged, terrified of his snarl.

He looked at me without needing to blink, always so present with me, I felt like he was within me, his soul inside my chest right next to mine. “Such a tough fucking bitch.” He fisted my hair harder and started to rock into me faster. “My tough fucking bitch.”

The vineyard was a mess. Fire had destroyed part of the main house, and the other buildings were damaged. Bullet holes were visible everywhere. The front doors to the warehouse needed repairs. The main gate was completely destroyed and would need to be replaced—this time with something stronger.

We’d lost a lot of good men, and nothing would ever bring them back.

My father was beside himself, quiet and unapproachable, spending most of his time alone, like he didn’t know where to go from here. I walked into his office and saw him sitting behind his desk, so lost in thought that he didn’t notice me standing there.

I knocked on the open door to get his attention.

His eyes flicked to me, but the rest of his body remained still.

I crossed the room and approached his desk. “Doing okay?”

“Yeah.” His elbow was propped on the armrest with his fingers curled under his jawline.

I stared at him.

He stared back.

“You don’t look okay.”

He dropped his hand from his jawline. “What do you expect, Frankie? My daughter was almost captured, I lost men I’ve known for a decade, the house that’s been in my family for generations has to be rebuilt and restored…” His fist returned underneath his jawline. “I know we have to move forward with business as usual, but I’m just not in that place right now.”

I continued to stand in front of his desk as I searched for comforting words to impart, but I didn’t have any.

“We have a funeral every single day this week. Everyone knows what’s happened here, so we’re in a position of weakness. And we still have to keep up with the business. A lot of shit has happened throughout the years, but never something like this.”

“True.” War had never come to our doorstep.

“Wolfe annihilated everyone who was a part of that job, and all those who were in business with the Lombardis have divested themselves of the association, so even though we took a major hit, Wolfe reclaimed our status among the other gangs.” He gave a slight shake of his head before he dragged his hand over the bottom part of his mouth. “Everything will be alright—but I’m not alright right now.”

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The Hitman’s Virgin (Unhealthy Obsessions #1) Read Online Sam Crescent, Stacey Espino http://www.ilovenovels.com/the-hitmans-virgin-unhealthy-obsessions-1-read-online-sam-crescent-stacey-espino Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:12:30 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/the-hitmans-virgin-unhealthy-obsessions-1-read-online-sam-crescent-stacey-espino Genre: Alpha Male, Crime, Mafia, Virgin Authors: Sam Crescent, Stacey Espino Series: Stacey Espino
Series: Unhealthy Obsessions Series by Sam Crescent
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Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 170(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >37

I saw her once.
That was all it took.
Now Callie West belongs to me.
She thinks I’m her protector. The man who rescued her when her life fell apart.
She doesn’t know I’ve been watching her for months.
Learning her habits.
Memorizing her smiles.
Planning a future she never agreed to.
When enemies from my past close in, Callie becomes a target. The safest place for her is with me.
The only problem?
The closer she gets, the more dangerous my obsession becomes.
Because I’ll do anything to keep her.
And once I claim what’s mine…
I never let go

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

Chapter One

Evander Watson stared out across the parking lot, watching the bar that held the woman of his dreams, Callie West. The young woman had taken him by surprise and he wasn’t known to be easily surprised.

He glanced through the file he’d requested on her. He’d gotten it within hours of meeting her, giving him every detail of her life. She wasn’t on any social media, which shocked him as most young people were addicted to it.

Her bank statements showed most of her habits, aside from being broke. Callie lived a rather boring and sheltered life. She donated some of her money every month to select charities. She also volunteered at a local dog shelter in her free time. There was a charm on her purse of a dog.

He’d never known a kind, selfless woman like her in his circles. The only reason he stumbled across her was because he had to deal with some business where she worked. It wasn’t a popular joint, just a strip club that had seen better days. Callie worked behind the bar in a too-tight shirt, with men trying to grope her each night. He didn’t like it. She deserved so much better.

Slamming the file shut, he shoved it in the glove box before getting out of his car and heading toward the bar. There were a couple of cars in the parking lot and as he entered, he was overcome by the pungent scent of cigarette smoke, alcohol, and sex.

Like always, Callie was at the bar, serving beer while a woman swung her naked body around a pole on the stage. Callie’s blonde hair wasn’t up in a ponytail as it had been that first night, but cascaded around her shoulders. She looked like a fucking angel from heaven. A very curvy, heavenly angel.

His cock hardened at the sight of her. Several men were at the bar, and he knew those looks on their faces. One of them was there way too frequently for his liking. They were imagining her naked, but none of them were going to see her like that. Callie was all his. Every precious inch of her.

She placed a bottle of beer down in front of one of the men, and he grabbed her arm, pulling her close. She let out a little squeal, and anger rushed through Evander as he stepped in closer. He gripped the man’s wrist, applying just enough pressure to make a point. The asshole attempted to fight for dominance, trying not to show he was in pain. The fool.

“That is no way to treat a lady.”

“She’s no lady,” he said.

“You know what, Mitch, I think we should go and see Leah. She wants our money.” The guy who sat next to this fucker tried to play the peacekeeper.

Evander released the man’s wrist and waited. He hoped the bastard would take him on. No one touched Callie. And he was always up for a good fight.

They left, as did the rest of the men sitting at the bar.

“Wow, er, thank you,” Callie said.

He turned his full attention to her.

“How’s your arm?” he asked.

Callie looked down at herself and smiled. “It’s nothing. It’s all part of the job, right?”

“Dealing with asshole men, yes, I can see that.”

She laughed. “What can I get you?”

“A beer.” He had no intention of drinking.

“I think I recognize you. Do you come in here often?” Callie asked.

“Sometimes.” He’d been coming in most nights, but rarely did she see him. Callie didn’t need to know that for the past couple of months, he’d been stalking her. He knew all of her movements, what she liked, what she hated. Even some of her taste in music, which was not the same as his. She loved modern pop. He was more into soul. There was also a nineteen-year age gap, but age was just a number.

“I thought I recognized you. If you don’t mind me saying, this place is beneath you. I know a good bar a few blocks from here that would be more your style.”

“And why is that?” he asked.

“The suit. It’s designer, right? Trust me, we don’t get people like you in here that often. My boss tries to remember the glory days of years ago when it was the best thing going.”

“If you don’t like the place, why do you work here?”

“I can’t afford to be too picky. The job market isn’t exactly open for me right now.” She shrugged. “I go where I need to. Besides, I’m not afraid of a little hard work. You may not belong here, but I do.”

Evander thought of the file he had on her. Her mother died when she was eighteen, but before she moved to the city, she lived in a trailer park in a small town. He wanted to take her away from all of this. To fill her life with all the things she deserved.

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A Lick and A Promise (Avenging Angels #5) Read Online Kristen Ashley http://www.ilovenovels.com/a-lick-and-a-promise-avenging-angels-5-read-online-kristen-ashley Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:12:26 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/a-lick-and-a-promise-avenging-angels-5-read-online-kristen-ashley Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Crime, Funny, Suspense Authors: Kristen Ashley Series: Avenging Angels Series by Kristen Ashley
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Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 139088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 695(@200wpm)___ 556(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >135

Luna Nelson and Knox Chambers fell together fast, and they did it hard. It was so big, so special, they wanted it just for themselves and kept it a secret from their found family: the Avenging Angels and the Hottie Squad.

They both knew this was it. Together forever.

What Luna didn’t know was that Knox had secrets.

Secrets that tore them apart.

But when Knox asked for them to continue being friends—for the sake of their crew, and so he wouldn’t lose her—Luna loved him enough to say yes. Yes to the torture of being in the life of a man who was the love of hers, but he let her go.

Then, Knox gets shot. He gets shot not because he’s got a dangerous job (which he does), but because his family is an absolute mess.

With the man who means everything to her recuperating, Luna can’t keep away.

While Luna tries to keep the Angels safe from interfering in Knox’s family’s criminal enterprises, she and Knox circle each other, drawing a different kind of blood.

Will Knox continue to keep his secrets?

And will both of them be safe in the Chambers Family Feud?

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

ONE

HE WANTS YOU

I shouldn’t be here.

I knew I shouldn’t be here.

But when Raye called, even though my mind said one thing (that I shouldn’t be here), my body (okay, my heart) said another.

So I was here.

The good news: I was just one more body in the mix, so it wasn’t like I was the cast-off chick hanging around, embarrassing herself pining for some dude.

In other words, that hospital waiting room was a crush seeing as all the Hottie Squad was there, all the Angels along with Tex, Nancy, Shirleen, Marjorie. Even Tito was there.

So I was just another person in a sea of people worried as fuck Knox got shot.

That was the bad news, Knox had been shot.

Twice.

He’d been shot…twice.

Oh yeah.

That was the way bad news.

He did not get shot while conducting Nightingale Investigations & Security business, which it was my understanding was a possibility, if not a probability in their line of work due to them not being your average, everyday private investigations and security business, but a whole lot more.

He got shot because his family was a nightmare.

More good news, the surgeon came out and told us he was out of surgery, stable, resting and no lasting damage had occurred. Though he’d need some time to mend and do physical therapy to regain full strength in his shoulder and leg.

Okay, so that was mixed good news because, absolutely, no lasting damage was obviously a good thing.

But he had to recuperate from two gunshot wounds he got because his family was borderline ready for their episode of Evil Lives Here, and that totally freaking sucked.

More of that mixed good news, my staring contest with Cheyenne was over.

Although I sensed why she hated me—even though it was lame as hell, since she’d had him for a while, and I didn’t (well, I did, but it wasn’t a very long while)—what I didn’t know was why she was there at all.

They’d broken up.

But by damn, when the surgeon came out, the bitch popped out of her seat like a demented jill-in-the-box and shouldered even Cap and Mace out of the way (respectively, Knox’s best bud and his boss) to belly up to the doc.

She also lied and said she was Knox’s partner, so she got to be the first to go back and see him.

Usually, the dudes were super cool with chicks. Lots of patience (needed), lots of understanding (also needed—what could I say? we were a bunch of nutso broads), all kinds of room to be who we were and do what we did (as, of course, it should be—save Knox in that scenario, but that was a longer story).

But when Cheyenne did that, everyone got pissed, and even the dudes didn’t hide it.

And when she did it, Raye took my hand (again, she’d been holding it on and off for the last three hours), and Brady shot me a look.

Truth: Brady and I had screwed the pooch.

Honestly, it seemed a good idea at the time.

Okay, not a good idea. A demented, in-your-face, heartbroken idea. But when you were heartbroken, demented ideas often seemed like good ones.

Then again, I was learning not to lead with the heart. Though, admittedly, I was learning this by messing up royally because I’d done something stupid at the edict of my heart.

My heart had me sitting right there, benched, because I meant nothing to Knox except being a member of his friend posse.

A distant one.

Someone he was around who he tolerated.

And that was it.

And my heart led me to pretend-flirt with and, okay, semi-kinda fake-date Brady (really, it was just two friends hanging out, but we wanted Knox to think it was something else) after Knox got together with Cheyenne.

We did this so he might feel a little bit of what I was feeling since Cheyenne was suddenly at all of our AAHS shindigs (Avenging Angel/Hottie Squad, for your information, of which I was a member of the former, and for more information, that former was unprofessional, unpaid chicks who stuck our noses in places they shouldn’t be, but someone had to do it, and the latter was professional, trained, skilled badasses).

And since Knox scraped me off, and he knew where I was at with him, he had to know how that would sting.

Sure, he’d made himself clear, and as such, I had no claim, so who was I to engage in some harebrained fake-dating scheme to make the guy I liked (right, okay, dammit…loved) jealous?

The idea was doomed from the start.

Why I couldn’t get a guy like Cap, like my bestie Raye did—a man who struggled with our whole Avenging Angels vigilante gig, but he got a lock on it because he knew how important it was to his woman—I did not know.

Or an Eric or Gabe, my other friends, Jess’s and Willow’s dudes, who were super chill and didn’t kick up a fuss at all.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >135

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By Blade I Protect (By Blade #1) Read Online Penelope Sky http://www.ilovenovels.com/by-blade-i-protect-by-blade-1-read-online-penelope-sky Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:11:58 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/by-blade-i-protect-by-blade-1-read-online-penelope-sky Genre: Alpha Male, Crime, Dark, Mafia Authors: Penelope Sky Series: By Blade Series by Penelope Sky
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Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 82847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >86

My father runs the only arms operation in Sicily, and now that the Skull King is monopolizing the drug empire in all of Italy, we’re in hot water.

Because everyone wants to take our business for themselves—because they aren’t strong enough to handle the Skull King.

Just when things are looking bad, Wolfe shows up looking for a job. He was born to inherit the throne of Cosa Nostra, but a mysterious falling out has forced him to turn his back on the only family he’s ever known.

None of us are sure if we can trust him, so he has going to start at the bottom and prove his loyalty. With a cocky smirk on his face and a twinkle in his eyes, he does what he’s told.

But the second he sets eyes on me—I become the real thing he wants. But I’m not dumb enough to get involved with one of the guys at the syndicate, no matter how insanely hot he is, so I tell him it’s never going to happen.

But this man doesn’t stop.

I’m a nurse that stitches bullet holes and keeps my father’s men alive on top of everything else I do for the business, and Wolfe continually cuts and stabs himself because he knows it’s the one way to get alone me alone. While I stitch him up, he stares and smirks at me…like I’m already his.

Even when my father is present, he stares at me the same way—like he doesn’t care if this obsession gets him killed. He’s honest and passionate and smart—but I also think he’s a little crazy.

I finally give in, saying it’s just for the night, but this man wants all of me before he ever touches me. An affair somehow turns into the most intense relationship I’ve ever had, and Wolfe wants to be straight with my father about us even if it gets him killed.

But that’s way too risky, not when our enemies are moving in, not when there’s a snitch in our midst—and everyone thinks it’s Wolfe. Our relationship becomes clandestine and forbidden, and while that would be fun for other men, Wolfe disagrees.

Because he wants me—forever.

When so much is set against us, I’m not sure if our relationship will survive.

But Wolfe believes it will—because he’ll die for it

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

1

WOLFE

I drove through the quiet streets of Palermo sometime between two and three in the morning, dried blood still on my hands because I hadn’t had time to scrub it off. I turned down a side street and then another, pulling up to the large wall with a black gate.

A small slab of steel slid open to reveal a pair of dark eyes. They looked at me for a millisecond before it quickly shut again.

“You know it’s me, asshole.”

The large gate opened inward, and I drove into the open courtyard where other cars and motorbikes were parked. I left the car there and hopped out.

Matteo, the guy who checked the peephole, walked up to me with a cigar in his mouth. His eyes were on my hands, which were still covered in blood. He wordlessly reached into his back pocket and grabbed a cloth, tossing it at me. “It went alright?”

I caught it then grabbed a bottle of whiskey from one of the nearby crates and poured it over my hands before I started to scrub my skin. “It always goes alright.”

“You sure about that?”

I swiped the cloth underneath my fingernails to catch the drops that had spread. “It’s not my blood, is it?” When my hands were clean, I tossed the cloth back at his chest, and he caught it.

“Don Russo is waiting for you inside.”

I headed to the double doors, flanked by several guards, and then entered the three-story villa hidden in plain sight in this coastal city of Sicily. I exchanged head tilts with some of the men as I headed to Don Russo’s office on the second floor. I had to cross the seven-thousand-square-foot villa, make my way up a marble staircase, and then I ended up in his office.

The other guys were already there, Uncle Marco and Costa, and a few of the others.

Don Russo was in the middle of a heated conversation with Uncle Marco, but he dropped the discussion the second I stepped inside. “You handled Raphael?”

“Yep.” My knuckles were bruised, and the barrel of my gun was empty.

Don Russo took my word for it and moved on. “It’s come to my attention that Celso is making a lot of money. Hand-over-fist kind of money. The Polizia look the other way without a bribe, so that’s even more money in their pockets.” He leaned against the desk, his arms crossed over his chest. “I think it’s time we get in on the action. You know…” He cocked his head to one side and then to the other. “Get in on the action.” He wore gray slacks and a button-up, collared white shirt, dressed for business meetings with suits rather than the streets. He was about to leave his fifties and step into his sixties, but he was still sharp as a tack.

“What kind of action are we talking about, Don?” I was the only one brave enough to ask, or they all already knew the plan.

“Prostitution,” he said, his dark Italian eyes on me.

“Prostitution?” I asked blankly. “We’re American pimps now?”

“We would hand the specifics to a different crew so we can keep our focus on our existing accounts,” Don Russo said with patience. “It won’t interfere with our normal affairs.”

I thought it was beneath us, but I knew I shouldn’t resist him too much in front of the others. Could give him an earful when it was just the two of us with a couple glasses of wine—or preferably whiskey.

When I had nothing else to say, Don Russo turned his attention to Uncle Marco. “We get the girls from Armando from the mainland. We can get them to the docks and bypass customs, as with everything else.”

My eyebrows immediately furrowed in confusion. “Get the girls from Armando?”

Uncle Marco took over. “We purchased them from the Skull King. Wasn’t cheap, but they’re broken in, so there won’t be much resistance.”

Now my eyes flicked from Don Russo to Uncle Marco and then back again. I wasn’t sure how much time passed, maybe a few seconds, but the shock made it feel like minutes. I wasn’t shocked or disturbed by much, but this was despicable. “You’re serious right now?” My eyes were on Don Russo, the man responsible for every decision made by Cosa Nostra. “We’re traffickers now? That’s not who we are.”

Uncle Marco shook his head slightly so I would quiet down.

I ignored him. “That’s not who we are.” I focused on Don Russo. “I’m not saying we’re saints by any means, but we stick to our side of the street and let everyone else pass without interference. We may be criminals, but we’re decent ones. When did that change?”

“Wolfe—”

My eyes flicked back to Uncle Marco. “Does it look like I’m speaking to you?” I snapped.

Uncle Marco stared me down like he wanted to slice a knife down my cheek.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >86

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Our Pain Our Pleasure (Last to Fall #3) Read Online J.A. Huss http://www.ilovenovels.com/our-pain-our-pleasure-last-to-fall-3-read-online-j-a-huss Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:11:07 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/our-pain-our-pleasure-last-to-fall-3-read-online-j-a-huss Genre: Alpha Male, Crime, Dark, Mafia Authors: J.A. Huss Series: Last to Fall Series by J.A. Huss
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Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 95046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >98

Some saints are wrapped in sin and some monsters will die for you.

EMMALEEN
Six weeks of dungeon submission.
Two men who complete me.
And then this Irish jerk shows up and stuffs me in a trunk!
I should scream.
Or kick.
Or punch him in the face.
But I don’t do any of that.
Because I'm a hot mess who gets off from taking orders and I can’t tell if this is a kidnapping or a really aggressive meet-cute.

GIOVANNI
Romance is a game I was never going to win.
I built her a dungeon.
He built her a chapel.
I gave her a collar.
He gave her books.
Little Miss Take needs to come home.
To me.
To my rules.
To my monster who never needed to be a saint.
I don't have to be better than him. I just need to be the one willing to die first.

My sin, my sacrifice... until confession became the only way to keep her forever

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

1

The autumn air bites through my suit jacket as I step onto Mama Bavga's front terrace, the heavy oak door closing behind me on the controlled chaos of Sunday dinner cleanup.

Congratulations, October. You're basically the mob boss of seasons—showing up uninvited, making everyone uncomfortable, leaving a trail of dead things in your wake. Very on-brand.

I stop mid-step—halfway down the stone stairs leading to the driveway.

What the fuck was that?

I replay the thought, dissecting it like evidence at a crime scene. The rhythm. The absurd comparison. The self-aware humor wrapped in cynicism.

I just… created an Emmaleen-ism.

All by myself.

A laugh erupts from me as I continue descending the terrace stairs and start walking towards the Aventador.

Somewhere in the past weeks—between the contracts, and the positions, and the poems she writes in perfect terza rima while I fuck her senseless—Emmaleen Rourke has infected my internal monologue.

Her chaos has leaked into my carefully ordered mind like water.

The corner of my mouth twitches. An expression I don't recognize on my own face. Something dangerously close to amusement.

Oh, she would love this. October as a mob boss. She'd spiral it into a fifteen-minute monologue about seasonal intimidation tactics and pumpkin spice as a protection racket.

The thought of her voice—breathless, rambling, somehow both anxious and confident—settles somewhere behind my ribs.

A place located suspiciously close to my heart.

The front door opens on the terrace above me, leaking sounds from inside, then Jino is skipping down the stairs. He passes me, clicking his key fob to make his car chirp. "Gotta swing by my place," he calls over his shoulder. "Need to grab clothes, some gear for tomorrow's session."

"All right. How long?"

"Twenty minutes, probably. I'll meet ya at home."

Home. He's looking at me when this word comes out. The word lands between us like a loaded weapon.

Jino shrugs up one shoulder—a gesture that splits the difference between acknowledgment and dismissal. Half apology for the slip, half defiance that he doesn't particularly regret it.

The movement is casual enough to dismiss, deliberate enough to notice.

I don't correct him. Don't point out that my mansion isn't "home" in any traditional sense of the word. It's just the current operational base, temporary like everything else in this business.

But I also don't miss the implication threaded through his choice of words.

That Emmaleen has become his gravitational center.

That her space—and by extension, my space—has expanded to include him in its orbit.

We bump knuckles—brief, efficient contact that says everything required without wasting words. Then he slides into his black Challenger.

I turn toward the Aventador.

The matte black body gleams under the estate's exterior lights. The scissor door lifts and when I lower myself into the driver's seat, the cockpit wraps around me like a second skin.

When I press the start button, the engine doesn't roar. It detonates—a sound engineered to remind everyone within earshot that power isn't always subtle.

I Follow Jino down the driveway, then we diverge, turning in opposite directions and Sewickley Heights stretches out before me like a carefully curated museum of old money.

The streets are silent, lined with estates hidden behind stone walls and ancient trees. No pedestrians. No traffic. Just empty pavement and the occasional glow of security lights marking properties owned by families who've been here long enough to forget when they first arrived.

The neighborhood fades behind me as I accelerate toward the highway—four lanes of dark asphalt cutting through the Pennsylvania hills towards Riverview.

My estate isn't Sewickley Heights. It never will be. I don't have Mellon money, but my Victorian-era Gothic monolith of dark brick stone sits on five acres of small-town wooded privacy, restored to a level of craftsmanship most of these inherited fortunes wouldn't appreciate.

The estate in Riverview started as a bribe from my father.

A carefully calculated gesture designed to soften the blow of exile. Being sent to Riverview felt like banishment at the time, assigned to manage sleepy operations in a dying coal town while my brothers remained in Pittsburgh, close to the real power and real decisions that shaped the family's future.

Salvatore has always been generous with gifts, but his gifts have never been about affection. They are guilt wrapped in expensive paper, apologies he'll never actually speak aloud, and compensation for the emotional distance he maintains with surgical precision.

But now that Emmaleen is there—and Jino, I have to admit, whose presence has proven more valuable than I initially anticipated—the place doesn't feel like a bribe anymore.

Especially now that Dom and Ricky have stopped treating my dungeon like their personal sex club and moved into their own places. No more stumbling over their weekly rotation of Pittsburgh girls. No more finding discarded lingerie in my kitchen or hearing headboards slamming against walls at three in the morning.

So… Jino's characterization was right.

It's home.

As the highway stretches ahead, dark and mostly deserted this time of night, my mind lands where it's been landing for weeks.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >98

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Rune (Henchmen MC Next Generation #16) Read Online Jessica Gadziala http://www.ilovenovels.com/rune-henchmen-mc-next-generation-16-read-online-jessica-gadziala Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:10:54 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/rune-henchmen-mc-next-generation-16-read-online-jessica-gadziala Genre: Alpha Male, Biker, Crime, MC Authors: Jessica Gadziala Series: Henchmen MC Next Generation Series by Jessica Gadziala
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Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 75450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >77

The last thing he expected was for a beautiful woman to storm into the clubhouse looking for him with a gun in her hand and murder in her eyes.

But she was clearly connected to a chapter in his life that he’d spent years trying to forget as he started his new life over in the club.

When she gets away from him, he has no choice but to follow her for answers.

Before long, he’s tangled up in a mystery that’s turning deadly.

Someone doesn’t want the truth uncovered.

And every step they take puts a target on their backs, even as it pushes them closer together

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

CHAPTER ONE

Rune

The blonde let out a high-pitched squeal as the redhead whacked her with the inflatable baton and finally loosened her slippery hold on my shoulders with her legs, sending her crashing backward into the water.

She surfaced, sputtering, as the redhead threw up her baton in victory while she sat on my brother’s shoulders.

“You good?” I asked as the blonde pulled herself up onto the edge of the pool, trying to wipe the eyeliner that had smudged under her eyes.

“I want to blame you for this,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me, “but I lose every time we play, no matter whose shoulders I’m on.”

“You’re taller, which makes you easier to hit. Also, your legs flail when you get whacked,” I told her.

“They do not.”

“They do.”

“Consolatory drink?” Spike asked, moving to drop down next to the blonde and offering her something red in a glass… with an umbrella.

He nodded toward the clubhouse in a universal ‘get lost’ gesture. Maybe another night, I would have been annoyed by that. But I wasn’t really vibing with the blonde. Or anyone else at the party, to be honest. And judging by the way the blonde giggled and leaned into the tall, dark-haired, slim-fit biker, I figured he was halfway on his way to having a very good night.

It wasn’t that the parties had gotten old, per se.

There was always a different kind of energy to them when the club had new prospects like Spike and Cain.

It was probably more that, for the first time since coming back to Navesink Bank, I was the most senior club member at the parties. It changed the vibe. I felt more in charge and less like someone who was just there to have some fun.

Add in the fact that not only was my twin brother here, but so was our younger brother, Vas. And two of our cousins around the same age: Ronan and Carver. Those three weren’t technically prospects yet, but it would be coming soon.

I felt like I’d spent half the night making sure no one did anything so stupid it couldn’t be undone.

The responsibility of it, that suddenly took me back. To another place, another organization, another phase of my life that I’d walked away from declaring that I never wanted the mantle of leadership again.

That was what was so appealing about the club. Yeah, some part of me knew my brothers and I would always find our way back to that life, but it took on a new meaning to know not only was Fallon the one in charge, but he was followed by Brooks, Malcolm, and a whole list of other guys who would outrank me. No one would be looking to me to make life-or-death decisions again. I’d never have anyone’s fate on my conscience again.

Objectively, I knew I could relax. There was very little trouble these guys could get into. But some roles stuck with you: big brother, leader.

Cain moved in at my side, surveying the grounds with me.

Like Spike, he was a newer prospect. Unlike Spike, he wasn’t a lifelong delinquent. Cain had been on the other side of the law for most of his life, working SWAT until he saw some shit he couldn’t look past in his crew, reported it, and got kicked out on his ass for it.

The two men were as contrasted in looks as they were in their histories. While both were tall, Spike was almost thin, whereas Cain was a big fan of the gym. Spike’s face was thinner with cheekbone hollows that almost made him gaunt-looking, black hair and black eyes. Cain had a square jaw, dark blond hair, and blue eyes.

“Looking for fires to put out?” he asked.

“Not used to having my little cousins and brother here.”

“Get that they might be ‘little’ to you, but they’re grown men.”

Grown men.

Christ.

When did that happen?

I could swear it was just a year or so ago that I was grumbling that they were always hanging around me and the older kids like little lost puppies.

He wasn’t wrong, though.

Vas, my youngest sibling, had shot up like a weed while Croft and I were away. Then he’d filled out like a man, looking more like our father every day.

Ronan and Carver were both tall and fit too, like all three got a deal on a fucking gym membership and used the hell out of it. Gone was all the baby fat on their faces, chiseling them out.

It was a strange feeling sometimes being back. There was a familiarity spliced with the unknown. Because I’d been gone during some of the most formative years of their lives. When they stopped just being kids and became actual human beings. I knew what shows they liked as kids, what embarrassing shit they used to do, but I had no idea who they actually were anymore. And it was that way with all the cousins. It’d taken me a long time to get to know the ones in the club already, and the princesses. It was really just these younger ones that were still basically strangers to me.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >77

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Betrothed in Fury Read Online Devon McCormack http://www.ilovenovels.com/betrothed-in-fury-read-online-devon-mccormack Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:09:51 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/betrothed-in-fury-read-online-devon-mccormack Genre: Contemporary, Crime, Dark, M-M Romance, Mafia Authors: Devon McCormack Advertisement

Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >95

LOGAN
Charming. Sexy as sin. Out of his damn mind.
That sums up Killian Lorde, one of the most powerful crime bosses in Fury’s underworld.
Since his father passed, he’s stepped into his role as head of the family business.
A role which I, the golden boy of the Wilde clan, more than understand. Forced by birth into a life of corruption and moral bankruptcy, I exist for one to protect my family at all costs.
Only this time, the price is my freedom.
Unbeknownst to me, to maintain my family’s alliance with the Lordes, I’ve been betrothed to Killian.
I’ve always known him to be a bastard, but this arrangement brings out the worst in him.
He’s a monster. Pure, unfettered evil.
He doesn’t just want to marry me. He wants to control and possess me, and when his curiosity becomes obsession, we struggle for power as he demands the one thing I can’t give him.
My complete and total surrender.

Dark MM Romance, grumpy/psycho-sunshine, mob-bosses-to-lovers, morally gray men, frighteningly possessive MC, “Oh, what did that contract say?” arranged marriage, bi-awakening, touch-him-and-die (like, tied up in a sack, thrown into a lake, and left for dead), anything-for-the-family vibes, torture-as-foreplay (just mob bosses doing what they love), “Did I say you could have mashed potatoes?” (iykyk)

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

PROLOGUE

LOGAN

There’s something we need to discuss.

After receiving Dad’s text, I’m on edge as I head upstairs to his bedroom.

It’s not just the message, but my brother mentioning Dad was visiting with his attorney and a few trusted advisors. Given the recent, rapid deterioration of his health, it’s not difficult to imagine what they’re here to discuss, but it’s not something I’m eager to face, not when I refuse to believe I can lose my father.

I approach the bedroom door, knots twisting in my chest, and I’m about to knock when Baxter, our butler, opens the door for me, looking somber.

“Is everything okay?” I spit out.

“I’m fine,” Dad assures me from the bed as I nearly push Baxter out of my way.

Dad lies in the same spot as usual, on the left side of the bed, since Mom used to sleep on the right. Of the three men present, I only recognize Finter, our attorney, who expertly solves all the legal scrapes a mob family gets into. This time, though, I know he isn’t here to get us out of legal troubles. Besides, my brother Wrath hasn’t done anything outrageous in a while, on good behavior because he knows what’s ahead of us.

I do too, as much as I try to deny it. It’s evidenced in how pale Dad looks—much paler than yesterday; in his weary eyes that used to be so full of life; even in the way his hands are planted against the bed, one holding some papers in a loose grip, as if he doesn’t have the strength to hold them. These fucked-up reminders of a reality I’m not ready to accept make me want to beat the shit out of this so-called doctor who’s supposed to take care of all his needs. Not like he hasn’t tried his hardest, through rounds of radiation and chemo. Still, someone has to take the blame, so it might as well be him.

I try to settle my nerves. As the eldest of the Wilde sons, it’s always been my duty to set an example for my brothers, so I must be the strong one. And today it feels important to show him how strong I am. Because he made me strong.

“Dad?”

“Get over here, my little man,” he says, and even saying that much is a strain.

I follow his directive, obedient son that I am, approaching the bed, looking to the papers in his tired grasp. Since I was a kid, I’ve seen him with plenty of documents like this. Everything typed out in tiny print, like buying a damn car, which I always found amusing—since most of the agreements our family makes aren’t the sort you can put into writing—but now it makes me suspect this is something much worse. His will.

“How are you feeling?” I ask.

“I’ve been going over everything I need to settle my affairs before the worst of this,” he says, not answering my question.

“Dad, no…”

“It’s no use trying to outrun this.”

Be fucking strong. Prove to him he’s leaving this family in capable hands.

Despite my attempt to bully myself, I can’t fight the tears that push to my eyes, the way my chin quivers at the thought of losing him. “I refuse to accept that. You’re gonna keep fighting this. And you’re gonna win. You’re too strong.”

He’s quiet. It’s hard to tell if he’s thinking or mustering the energy to speak before he says, “Even for a man as strong as me, this…I can’t escape. No one can. Lord knows I’ve tempted death enough that it’s my time. I’ve accepted it, and you need to do the same.”

“I won’t.” I say it like I can simply delude myself enough to make it not so, but I’m aware I’m not the first to have failed in this experiment. Still, a primal instinct won’t allow me to go there.

Dad smirks. “That’s my blood, for sure, streaming through your veins, making you as hardheaded as your old man. You’ll need it to take care of your brothers.”

“If you’re gonna keep talking like this, I’m going back to the library. I was in the middle of a perfectly good book.”

I start like I’m about to head off, and he says, “No, please…”

I freeze in place. I didn’t have any intention of leaving him, was just trying to get him to shut up.

“If you can’t accept it, please humor your old man.” His hand trembles as he passes the papers to me.

“A will?”

“This is better than any will. It’s security for you and your brothers for the rest of your lives, by the Lordes.”

That must be why these two other guys are here—to finalize an agreement with our greatest allies, which is good for us, but I can’t help but despise them because they’re a reminder of what Dad’s come to accept, which I can’t.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >95

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First Time Rush (Worth The Wait #1) Read Online Dani Wyatt http://www.ilovenovels.com/first-time-rush-worth-the-wait-1-read-online-dani-wyatt Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:51:11 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/first-time-rush-worth-the-wait-1-read-online-dani-wyatt Genre: Alpha Male, Crime, Drama, Erotic, Insta-Love, Novella, Virgin Authors: Dani Wyatt Series: Worth The Wait Series by Dani Wyatt
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Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 34876 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >38

Previously published long ago as Where She Belongs. :) This book has been re-edited, largely re-written, additional content added. Now...what you are getting...May is a nineteen-year-old heiress who's never been allowed beyond the gates of her family's estate. But tonight she hops a bus into the city with twelve dollars in her pocket and a plan to get out of her own wedding to a man she's never loved. Her plan is simple, if not wildly flawed…find the first nightclub that's hiring. Then, dance until she's earned enough to get her and her sister new names and a new life.

What she doesn't plan on is Decker. Forty-three, the definition of tall, dark and dangerous. Oh, and he's never touched a woman in his life. By the time May finishes her first sentence, he's absolutely certain he's keeping her. The problem is, May has no idea what her fiancé is actually planning. And it isn't pretty.

Decker is about to discover the darkness that lurks behind the pristine doors of the place that May calls home. And once he does, there is nothing on this earth that's going to take her from him.

Author's The Forever Collection is all virgins, love-at-first-sight over the top fantasy. Fall hard, fall fast, take no prisoners. These are interconnected, following different couples in the series. Best read in order but can be enjoyed as stand alones as well! Get a hot read, hard breeding, happily ever after, no cheating, and an alpha obsessed hero who will paint the streets bloody to keep his girl safe. Step inside. It's steamy

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

1

Decker

Another girl, another firing. That's how my week is going.

"It was just a hand job." Claudia rolls her eyes, and her fake lashes brush her tattooed brows. "That's barely even anything. I didn't even kiss him, for chrissake."

Her eyes dart to the corners of the room as if not looking at me will change the outcome of what’s about to happen.

"You know the rules," I say, fighting the urge to lecture her like a daughter instead of fire her like an employee.

Believe it or not, it hurts me every time I have to do this. I want to help them all, but in the end, they have to want it. I can't do it for them.

"I'm great at hand jobs. I got him off in like twenty seconds." Claudia pouts. "It's almost like shaking someone's hand. Would you fire Allister for shaking hands with one of the clients?"

Allister, my right-hand man, cuts in. "Congratulations on your skill set. And no, it is not like shaking hands. Did you wear a rubber glove?" His voice is always low, but when he's disappointed, it drops to something like a bass drum learning to speak.

He's pissed. He's the one who talked me into hiring her. I told him she wouldn't take it seriously. Looks like I was right. No pleasure in being right about this kind of thing.

I press my middle fingers into my temples. The lights in here drive ball-peen hammers into my skull.

I glance down at the open employee folder on my desk, then scan around the room. The office is all white. Some would say too white. Too cold. Not me.

Neatly stacked pillars of white boxes line one wall, labeled and color-coded by unpacking priority. One of the girls asked me yesterday my favorite color. When I told her ‘white’, she snorted, said that's not a color. I disagree. White is clean, pure, without blemish. My house is the same way, and I've lived there five years.

I haven't had time to make any of it anything else.

I re-focus on the task at hand.

Claudia.

Allister is my GM. And my best friend. Heart of gold inside a body the size of Texas. The stark lights reflect off his bald head as he shakes it, running a hand back and forth over it, staring at Claudia as she inspects her shimmering pink nails.

This is my club. My rules. The girls dance, they don't strip. They wear barely anything to start with, but nothing comes off, and every customer’s hands stay where I can see them.

But in this environment, today it's a hand job, tomorrow a blowjob, next week one of my girls is in the back of some asshole's car with her face bruised. I've seen it. I won't have it.

"So, I'm done?" Claudia juts out her hip and finally settles her vitriol on me. "You're firing me? This is total bullshit. One hand job and one joint, that's all it was. And now you're firing me? I didn't even smoke it here, for chrissake. You can't tell me what I can do on my own time. This place is turning into the damn Westlake Baptist Church."

I hold up her file. "Yep, you're done. You signed the contract. School, no drugs, no drinking, don't touch the customers. You fucked up." I shrug and close the file. "I don't fire people, Claudia. They fire themselves. Get your stuff out of your locker. We'll send you a month's pay to get on your feet. Allister will walk you out. I wish you the best."

I lean back in my chair. My temples are still pounding, and my stomach is eating itself. One a.m. Haven't eaten since noon.

"You can suck my ass!" Claudia gives me one final middle finger before she stalks out the office door, Allister rolling his eyes at me as he walks behind her.

Sixteen years a Marine. Now I own nightclubs. Funny how life turns out. I don't even drink, and strip clubs never did a damn thing for me. But I got out, and the world doesn't have a lot of use for a retired jarhead with no taste for desk work, so this is what I built. Monarch was the first. Four more after that. This one, Monarch V, opened a month ago.

Every girl who walks through my door — and I do mean every one — gets the same offer. Stick to the rules, and I'll cover whatever they need to get out of whatever they're in. Rehab, attorneys, GEDs, college tuition. I've bashed in a few pimps' faces along the way, too, when they came around looking to collect what they thought belonged to them.

Some of my girls are lawyers now. PTA mothers. Social workers. One's a fucking pediatrician. I keep every Christmas card.

The low bass from the floor bleeds through the open office door. I'm usually gone by midnight. Tonight I'm not. Tuesday is tryout night. Girls who want to dance come in, we look, we decide. I usually stick around for it.

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