Jackson steps in front of me, his strong hands cupping my face as he brings his forehead to mine. "I want to replace it. I want to take all your nightmares and turn them into something beautiful, the way you've done for me. I just need you to trust me. You think you can do that?" I was only looking at how he gently held me with his huge hands. Considering his bulk frame, I was like a fragile glass he was holding. I don't know why but my heart did skip a beat, but I had to swallow it up and pretend that I didn't feel it.
Hayden Landon felt great, and he had every reason to. This September, he would begin his final year of college, and he already had a full-time job in his area. There weren't many jobs available in his specialty (American History, Museum Studies), but he found one with respectable beginning pay and opportunities for promotion. His baseball season was going well. Even though he wasn't going anywhere professionally, he enjoyed doing well in the summer league. Aside from after college, it's most likely the beer and pretzel softball league. Hayden smiled as he drove along the interstate.
Yes, everything was going fine.
One other thing: Hayden was in love. Not that brief moment of intense feeling or that line used by every guy who wanted to get laid. No, this was the real thing. On this hot July 4th weekend, he was going to make his feelings known.
Hayden had met Abigail during their sophomore year. They were taking the same US history course. As an education major, she had to, and he did because it was his major. He wasn't sure what it was about her-whatever it was, they hit it off-her auburn hair, her green eyes, her smile, or what. Whatever it was, they hit it off right away. They had a lot in common. He played baseball; honor student, she, who did too. Abigail was an honour student, and he was a student. At first, they never had an "official" date but met for meals, study groups, or just to talk. They enjoyed each other's company. Hayden dated several girls, but they never seemed right. Even the ones he had sex with left him with something missing. Abigail also dated but had no steady guy. She claimed they all wanted to get into her pants, and she wasn't going to give in to just anyone. Her first time would be with the man she loved.
By the end of their junior year, it was just the two of them. No one else. Though things got hot and heavy between them, Abigail was true to her word. Oh sure, there was some pretty serious petting, and a couple times Hayden thought this night was the night, but Abigail wouldn't let go. Hayden left some nights with some pretty blue balls.
As he turned up the long driveway to her house, he had already decided he was going to tell her this weekend.
Hayden had been invited to Abigail's family's traditional July 4th picnic. It was a big deal. Abigail's father, Jayson, was a big wheel in the state's leading political party, and this was his chance to mix business with family. A lot of big wigs would be there. Hayden had met Abigail's folks when they came to visit her at school. Hayden and Jayson didn't hit it off too well. Afterwards, her dad told Abigail that she was too good for Hayden, and besides, he was going nowhere with that career choice of his.
Abigail's mom, Emelyn, was a pure delight. She and Hayden hit it right off, and he could tell she approved of him. He knew where Abigail got her auburn hair and smile from. They say to look at the mother to find out what the daughter will look like in ten years. What Hayden saw pleased him. Emelyn was full figured. Not fat but curvy with just the right amount of weight. Abigail complained that her boobs were too small and her butt was too big, but her mom told her to wait; things would change as she was a late bloomer herself. Abigail's family owned a vast farm, and as Hayden drove near the house, he noticed that there were already a number of people there. He had a moment of doubt about why he was even here, but he reminded himself that he had faced harsher conditions on the field. So he parked the truck, turned off the key, and closed the door. After meeting Abigail, he realized why he came.
As Abigail reached Hayden, she put her arms around him and gave him a deep, long kiss. She broke it long enough to say, "I missed you so!" and then kissed him again. This time, after grinding her pelvis into him so hard, Hayden staggered back into the side of his truck.
"Wow! Where did that come from? I could feel that all the way down to my toes!" Hayden laughed.
Abigail stepped back and gave him a sly grin. Taking his hand, she said, "Come on, you need to meet the rest of my family." With that, they headed off towards the crowd.
Hayden was impressed with the number of people attending a "family" picnic, but then he remembered that Abigail's dad was a politician, so it wasn't all family. As Abigail pulled him through the mass, Hayden could definitely tell who was with which group.
The first family member Abigail introduced Hayden to was her older sister, Jessica. Jessica was 3 years older than Abigail and was married to a contractor. She had a two-year-old daughter and was trying to corral her as Hayden was introduced. Jessica had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a figure like her mom with full breasts and hips. What struck Hayden was her smile. Abigail, her mom, and now Jessica had that same smile and a sparkle in their eyes.
"I am pleased to meet you. I have heard a lot of good things about you," Jessica said. "I hope to see more of you around here." With that, she went off after her daughter.
"Only one more to go, my brother, Joey. You too should hit it off well. He plays baseball for our high school. Pretty good. He's over there."
Joey was standing off casually, sipping on a beer, and watching the goings-on. He flashed that same winning smile as Abigail introduced him. After the usual small talk, Abigail said that she had to help her mom and needed to go. She gave Hayden a kiss and did something unusual for her. As she kissed him, she slid her hand under his shirt and rubbed his stomach. Hayden was totally surprised. As she walked away, she gave him a wink.
Grace Lim was a woman well on her way to making her dreams come true, but she soon learned that she may be out of job. To make matters worse, a tragic misunderstanding lands her on the wrong side of her soon-to-be boss. As a business prodigy, CEO, James Gregori Grayson wasn't afraid to make hard decisions. After all, he was the world's last pure-bred vampire and had a deadly score to settle with the hunters who killed his family centuries ago. But when one of his friends was killed, leaving an orphaned half-breed daughter with no awareness of her heritage and origin, he was forced to guide his now gorgeous secretary into the world of the undead. Racked by confusion and changes in her body that weren't there before, Grace found herself irresistibly drawn to her seductive boss as passion ignited and threatened to consume them both. However, she was unprepared for the reason he had sought her out and the danger that lay ahead. Regardless, sharing a love of conquering their goals, this unlikely pair began to form an unexpected bond that led them to a place neither of them ever expected to be.
Chase Johnson was successful and a billionaire for a reason, yet he was lured by Amaya's smile. Remembering the moment when he'd walked into the living room and she'd flung her bra at him and he'd gotten a look at her bare bounty. Amaya caught his eye, all right, in a way no other woman ever had before. Then she'd argued with him and challenged him, and he'd found he liked it. Women usually become sweetly submissive around him. But she had been so different. Forget danger. Challenge could have been Amaya's middle name. Six years later, she ran into him again, and this time Chase became her boss, and he made her life a living hell, but she couldn't give up. She needed a job for her five-year-old son. Will she be able to reveal her secret to him before it's too late?
The day Raina gave birth should have been the happiest of her life. Instead, it became her worst nightmare. Moments after delivering their twins, Alexander shattered her heart-divorcing her and forcing her to sign away custody of their son, Liam. With nothing but betrayal and heartbreak to her name, Raina disappeared, raising their daughter, Ava, on her own.Years later, fate comes knocking when Liam falls gravely ill. Desperate to save his son, Alexander is forced to seek out the one person he once cast aside. Alexander finds himself face to face with the woman he underestimated, pleading for a second chance-not just for himself, but for their son. But Raina is no longer the same broken woman who once loved him.No longer the woman he left behind. She has carved out a new life-one built on strength, wealth, and a long-buried legacy she expected to uncover.Raina has spent years learning to live without him.The question is... Will she risk reopening old wounds to save the son she never got to love? or has Alexander lost her forever?
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."
Betrayed by her mate and sister on the eve of her wedding, Makenna was handed to the ruthless Lycan Princes as a lover, her indifferent father ignoring her plight. Determined to escape and seek revenge, she captured the interest of the three Lycan princes, who desired her exclusively amid many admirers. This complicated her plans, trapping her and making her a rival to the future Lycan queen. Entwined in jealousy and vindictiveness, could Makenna achieve her vengeance in the intricate dance with the three princes?
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
Blinded in a crash, Cary was rejected by every socialite—except Evelina, who married him without hesitation. Three years later, he regained his sight and ended their marriage. "We’ve already lost so many years. I won’t let her waste another one on me." Evelina signed the divorce papers without a word. Everyone mocked her fall—until they discovered that the miracle doctor, jewelry mogul, stock genius, top hacker, and the President's true daughter… were all her. When Cary came crawling back, a ruthless tycoon had him kicked out. "She's my wife now. Get lost."