Lydia Michaels

Lydia Michaels – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.books2020.com Fri, 03 Apr 2026 23:14:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 http://www.books2020.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png Lydia Michaels – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.books2020.com 32 32 Feast of the Fallen (Villains of Kassel #3) Read Online Lydia Michaels http://www.books2020.com/feast-of-the-fallen-villains-of-kassel-3-read-online-lydia-michaels Fri, 03 Apr 2026 23:14:26 +0000 http://www.books2020.com/feast-of-the-fallen-villains-of-kassel-3-read-online-lydia-michaels Genre: Alpha Male, Dark, Virgin Authors: Lydia Michaels Series: Villains of Kassel Series by Lydia Michaels
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Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 156728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 784(@200wpm)___ 627(@250wpm)___ 522(@300wpm)

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“Bestselling author, Lydia Michaels, delivers a dark, billionaire romance with all of The Great Gatsby's champagne charm and The Hunger Games' high stakes, in this deliciously twisted retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk . For readers who like their heroes morally gray, their steam scorching, and their happily-ever-afters dripping with secrets, Feast of the Fallen has it all!”

They call it a game. But games have rules, and mine were written in blood.

I was starving when I applied to The Feast of the Fallen—a twisted hunt where the world’s most elite billionaires pay millions to chase women like me through a gilded labyrinth until dawn.

One million dollars just to play. Two million if I'm caught.

I told myself I'd run, hide, and take the money–unharmed–so I could finally escape the poverty that's been choking me my entire life.

But I didn't count on him.

Jack Thorne, the phantom host, who built an empire from ash and blood, watched from the shadows while men hunted like monsters in a storm of his own creation. But when a reckless guest breaks his rules and goes too far, Jack steps out of the darkness, revealing himself as the most dangerous player of all–one who looks like a savior but will stop at nothing for revenge.

Jack doesn't negotiate with giants. He watches them gorge themselves on power until their true nature spills out. Then he brings the axe.

Billionaire • Hunter/Prey • Touch Her and Die • Possessive MMC • Rags to Riches • Forced Proximity

⚠️ Dark romance with explicit content. Please read responsibly

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

Epigraph

A seed doesn’t wonder what it will become. That’s the first mercy.

Small enough to pocket. Small enough to smuggle in a fist. I was once a seed. Traded. Bartered. Owned.

They never predicted what I would become.

Bury a seed and it obeys—at first. Quiet. Patient. But leave it alone too long and it will overtake a kingdom.

It waits, taking only what it needs. Time is a seed’s only possession. Patience is forced as dampness turns to rot, splitting it open in what feels like death.

But a seed doesn’t die. It endures.

It climbs through pressure and darkness, rung by rung, until it breaks free, ever aiming for the sky, until, one day, it towers over all that once buried it like a dirty secret.

Cut it back and it only grows more aggressively. A seed is never just a seed. It is the metamorphosis of time and darkness from which insidious giants are made.

Prologue

A Trade for Magic Beans

London, Twenty-six Years Ago

London fog hid the sun while the wind cut like needles through Jackie’s threadbare clothes. Mum told him to wait while she spoke to the man in the car, so he huddled on the stoop, drawing his knees to his chest as the rats scurried along the cracks in the pavement to an opening in the bricks.

Sometimes the house was colder inside than outside. But not when it rained. When it rained, the air tasted of metal and ash.

Cars didn’t usually come down their street, especially not ones as black or shiny as the one parked at the curb. It must be warm in that car, Jackie thought, watching steam curl from the open window where Mum leaned.

A dog barked in the distance, raw and desperate until it turned hoarse.

Jackie shivered. “Mum⁠—”

Her finger pointed up, signaling silence before extracting a thick envelope from the hand that reached through the car window. She stuffed the item in her pocket as the sleek glass closed.

The car pulled away, red lights shrinking until the mist swallowed them whole.

She didn’t look at him when she turned. Instead, she kept her hands in her pockets and her gaze on the ground. “Come on, Jackie. You need a bath.”

“It’s too cold⁠—”

“No arguments.”

“Who was that?”

“No one.” She still wouldn’t meet his stare.

“What’s in the bag, Mum?”

Her hand pressed down on the bulge she’d tucked safely in her pocket. “Beans, Jackie. Just beans.”

“Magic beans?” he asked, skipping after her.

“I hope.”

When they walked into the building she didn’t touch him. She didn’t brush a hand over his hair or help him with his jacket like she normally did. At age six, he didn’t have a name for the cold weight that settled in his chest that day. His mother’s affection had always been a source of warmth. And the absence of it weighed heavier than hunger.

That was the day Mum’s tears started. Like an endless season of rain, her sadness went on so long, Jackie forgot what summer was like.

After his bath, Jackie shivered under blankets, but the chill wouldn’t leave his bones. Water trickled from the gutters as rain seeped through cracked plaster. He normally lay with Mum on colder nights, but she hadn’t stopped crying, so he left her alone.

The following day, when the church bells tolled, he awoke to his mother standing over him, her expression blank and her eyes flat.

“What’s wrong, Mum?”

She looked through him with that haunted stare. “Put on your blue jacket.”

“Where are we going?”

“Just you. It’s a surprise.” She wiped her eyes, the soft skin below her lashes red and raw. “Somewhere warm with lots of food and toys.”

“Why can’t you come with me?”

She shook her head, her dry, pale lips forming a flat line. “It’s not for mothers.”

Jackie was so hungry, he needed little more than the promise of food to get moving. “Then I’ll bring you something back.”

She blinked rapidly. “Bring yourself back. That’s all I need.”

After dressing, they waited by the door. She gripped his hand, her hold cold and tight as if she were afraid to lose him in a crowd, but no one else was there. Her breath hitched and she crouched before him, tugging his jacket shut.

“Listen to me, Jackie. Be a good boy and do exactly as you’re told, understand?”

“I’m always a good boy, Mum,” he said cheekily, throwing his arms around her neck and squeezing tightly.

“I know you are, baby. I know you are.”

He should have held onto her a little longer.

Chapter One

One Night

Present Day

* * *

Steam wafted from the industrial pressers like breath from a dying animal—hot, damp, carrying traces of whatever had soiled the sheets before Daisy fed them through the machine. Sweat pooled in the hollow of her throat, slid between her breasts, gathered in the creases of her elbows where heat had turned her skin pink and angry.

Eight hours of this. Sometimes ten. Her hands knew the rhythm without her mind’s permission. Lift, feed, press, fold, stack. The familiar song of machinery no longer bothered her ears. She was as deaf to the white noise as she was to her own breathing.

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Advertisement The Holiday Clause – Hideaway Harbor Read Online Lydia Michaels http://www.books2020.com/the-holiday-clause-hideaway-harbor-read-online-lydia-michaels Sun, 07 Dec 2025 21:06:03 +0000 http://www.books2020.com/the-holiday-clause-hideaway-harbor-read-online-lydia-michaels Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary Authors: Lydia Michaels Advertisement

Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 142214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 711(@200wpm)___ 569(@250wpm)___ 474(@300wpm)

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A Hideaway Harbor holiday rom-com from bestselling & award-winning author Lydia Michaels!

Three billionaire brothers. One ultimatum. And a childhood best friend who just became the prize.

The Christmas rush began the moment Magnus Hawthorne informed his sons that his billion-dollar empire would come with one hell of a holiday clause—whoever marries first inherits everything.

Too bad they all want the same woman.

Wren Wilde, Hideaway Harbor’s unintentional cat lady, is sick of bossy Hawthorne men controlling her non-existent love life. After years of their territorial interference, she’s finally going after what she wants. But Greyson, Soren, and Logan have other plans—one of them must marry, and all three brothers want Wren.

With no clue how her boring life turned into a billion-dollar competition, Wren refuses to play along. But when three alpha males turn on the holiday charm and refuse to take no for an answer, her defenses crumble.

Wren must decide which brother wins, and this Christmas, her choice comes down to love.

“A steamy, small-town, holiday romance with an unforgettable love triangle that’s guaranteed to heat up readers’ hearts this winter!”

Protector • Three Possessive Alpha Males • Billionaire Brothers • Grumpy/Sunshine • Holiday Romance • Small-Town • Rom-Com • Friends-to-Lovers • Long-Time Crush • First Love • Virgin • Christmas Ultimatum • Holiday Rush • Christmas Competition • Steamy Romance • Childhood Best Friend • Family Rivalry • Won't Take No for an Answer

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

PROLOGUE

“Dashing Through the Snow”

“There I was,” Wren began the story as dramatically as she always did, “fumbling for my keys as cats coiled between my legs on the cabin porch, their urgent mewing echoing in the frigid air.”

“Here we go…” Logan rolled his eyes.

She ignored him, sitting up to better reenact the chaos that unfolded one year ago, the absolute insanity they put her through that led her to this very place. She didn’t care that they heard the story a hundred times before. She lived it.

So did they, of course.

But she would never let them forget what they put her through. And each time she made them sit through the recap, she added more flourish and dramatization than the last.

“I bit the tip of my glove, precariously balancing my grocery bags in one arm, so I could dig through my purse,” she continued, still able to hear the rock salt crunching underfoot. “It had been a frigid day. I still remember my breath clouding as I spoke to the cats.”

The rescued strays were why people once assumed she was Hideaway Harbor’s unofficial cat lady at thirty. That was back when she was still single. A lot had changed since then.

“Your stories take forever.”

“Shut up, Soren.”

“Get to the point, Wren.”

She shot Greyson a threatening look, warning him to hush. “The metallic bite of wind promised more snow, and we already had a foot from the storm that rolled in before Thanksgiving that year.”

“There was a northern wind, and the temperature was a biting seventeen degrees. Two blue jays sat on a branch,” Logan mocked.

“Patience, guys.” She narrowed her eyes at the men. “That’s what I remember saying to Figgy and the other cats as they perched on frost-dusted chairs. Then, suddenly, the roar of a motor exploded through the silence! I spun, keys tumbling from my grasp as a black super-duty pickup rocketed over the snowdrifts—an avalanche of ice and slush erupting in its wake as it plowed straight toward me! I screamed, and the cats scattered like buckshot.”

Greyson’s deep chuckle rumbled as he lounged by the fire.

“I don’t think it was all that dramatic,” Logan mumbled.

“Get to the good part,” Soren urged.

Wren continued, “Out of nowhere, a snowmobile buzzed from the woods behind the cabin! I plastered myself against the front door in a sorry attempt to avoid a collision as claws scraped wood and the cats scrambled up the walls in sheer terror! My groceries crashed to the ground, eggs exploding, as I threw my hands up to shield my face. The truck slammed on its brakes, spraying snow all over me and my midnight blue siding as it skidded to a halt mere inches from my step. I was terrified. The engine growling like a caged beast as the driver’s door burst open and I screamed, ‘What the hell is going on!’”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Even I know that’s stretching the truth. The snowmobile totally got there first.”

“False.” Logan laughed. “And you can’t start the story there anyway.” He sipped lager from a pilsner glass. “That makes us sound like maniacs.”

Wren scoffed. “You are maniacs.”

“She has a point.” Greyson stretched his thick denim-clad legs toward the raised hearth of the massive fireplace.

“That’s exactly how it started,” Wren continued. “I’m telling the non-fiction version.”

“Your version might be true, but that’s not how it started.” Soren brushed a piece of non-existent lint off his knee onto the oak floor. “You’ve got to give a little background to accurately portray the emotion.”

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Advertisement Gilded Locks (Villains of Kassel #2) Read Online Lydia Michaels http://www.books2020.com/gilded-locks-villains-of-kassel-2-read-online-lydia-michaels Wed, 19 Nov 2025 18:28:06 +0000 http://www.books2020.com/gilded-locks-villains-of-kassel-2-read-online-lydia-michaels Genre: Alpha Male, Dark Authors: Lydia Michaels Series: Villains of Kassel Series by Lydia Michaels
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Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 103712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)

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A Dark Reverse Harem Romance

She broke into the wrong house.
Now, three brutal men will make her pay—with her body, her secrets, and her soul.

When runaway heiress Marigold Calder crashes into the forbidden Isles of Kassel during a blizzard, she's desperate for shelter. The isolated mountain lodge seems like salvation, until she realizes it belongs to The Bears, three massive Russian brothers who own the most exclusive—and dangerous—private men's club in Kassel.

HUNTER – The violent one who takes what he wants🔥
STONE – The cold mastermind who'll break her with a single look🔥
ASH – The deceptively gentle one who's anything but safe🔥

In Kassel, trespassing has a price. And once they catch her sleeping in their bed, eating their food, and wearing their clothes, these territorial predators decide she’s theirs.

Trapped by the storm and their obsession, Marigold discovers a dark connection between their families that turns their hospitality into a hunt for revenge. Now, they won’t just keep her, they’ll ruin her.

A scorching hot, morally grey, billionaire reverse harem featuring possessive anti-heroes, forced proximity, primal dominance, explosive chemistry, and a heroine who refuses to break. This standalone dark romance contains mature themes and explicit scenes that will leave you breathless.

Step into their den... if you dare

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

Chapter 1

A Bitter Death

The rope seared through Marigold’s frozen fingers as the boat pitched toward the banks. Ice-glazed planks shrieked their protest beneath the storm’s relentless assault.

Each breath carved glass shards through her lungs, the Arctic air so savage it crystallized her exhales before they could escape her lips.

The choppy water pitched her from one side of the boat to the other as terror pressed down on her like gravity. A frigid blast of ice sprayed forcefully from the waves, followed by a towering surge that rose from the raging surf. It knocked her off her feet the second it crashed into the boat, washing her back like wasted plankton and throwing her about as if she were as inconsequential as an autumn leaf lost in the wind.

She slammed hard into the boat floor, gasping as salt water flooded her lungs, whacking her shoulder against one of the bench seats. Bitter cold water drenched her clothes, turning her bones to brittle ice, pinning her weak limbs to the ground with impressive weight as the world turned over and another wave crashed again.

She was going to die.

Gasping and sputtering, she turned and gripped the rail before she was washed overboard. In the black, obsidian night, beneath the swirl of stars above, she thought she spotted life, but as she desperately tried to wipe the saltwater from her frozen cheeks, she realized the rumors were wrong about the Isles of Kassel. Either that, or she was lost.

This frozen wasteland of jutting obsidian rocks and skeletal trees bore no resemblance to paradise. She must have gone off course.

Her phone died hours ago, around the time her lantern went out and the small craft nearly capsized. She only survived because she held on for dear life, letting the sea swallow the only possessions she had left.

No compass. No map. Not a dry stitch of clothes nor a match to start a fire. Tonight would surely be her last.

She knew death was a possibility when she escaped. She swore she didn’t care if she lived or died, as long as she escaped the hell she’d been living in. But in the face of fear, she questioned her devotion, accepting that she’d massively miscalculated the length of this journey and she was much better suited for travel by limousine or jet.

Another bitter cold wave sloshed into the boat, and Marigold screamed in frustration, hoping her rage might warm her bones. Her fingers were numb and useless as she tried to get the water out of her craft. But she was no match for the wild sea.

Fighting back tears of fury, she shook with hypothermic tremors and finally admitted she was not ready to die. She’d suffered so much. This was her chance to break free and live. Why was life so unkind?

Wind whipped against her drenched, sagging clothes, but no matter how she twisted and turned in the wet rags, there was no escaping the painful onslaught of cold death settling in.

“I hate you!” she raged to everyone who contributed to her suffering.

She screamed at the top of her lungs, only to have her voice give out like a hollow whistle, ravaged from the cold and strain on her body.

Kassel was supposed to be a modern-day Eden—lush emerald jungles thick with orchid-perfumed air and humid promises of sanctuary. Not this merciless tundra where death whispered through every gust of wind.

The stolen invitation crinkled inside the frozen pocket of her stolen coat as she wrestled with numb fingers to secure the boat’s line, the false identity she’d stolen tucked against her thundering heart.

She was now Mary Langford.

Thank god she was smart enough not to keep the paperwork in her bag, or it would have gone overboard with the rest of her belongings. Not that it mattered now. She’d likely freeze to death by dawn and wash onto shore with a stolen identity in her pocket. No one would ever know the truth.

Not that it was a pretty truth. Her life had been good once, but after her mother died, everything went to hell.

Clutching her shivering chest, she closed her eyes, fighting back the threat of another anxiety attack. She couldn’t afford emotions now. If she wanted to live, she needed to focus solely on survival. And Marigold would do anything to survive. Anything.

She branded her new identity into her memory during the last hours of daylight. The deeper she traveled into the sea, the more she accepted she was really getting out, and Marigold Calder was gone.

She read the ID, repeating Mary Langford’s information over and over again, each repetition a prayer she soon knew by heart. Marigold Calder was dead—buried beneath layers of deception and desperation. She was now Mary Langford. Innocent. Safe. Free.

She never expected her half-brother’s hatred to go this far or demand this much from her. But every day brought new challenges, and she’d been forced to run harder and think faster than she ever dreamed herself capable of.

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Advertisement Hush Darling (Villains of Kassel #1) Read Online Lydia Michaels http://www.books2020.com/hush-darling-villains-of-kassel-1-read-online-lydia-michaels Sun, 12 Oct 2025 20:52:44 +0000 http://www.books2020.com/hush-darling-villains-of-kassel-1-read-online-lydia-michaels Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Dark, Erotic Authors: Lydia Michaels Series: Villains of Kassel Series by Lydia Michaels
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Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72233 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)

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Lose your innocence to one of the wickedest men alive in this DARK and TWISTED Peter Pan retelling by bestselling and award-winning author Lydia Michaels.
Some adventures lead to happily ever afters. Others lead to ruin.

Wendy Darling is desperate to escape the gilded cage of her childhood, but her parents’ obsession with wealth and status has her trapped. Suffocated by their expectations and starved for freedom, she runs off with the duplicitous billionaire Peter Pangbourn to the Never Lands—an exclusive playground for the lawless elite. But once there, Wendy finds herself stranded and at Peter’s mercy—powerless to get home.

When pirates storm the island, Wendy is kidnapped by the cruel and vengeful Captain James Hook. James has waited a lifetime to punish his brother, Peter, and he plans to use Wendy’s innocence to exact his revenge.

Dark secrets are revealed in a battle of wills, and a dangerous obsession ensues between Wendy and her ruthless captor as his dominance is met with stunning surrender. While Hook is determined to dominate and destroy Wendy, she is set on saving his dark soul.

“Fans of Haunting Adeline and Twisted Love will devour this enemies-to-lovers, dark billionaire romance! Hush Darling sizzles with taboo degradation as Wendy, a virgin captive, faces off with one of the most vengeful and villainous pirates alive.”

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

Prologue

BOYS AND MONSTERS

James disguised his fear as the police car drove them further away from the only place they had ever called home. Rail thin and hungry, he watched the uniformed officer with a mixture of skepticism and frail trust. He’d seen too much evil in his thirteen years to hold any space for hope. Now that their mother was out of the picture, he presumed they were among the hopeless.

The dilapidated city warehouses that lined the fringe of London’s lowest districts gave way to wide-open highways and foreign bridges he’d never crossed. Sitting beside James, Peter fidgeted, his slight body unable to see past the window as their grey, familiar world faded away.

James reached for his little brother’s small hand, offering silent support as they waited to see where they were taken next—two aimless ships left to float without a rudder or a sail in a rather dark night.

The fresh bruises on Peter’s arms tinged his fair skin a yellowish green. Fresh anger stabbed through James’ gut like a steel blade. He should have done something sooner. He should have protected Peter better. He had a duty to protect his brother that went beyond protecting himself.

James had welts, too, but, at the moment, he felt nothing beyond his fury toward the men who hurt Peter. That, and his worry over what would become of them now.

Turning away from the proof of abuse they survived, James glared out the window. His dark eyes reflected in the glass like two fathomless holes leading them into the unknown future. They could only move forward now because they were never going back there again. Their mother was going away for something called neglect, and the men that hurt Peter, well, James could only hope they eventually got what they deserved.

The radio of the squad car chirped as a static voice squawked from the speakers. According to the faceless voice on the other end, they were heading to Saint Mercy’s Home for Orphaned Boys.

The officer driving the car had not been the one to rescue them. It was a female who found them. She smelled like roses, and her hair was soft like cotton. She told them they were safe. Then the house was swarming with men in uniforms, each wearing a copper badge and carrying a gun.

James had already forgotten the female agent’s face, but he held onto her promise that they would be safe. She said there would be food and clothing and plenty of warm beds for him and Peter. There was a gentleness about her, something the male cops lacked, something James and Peter knew little about but both innately craved.

Peter was too young to understand what was happening but not too old to sense the finality of the day’s events. Even at four, he knew enough to fear the unknown. He’d been hysterical when they pulled Mother away and put her in cuffs. Too young to fully understand, he assumed the men in blue uniforms and copper badges were a threat, so he kicked and screamed when they loaded them into the back of the squad car.

James shut his eyes as the vision replayed. He’d wanted to kick and scream, too, but at thirteen, he was old enough to know that sort of behavior would change nothing. At least now, they would have regular meals, baths, and maybe even stories to help them sleep.

A soft sniffle caught his ear, and he glanced at Peter. His pale blond hair hadn’t been washed in weeks, and there was still blood crusted around his nose.

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Advertisement Calamity Rayne Knocked Up Read Online Lydia Michaels http://www.books2020.com/calamity-rayne-knocked-up-read-online-lydia-michaels Thu, 21 Nov 2024 13:36:05 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/calamity-rayne-knocked-up-read-online-lydia-michaels Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Erotic Authors: Lydia Michaels Advertisement

Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87990 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)

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Once again, bestselling and award-winning author Lydia Michaels delivers…a baby?
What do you get when a billionaire control freak and an awkward hot mess decide it’s time to make a baby? Pure chaos—and perhaps more than turkey in the oven this Thanksgiving.
Rayne thought getting pregnant would be easy. But between Hale’s busy schedule and his affinity for kink (the kind that absolutely does not lead to procreation), their baby-making escapades have gone from a one-and-done bedding to a hilariously hot adventure in family planning.
Hale is used to getting his way, but his patience is tested when their love nest turns into a pressure cooker, and success isn’t immediate. As things heat up, Calamity’s careful planning goes up in flames—literally! With several sides of stuffing and enough dirty talk to make Santa blush, this laugh-out-loud raunch-com will surely warm readers’ hearts this holiday!
Pass the yams… and the prenatal vitamins. Hale and Rayne are expecting more than leftovers this Christmas!

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

My knees pressed into the carpet as my throat relaxed, allowing him to slide deeper.

“That’s it, baby.” Hale’s hand fisted my hair, angling my head back as he took complete control. “God, your mouth feels incredible,” he growled, hips pistoning faster and faster as I moaned around his thick cock. “Fuck, Rayne, I’m going to come.”

Alarm bells roared in my head, and my eyes went wide. I shoved back at his thrusting hips, but his fingers knotted tighter in my hair.

“That’s it. Take it like a fucking good girl. My good girl.”

“Granlgeh!” A garbled sound of distress escaped my throat, but the swollen head of his cock shoved it back down, so I pinched him.

“Ow!” He stiffened and stilled. “What the hell was that for?”

Ripping my mouth free, I bolted to my feet and shoved him onto the bed. Hale’s naked body sprawled across the rumpled covers like a work of art, and I climbed his body like a squirrel racing to its nest—my main goal to get that nut.

“Don’t come!”

“Jesus, Rayne! I think your teeth cut my dick—whoa—take it easy!”

“No time.” I straddled him faster than an old Hollywood western, aligning our bodies and taking him to the hilt. “Go ahead.”

His face contorted in a twist of pain and pleasure and he grunted.

“We’re good now.” When he just looked up at me with the confused face of a battered husband who had just been denied an orgasm and tackled to his back and mounted like a mechanical bull, I realized I could have been a tad more tactful, so I softened my smile and angled my body in a more feminine position—tits out and whatnot. “Hale, I’m ready now.”

“I…” His enthusiasm flagged. “What just happened?”

“You were going to come.” Planting a hand on his chest, I started to ride him so he didn’t lose his erection. “You can do it now.” His brow creased when I directed his hand to my crotch. “The success rates are higher if the woman comes, so…get busy.”

“Get busy?”

“Yes. Start rubbing.” Sex was the extent of my cardio, and I was already panting while Hale was just lying there. “Hale, a little help, please.”

“Give me a second to find my bearings, Rayne. Two seconds ago, I was enjoying a blowjob, and now⁠—”

“The books say there’s a higher chance of conception if the woman comes.” My legs were already tired, and I was ready to wrap this up. “Blowjobs don’t make babies.” Gah! Being on top was too much work. “I thought you had to come.”

“This is a lot of pressure.”

“Seriously?” I rode him like a jockey on Sea Biscuit. “I’m the one in a sweat. Feel free to jump in the game at any time.”

“Rayne, this isn’t exactly what I had in mind when we discussed trying.”

“Speaking of trying, could you?” I waved a hand at the front of my body. He could at least grab my boobs.

He dropped his head back. “You seem to have everything under control.”

“Hale!”

“What?”

“Do something before I get a charley horse, and this ride ends.”

“You can’t just bark out orders in bed, Rayne. It doesn’t work that way.”

“Why not?” My leg was starting to cramp. “You’re always barking them at me.” I impersonated his bedroom voice, “Deeper, Rayne. That’s it, baby, open wide for me. That’s a good little wife. Take it all the way down. It’s your turn to be a good little husband and put a baby in me.”

Rolling his eyes, he toppled me off of him. I yelped in surprise as he pinned me to the bed, his large hands capturing my wrists over my head. “Little is never the word to describe your husband, Mrs. Davenport.” He shoved his length deep and I gasped. “I call the shots. I’m in control.”

I nodded quickly, recognizing that possessive gleam in his gunmetal eyes. “Yes, sir.”

He thrust again and we both moaned but then he was gone, pulling out of my body as his weight vanished. “Don’t move.”

“Wait. Where are you⁠—”

“What did the doctor say about too much pressure?”

“Not to use water-based lube?”

His mouth firmed into a flat line. “Not that kind of pressure.”

I sighed. “He said it’ll happen when we’re both relaxed.”

“And do you feel relaxed?”

I took a quick inventory of my body. “Sort of?”

“You have to stop thinking about conception, Rayne. Just enjoy it.”

I never expected this much tension between us, but making a baby was a lot more complicated than I thought. Girls in high school got knocked up left and right without trying. I honestly thought this would be the easiest part of parenting, but boy was I wrong.

He brushed the back of his knuckles down my cheek. “Baby, you need to relax.”

Relaxed seemed too close to lazy, and when I got lazy, I tended to procrastinate. It had already been thirteen months since we started trying. We needed to throw some fuel on this fire and start cooking, but first, we needed to get an actual bun in the oven.

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Advertisement Primal Kill – The Order of Vampires Read Online Lydia Michaels http://www.books2020.com/primal-kill-the-order-of-vampires-read-online-lydia-michaels Sat, 05 Oct 2024 02:30:38 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/primal-kill-the-order-of-vampires-read-online-lydia-michaels Genre: Alpha Male, Dark, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal, Suspense, Vampires, Witches Authors: Lydia Michaels Advertisement

Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 137871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 689(@200wpm)___ 551(@250wpm)___ 460(@300wpm)

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Three hundred years ago, Adriel Schrock escaped her brutal mate after burying him alive. She found sanctuary on an immortal Amish farm, but her peaceful stay has come to an end.

Cerberus is free after centuries entombed and plans to show his traitorous mate just how ruthless he can be. His vengeful black heart knows no mercy. He intends to punish Adriel with an eternity of torture.

There is only one way to ensure that doesn’t happen—one of them must die.

Running for her life in a lethal hunt, Adriel’s path collides with a vexing witch who surprises her by offering protection—but there’s a catch that could alter her destiny forever.

Primal Kill is a life-or-death, high fantasy, dark paranormal romance with multiple points of view and LGBTQ themes from award-winning and bestselling author Lydia Michaels.

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

SOUNDTRACK

Enjoy the Music that Inspired Primal Kill

Click here to listen to the series playlist on Spotify.

Black Magic Woman by VCTRYS

It’s My Life by Bon Jovi

Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac

Songbird by Eva Cassidy

Zombie by The Cranberries

Wings by Birdie

Kill of the Night by Gin Wigmore

Three Little Birds by Kacey Musgraves

Wolves Without Teeth by Of Monsters and Men

Love, Reign o’er Me by Pearl Jam

Can You See Me In The Dark by Halestorm & I Prevail

No Light, No Light by Florence + The Machine

As It Was by Harry Styles

Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran

PROLOGUE

Long After 1730…

Time has lost all meaning…

Life is only pain…

Death is the only relief…

Cerberus Maddox XI growled, choking on dust and rubble, entombed by the crushing weight of clay-hardened earth that slowly compacted with time. Roots and gravel bound his mutilated body—enough to trap, paralyze, suffocate, and kill him again and again.

Unsure how long he’d been suffering or how many times he’d died only to return to this eternal torture, Cerberus clung to what was left of his decaying sanity, though his mind fragmented long ago. Immortality had no power here, and longevity had become a curse. With no blood to alleviate the endless pain or speed his recovery, existence was insufferable.

Sensory deprivation left Cerberus deaf, blind, and incapable of movement. He sometimes suffered the sweet relief of hallucinations where the fixed memories of his past also tortured him.

Those agonizing memories became his mirrored reality, his escape from the physical suffering that was his endless existence until he died once more.

Again.

And again.

And again, only to be brought back to this living hell.

Awareness came like baptism through fire. Sharp pain pulsed and surged through every wasted shred of him. The cycle never ended. It couldn’t. And by the thousandth time he died, he was certain immortality was a curse and his desire for vengeance would live forever inside of him.

His body hummed in agony. Each throbbing beat of his heart radiated awareness as tortured nerves buzzed and burned.

Echoes of muscle memory faded. Wounds deliberately healed and the dead cells withered away. Rotting. He was rotting.

Gone were his arms. Gone were his legs. Torn flesh and muscle left him a fraction of the warrior he once was. All he had was breath and pain, but there was no air left to breathe, so the pain inevitably won.

Dampness chilled his bones, stiffening every torn joint and shredded muscle into a tough, ossified husk. His decaying body became a raw nerve with time, exposed and infected, tingling with haunting twitches as he decomposed into a living corpse—buried alive for a long, possibly eternal, restless repose.

The stench of his rotting arms and legs reached his nose. His tormentors left his severed limbs with him so he could suffer the slow decay of his own muscle and flesh.

This deep in the earth, sand dampened to mud and slowly solidified into cold clay. Fossilized in time, encased in agony with no limbs left to claw his way out, nothing existed beyond his tortured mind.

The odd sensation of wrigglers and beetles nibbling the decay became a constant torment and comfort. So long as the worms were with him, composting his body's organic matter, he was never truly alone.

Trapped in the nothing.

No space.

No time.

Only pain.

His agonizing existence repeated on a steady loop of suffering and death.

Suffering and death.

The ricochet of time was lost in the darkness.

His disoriented mind forgot what it was to walk and breathe without agony. After years of this relentless imprisonment, he struggled to recall the wholeness he celebrated before his limbs had been torn clean—amputated by force with the excruciating purpose of punishing him.

Punishing him for her. He inwardly snarled.

She was nothing! A whore, like her mother…

He should have let her die when he killed her the last time. He could have prevented her from coming back. She was immortal but utterly fragile compared to him. How dare they do this on her account?

Once again, he vowed to make her suffer tenfold. He relished the day he would finally escape this living tomb and show her the agony he’d survived. How long had it been since he looked up at the sky and breathed fresh air? Years? Decades? Centuries?

Too long.

She knew nothing of real pain. He ached to show her how truly dreadful he could be. His craving to repay her for the crime of quartering and entombing him alive obliterated all other desires.

I’m coming for you girl…

The debt she owed him would cost her dearly. One day, she would pay for leaving him this way, just as he made her mother pay in the blood of those she loved.

Vicious bitch.

It was no wonder Lilias’s descendants were equally venomous. Wiping out her line would do the world a service.

Like a delicious poison, the temptation of his memories puzzled together a vision of Lilias when they first met. She’d been fresh and frightened, with supple breasts and a wet little quim just beyond flowering.

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Advertisement Calamity Rayne Gets Hitched Read Online Lydia Michaels http://www.books2020.com/calamity-rayne-gets-hitched-read-online-lydia-michaels Sat, 13 Apr 2024 11:41:38 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/calamity-rayne-gets-hitched-read-online-lydia-michaels Genre: Alpha Male, Billionaire, Contemporary, Funny Authors: Lydia Michaels Advertisement

Total pages in book: 156
Estimated words: 151044 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)

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Calamity Rayne—fiancée of very sophisticated and powerful billionaire hottie, Hale Davenport—has a wedding to plan! With no clue how she managed to out-Darwin a bazillion other women and land one of the world’s most desirable bachelors, she becomes the paparazzi’s newest target. Receiving a crash course in charm school and wedding etiquette, she fights tradition and ends up following a lazy bride's guide to catastrophes and chaos in this laugh-out-loud, opposites-attract, billionaire romantic comedy from bestselling author, Lydia Michaels.

Save The Date! Here comes the awkward bride—with a heap of poor judgment and tequila on the side!

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

Listen to the Soundtrack on Spotify!

Best of My Love by The Emotions

Newsies King of NY from Newsies Original Motion Picture

No sleep til Brooklyn by Beastie Boys

Theme from New York by Frank Sinatra

Shoop by Salt N Pepa

Rapper’s Delight by Sugar Hill Gang

Benny and the Jets by Elton John

You Don’t Bring Me Flowers by Barbara Streisand and Neil Diamond

Welcome to New York by Taylor Swift

Can’t Stop by Red Hot Chili Peppers

It’s All Coming Back to Me Now by Celine Dion

Chapel of Love by The Dixie Cups

Never Let Me Go by Florence + the Machine

I love it by Icona Pop

Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper

Someone Like You by Van Morrison

You Make My Dreams (Come True) by Daryl Hall & John

Listen to the Calamity Rayne Series Soundtrack on Spotify!

No Tiger in the Bathroom

SO I’VE GOT THAT GOING FOR ME…

No Clue Where I Am…

48 Hours Pre Wedding-gate

Bed sheets twisted about my body like a straitjacket. I shivered, skin clammy and damp with chilled sweat. Despite the cool air I was roasting. Was I sick?

I tried to kick my foot free of the covers. Hale grunted when I accidentally nailed him in the shin with my heel. It was hotter than Satan’s taint in this bed and I was having a Hades-grade-hot-flash.

Frustrated, I tussled through a middle-aged cage fight with the blankets and winced when pain lanced into my skull. Then my stomach sloshed and I stilled, covering my mouth and unsure what my body planned to do next.

Something wasn’t right, so I sagged back in defeat. Ugh.

Blankets one, Calamity zero.

My brain buffered until I realized what this was. The world’s most unpleasant surprise…a hangover. Right.

Hangovers were sneaky little fuckers. Souvenirs acquired through intoxicated decision-making, therefore always showing up unexpectedly. But if you want the truth, life’s basically one long line of surprises, and in my thirty years I’ve never been prepared for a single one. So why start now?

Hello, I’m Calamity Rayne—fiancée of very grownup and powerful billionaire smoke-show, Hale Davenport. No clue how I got here or how I somehow managed to out-Darwin the bazillion other women who dreamt of waking up in my circumstances. I can only blame sheer luck, vagina magic, and the sporadic twist of fate.

My stomach gurgled and I groaned. Moaning hurt, and based on the throbbing in my skull, today would be another day passed on the struggle bus.

I was afraid to open my eyes. Was it normal for a bride to feel like a washed-up hooker days before her wedding? My fermented organs pumped through whatever sludge poisoned my insides as I tried to think of anything that might help.

God, thinking fucking hurt.

Arm partially numb, I blindly dragged a hand over my face. Long gone were the ideals of waking up like the polished, slightly tussled, beauties shown in the movies. That shit was pure fiction.

The reality was terrifying. Sweat-kinked hair, morning breath rank enough to make roadkill run again, an empty belly packed with toxic gas, and the gunked-up remnants of yesterday’s makeup caked in the corners of my Venus flytrap eyes. This nightmare wasn’t even neighboring the zip code of slightly attractive. I needed to get out of this raging inferno of a bed and wash the sweaty stink off me.

“Hale…” I groaned, nudging the scalding body beside mine and grimacing at the flammable scent of my breath.

How Prince Charming inexplicably wanted me above every other fair maiden in all the land was beyond me. It wasn’t like I ever pretended to be more than the hot mess that I was. If there was such a thing as fixer-upper kink, Hale would be president of the club because, bless his overbearing, bossy heart, the man loved my catastrophic soul to a fault.

Long gone were the expectations of perfection. Poof. Vamoose. Hale knew exactly what he was marrying the moment he slipped that Victorian doorknob of a diamond over my unmanicured ring finger. He not only accepted the real me, he adored her—stubbled legs, unfiltered, profane blatherings, raging insecurities, and all.

Why? Because we were in love. L-O-V-E, love. I’m talking Jane Austen-grade desire with a dash of obsession and a heavy-handed dose of power. I could wake up looking and smelling like death because Hale could handle it.

Our bond ran deeper than some namby-pamby sort of lusty newlywed champagne. We were a potent, Russian-grade, punch-you-in-the-face-good-morning kind of love vodka. Tough. Resilient. The real deal.

Which was why I had no problem elbowing his scalding body off of me.

“Oomph,” he grunted as my arm shoved against the unmovable slab of muscle suffocating me.

Unlike normal mortals, Hale didn’t stink like roadkill or regret in the morning. No. He smelled of fantasies and authority, sort of like the cool air of a bank that pumped James Bond-level pheromones through the ductwork.

Hale was a God. A walking aphrodisiac. A painfully beautiful masterpiece of perfection the paparazzi adored and gold-digging whores slobbered over on the regular.

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Advertisement Calamity Rayne Over the Moon Read Online Lydia Michaels http://www.books2020.com/calamity-rayne-over-the-moon-read-online-lydia-michaels Sat, 13 Apr 2024 11:41:37 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/calamity-rayne-over-the-moon-read-online-lydia-michaels Genre: Alpha Male, Billionaire, Contemporary, Funny Authors: Lydia Michaels Advertisement

Total pages in book: 12
Estimated words: 11501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 58(@200wpm)___ 46(@250wpm)___ 38(@300wpm)

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After throwing the wedding of the century, Calamity Rayne—a.k.a. the new Mrs. Davenport—is overdue for a little rest and porn-a-cation! Luckily, Hale has planned an eight-week honeymoon. What could possibly go wrong?Join the newlyweds for a wet and wild adventure in this delightfully naughty, opposites-attract, billionaire novella from bestselling author, Lydia Michaels."This spicy short story delivers all the honeymoon heat as we travel on an eight-week adventure with the hilarious Calamity Rayne and her devastatingly sexy, and well-endowed, husband, Hale! An awesome bonus to an amazing series!" -Bad Little Bookworm Reviews

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

Failure to Launch

I’ve never made it a secret that I struggle with the adulting. I mean, one year ago my life looked completely different. I was paying off loads of college debt, not using my degree, and blissfully living paycheck to paycheck while bartending at an underwhelming hole in the wall in Oregon. So how did I get here? Well, it’s an interesting story—and a hot one—with a lot of unpredictable twists and jaw-dropping turns.

Honestly, I’ve barely had time to catch my breath since I shifted from the pokey lane to the jet-set lifestyle of a billionaire’s wife. Yep, I said billionaire—with a big old B. He’s not a dick either. But he does have a big one.

To be clear, it’s never been about the money for me. It was a little about the personal chef he had when we met because food is my porn. And a lot about the orgasms, because I never knew such things were possible for me. But never about his fortune.

No clue how I landed my own personal Prince Charming. It’s not like I came with any sort of sex skills or strategy. But somehow, in all of my clumsy awkwardness, Hale fell in love with the real me.

That’s Hale sleeping right over there...

Sure, he doesn’t look like much in that chin-to-chest dad-pose with his hands folded around that plush unicorn but, believe me, when he’s conscious and vertical he’s a total smoke show.

He’s resting because we have a ten-month-old daughter who just started walking. Chasing her little butt around is freaking exhausting.

That’s Peanut sleeping next to him...

Sure, she looks all innocent now, curled up like a little cherub with her Meep Meep sheep, but I promise there are little nubs under those soft curls where horns are starting to grow. She’s only in the button-buck stages of demonized behavior, so I’m still hopeful. But if her tongue starts to fork, we’re in trouble.

I sighed. Who was I kidding? They were both perfect.

Yes, Hale was a bit of a neatnik operating under some severe and technically undiagnosed OCD. But those control freak proclivities had served him well so far.

And Elara—a.k.a. Peanut—well, she was the other love of my life and just as stubborn as her father. Yes, the Davenport DNA was strong in that one. I was going to miss her while we were gone.

Chewing my lip, I glanced at the various stacks of new clothes. How was I ever going to fit all of that into those tiny suitcases?

It had been one week since the wedding, and the guests—aside from Hale’s mom and the nanny—were all gone. Thank God.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciated everyone coming out to celebrate with us, but people were exhausting. And 99.9% of those guests were Hale’s friends, not mine.

I had eleven guests at our wedding. Eleven. Hale had three-hundred and twelve.

Suffice it to say, I was ready to get away. It had been weeks since I’d been home and our flight was leaving in twelve hours.

My stomach hurt every time I considered how long we would actually be gone and how much Elara would change. Two months seemed excessive, but billionaires liked to be extra.

I glanced back at the two of them. The fading sun illuminated the Manhattan skyline, casting Hale in a golden glow and bringing out the rosiness of Elara’s cheeks.

“What’s wrong?” Hale hadn’t moved from his comfy position as he watched me through those intuitive silver eyes.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“Rayne, I know that face.”

I sighed. “Maybe we planned too much. Two months is a really long time to be away. Elara’s going to be one by the time we get back.”

“We’re coming home the week before her birthday. We talked about this, Rayne. Elara will be in Avalon with my mom and Andrew. We can video conference and see them every day.”

“Hale, have you ever tried video conferencing with a toddler?”

“I do it every time I’m away on business.”

Hale traveled a lot, so he was used to distance. But I was a homebody. I hadn’t been away from Peanut for more than five days since she was born.

He stood, tucking the plush unicorn next to Meep Meep and covering his daughter with a soft blanket.

“You’re tense,” he said as he gently worked the knots out of my shoulders.

This was how we operated whenever I became neurotic. I’d get worked up and Hale would soothe me. But I didn’t want my feelings minimized, so I fidgeted away. “I’m serious, Hale.”

“So am I. You have to take it one day at a time. Focus on packing and the rest will all fall into place.”

Maybe for him. “I’m never going to fit all of this. We’re going to too many destinations.”

He kissed the side of my neck and a shiver chased down my spine. “You’re not going to need half of this. I plan to have you naked most of the time.”

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Advertisement Immortal Bastard – The Order of Vampires Read Online Lydia Michaels http://www.books2020.com/immortal-bastard-the-order-of-vampires-read-online-lydia-michaels Mon, 02 Oct 2023 05:17:10 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/immortal-bastard-the-order-of-vampires-read-online-lydia-michaels Genre: Alpha Male, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal, Vampires Authors: Lydia Michaels Advertisement

Total pages in book: 178
Estimated words: 169578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 848(@200wpm)___ 678(@250wpm)___ 565(@300wpm)

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Passion erupts in this masterfully dark, enemies-to-lovers, thriller from bestselling and award-winning author—Lydia Michaels.

There is nothing more sacred than the immortal vow of bonded mates, but when Delilah Starling is transitioned against her will and taken captive by a savagely beautiful immortal, she pledges to fight his dominant rule to her last breath.

Christian Schrock, an elder of The Order, hunted and possessively claimed his mortal mate as was his right. His irrevocable actions, however, sparked challenges he never anticipated.

Subjected to live under the patriarchal reign of an ancient society, Delilah battles the oppressive traditions forcing her to submit to a life she did not choose, and a man she does not love. Christian must convince her that she belongs to him, but the unruly female refuses to see past the brutal betrayal that founded their relationship.

Lust and tension dominate this dark world of paranormal suspense in an explosive continuation of the unmatched and fiercely unique series, The Order of Vampires!

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

CHAPTER 1

Delilah’s pulse pumped with the beat of the bass as she entered the downtown club, Tribeca. Wired from a long day at the studio, she needed to let go and release some steam. It had been a trying fucking week.

Her skin itched from her new ink. This one was simple. A red thread tied around her wrist like a reminder of something she’d already forgotten. The ink was so thin and delicate, the skin had already started to heal.

She wasn’t sure what the tattoo symbolized or what compelled her to permanently mark her skin with such a whimsical thing. She only knew that she woke up three weeks ago with the impression that she was forgetting something important—something that hinted at impending doom, or endless possibility—she wasn’t really sure because, ironically, she couldn’t remember what it was she’d been trying not to forget.

She got to work, tattooing her wrist that morning. Three weeks later and she couldn’t shake the sense of déjà vu that followed every time she glanced at it.

Maybe it was a lost dream or something silly that gave her such an implacable yet familiar feeling. It didn’t matter. Half of her tattoos had no meaning anyway. But this one… It itched more than usual, like it was purposely refusing to be forgotten.

Pain exploded in her foot and she nearly swallowed her tongue. “Do you mind?” she barked as a three-hundred-pound rhino stepped on the toe of her Mary Jane.

“Sorry.” The drunk asshole stumbled into the wall.

This place was going to shit. It used to have an air of exclusivity. Now, anyone could get in.

Her luck had been the shitty precedent of her shittier fucking mood. It hadn’t sunk in yet that her bad fortune had turned around and she was no longer in danger of being evicted. But, man, it had come close.

A lesser woman might have resorted to selling blowjobs in order to make ends meet. Rock bottom was a few floors above the bedrock where her finances had plummeted this month. Thankfully, a new client showed up just in the nick of time and saved her ass from one of two things—eviction or working out her rent under her fat, heaving prick of a landlord.

Delilah shivered, perishing the thought. She’d never resort to selling her body to make ends meet, but she loved her shop and the thought had crossed her mind in a dark moment of desperation. The tattoo parlor was her baby. Yes, sometimes babies grow up to become failures that suck the ever-living life out of a person, but she wasn’t ready to quit on her baby just yet. Skin Deep still had a few good months left.

Sooner or later, she’d have to make a move. She needed a career change. Or a miracle. People just weren’t spending money on tattoos like they used to now that the economy was in the shitter. Chances were, she’d be back in this destitute situation again next month when she needed to scrounge up rent money and pay her bills.

The crowd blocking the bar bottlenecked toward the bathrooms and the rancid scent of beer and piss had her crinkling her nose. She seriously needed to find a better hangout. Pushing her way through a group of towering men, she squeezed her way closer to the bar.

“Where’d you come from, cutie?” a guy asked, helping himself to her personal space.

“Touch me and you lose a hand.”

He held up his palms in surrender and laughed, like she was rude for not welcoming a stranger’s grubby paws on her. If only men knew what it was like to live in a world where predators assumed an open invitation to grope them at will. She edged up another two steps, escaping the odor of sweat and cheap drugstore cologne.

She could easily let one of the surrounding men buy her a drink, but tonight was on her dollar. She fucking earned it and didn’t feel like dealing with anyone’s bullshit.

It wasn’t just her shop that suffered. Everyone felt the pinch as prices skyrocketed, and customer service became a thing of the past. Groceries alone could break a person, so she understood why her shop had grown so quiet.

People didn’t blow money on body art unless they had substantial money to waste. And her shop, unfortunately, wasn’t located in a wealthy part of town—unless one considered dilapidated bowling alleys and foreclosed, vacant storefronts posh.

Her guardian angel, a shitty fucking angel at best, must have pulled some last-second strings when those college sorority sisters stumbled in last night. Nothing like tipsy customers with purses full of Daddy’s money and a hankering for some regrettable work. Three fucking tramp stamps later and Delilah would live to fight another day.

Still nowhere close to making rent this morning, she’d been sure Skin Deep’s doors would close for good. Then another dope showed up requesting a declaration of love inked permanently into his arm. It was the curse of any relationship, but Delilah didn’t tell him that. She happily tattooed the name Debbie into his bicep and took the money for the job.

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Advertisement Falling In Book Read Online Lydia Michaels (Surrender Trilogy #1) http://www.books2020.com/falling-in-1-read-online-lydia-michaels Thu, 07 Jul 2016 01:57:33 +0000 http://www.test123.demo2.xyz/falling-in-1-read-online-lydia-michaels Genre: Alpha Male, BDSM, Billionaire, Contemporary, Dark, Drama, Erotic, New Adult, Romance Authors: Lydia Michaels Series: The Surrender Trilogy Series by Lydia Michaels
Advertisement

Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 110859 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 370(@300wpm)

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Read Online Books/Novels:	Falling In (The Surrender Trilogy #1)
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Lydia Michaels
Language:	English
ISBN/ ASIN:	B00BSY6UAQ
Book Information:
The debut of an emotionally charged and highly erotic contemporary romance trilogy, in which love and trust are the most dangerous games of all… With a dark past that would have shattered most people, Evelyn “Scout” Keats is doing what no one in her bleak world thinks possible—getting off the streets and leaving her impoverished life behind. She’s a new maid at the luxurious Patras Hotel, and aims to keep her job no matter what. But that doesn’t mean she’s going to sacrifice her dignity, or let anyone into her heart. The risk of losing either is just too great. When hotel tycoon Lucian Patras discovers Evelyn in a compromising position, he uses everything at his disposal to seduce her—a proposition that both surprises and frightens her. Ignorant to her true circumstances, Lucian relentlessly pursues Scout as a prize to be won. But he is soon given an unforgettable lesson in love and sacrifice when he learns how far Scout has gone to gain her independence and discovers that there are some things money can never buy. LOOK FOR THE NEXT BOOK IN THE SERIES, BREAKING OUT
Books in Series:	The Surrender Trilogy Series by Lydia Michaels
Books by Author:	Lydia Michaels Books

Part I

Scout

Chapter 1

Caught

The early morning sky was the color of steel wool, sharp, ominous gray hanging low over the city without a hint of softness, but Scout Keats’ trajectory was somewhere brighter. She hustled down Randolph, past the urban district, and into the commercial quarters of Folsom. Only after crossing that invisible divide from the hidden shadows of the impoverished sections of the city to the streets teaming with endless opportunities of prosperity, did she take her full first breath of the day. A sense of possibility invigorated her every time. Scout’s lungs filled with hope and her weariness ebbed with each step as the world she coveted awoke and slowly began to flow around her.

Today was a day to be proud. After two weeks of learning her way, mimicking those who had it already figured out, she had done it and would finally see some of the results of all her hard work. Her heart raced each time she imagined clocking out at the end of her shift and being handed her first big fat paycheck.

This was it. This time it would be different. Being a maid at Patras, although nerve-racking, was going to change Scout’s life. Like scenting the snow before it fell, she could sense change approaching, and every cell of her being told her that Patras Hotel was the key to her escape.

She couldn’t say how she knew, but she knew. Parker had come to simply roll his eyes each time she fell into fanciful ramblings, warning him that her evenings at the shelter were numbered, that one night she simply wouldn’t return and when that night came, he should celebrate, in memory of her, Scout Keats, the dragon baby who outran her destiny and made it in the real world.

She was aware of what Parker thought. She knew how they all saw her. While much of the transient population seemed to accept their hand in life with bitter surrender, Scout never would. Their cynicism ran deeper than any still waters could wash, but she refused to let herself drown in their doubts.

Born in a back alley, ripped from her mother’s womb by claws sharp enough to make her scream to a point of delirium, she came into this world running. She was chasing the dragon before she could even crawl. Ironically, her mother had been running from it as far back as her memory held.

The dragon killed her daddy before she ever knew him. No pictures to tell her if her silver blue eyes were his or how he wore his hair. All Scout had was a collage of mumblings, broken bits of her mother’s jigsaw mind to tell her the kind of man her daddy was. Didn’t matter anyway. He was dead before she was born.

Death favored the poor. People of wealth had an astounding ability to not see them. As insignificant as litter, they were merely unfortunate crumbles of trash lining the curbs they hoped would soon blow away, and each night they did, retreating back to the warmest corners of Folsom to barter their scavenged finds of the day, sleep with one eye open and strategize how to outmaneuver their pretend friends the next morning, because in reality, you had no friends when you were homeless. You only had yourself and your only objective was to stay alive.

Parker had been a concession she made at the age of fourteen. She supposed she could call him a friend. He did kick Slim’s ass when he kept leering at her that one year, and she sort of liked him then. Not that she needed a hand defending herself. It was nice of Parker to do that, but that wasn’t what made him her friend. Scout decided he could be her friend when she found out he could read and he offered to teach her.

But friends were liabilities. Survival was easiest when emotion stayed out of it. She was getting off the streets and she didn’t need to be liable for anyone when she already had her mother to worry about.

Pearl had long ago surrendered to a doomed existence that worried Scout sick, but she brought her into this world and no matter how much Scout hated the life her mother chose, she’d seen it enough to know she really didn’t choose it at all. She merely flirted with a dragon that swallowed her whole at first chance and traded her soul for the poor excuse of the life it let her slip away with.

The woman who raised her was gone, replaced by a flesh-covered skeleton who whispered gibberish in her momma’s voice, but she loved her all the same. Heroin was Pearl’s weakness and she was Scout’s, and damn Parker for intruding on her meager list of those she cared for, but Scout wouldn’t let him hold her back no matter how many words he taught her to read or how many leering creeps he beat the piss out of. Parker was a lifer and she was not.

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Falling In (The Surrender Trilogy #1)

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The Surrender Trilogy Series by Lydia Michaels

Lydia Michaels Books