Shayla Black – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read

Shayla Black – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.books2020.com Thu, 23 Apr 2026 23:00:22 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 http://www.books2020.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png Shayla Black – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.books2020.com 32 32 The Commitment – Unbroken – Heavenly Rising Read Online Shayla Black http://www.books2020.com/the-commitment-unbroken-heavenly-rising-read-online-shayla-black Thu, 23 Apr 2026 23:00:22 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/the-commitment-unbroken-heavenly-rising-read-online-shayla-black Genre: Alpha Male, BDSM, Erotic, Suspense Authors: Shayla Black Advertisement

Total pages in book: 188
Estimated words: 182255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 911(@200wpm)___ 729(@250wpm)___ 608(@300wpm)

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One Bride. Two Bachelors. Total Commitment?

Seth Cooper must decide between growing a future with Heavenly Young and Kenneth “Beck” Beckman or losing them forever. His heart says yes...but his head knows that if he has to mourn his loved ones again, he won't survive. He chooses Heavenly and Beck—swallowing the quiet terror that their commitment might be the thing that shatters them all.

Then, Seth’s devoutly Catholic mother’s wedding compels the trio to New York. To preserve her happy day, he asks Heavenly to pose as his fiancée, while reducing Beck to platonic friend. The charade is temporary…but it quickly tears them apart.

When the trio’s plans for the future become terrifyingly real, a new discovery forces Seth to confront an old threat—exposing a betrayal he never saw coming and dragging them into the very risk he feared most. With everyone he loves—along with his secrets—in jeopardy, Seth must stop the killer or history will repeat itself in blood. Because surviving the danger is only possible if they fight for it together

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

Los Angeles

September 7

* * *

“What the fuck is wrong with me?”

Raking a hand through his hair, Seth Cooper sank onto the bottom step of the house he shared with Kenneth Beckman and their girlfriend, Heavenly Young. The riser creaked beneath his weight. His lungs felt as if they’d collapsed. Each breath was a conscious effort as he sat frozen, the weight of his choices—past and present—crushing him like a vise.

The two most important people in his life were upstairs, waiting for him so they could start their happy future…and he was down here, choking on his own bullshit.

He had to think. Had to breathe.

Their last conversation replayed in his head.

You’re going to get her pregnant. Seth had hurled the words like an accusation.

Beck hadn’t blinked. God, I hope so. You can be a part of that, but you’ve got to decide if your past is more important than your future. If it is, well… You know the way out.

The thought of intentionally impregnating Heavenly dredged up memories Seth had spent years burying. They crashed past his barriers and drowned him with regret. He could see it all now: pulling up to his house, pieces of his wife’s car still smoldering on the neighbor’s yard. Flames shooting out from the busted windows while Autumn and their infant son burned inside. Tristan’s pacifier melted to the concrete. A singed blue bootie in the gutter. The teddy bear his boy had slept with every night since birth burning as the December ice beneath it melted.

Seth pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes, but that didn’t stop the images from coming. The baby blanket his mother had lovingly handcrafted, caught in the branches of the bare oak tree, edges blackened and curling with the heat. The smell—god, the smell—of melting plastic from the car seat his baby had been strapped into. And the terrible note the killer had left for him: Merry Fucking Christmas.

He’d stood there, helpless, knowing the only person he could ultimately blame for Autumn and Tristan’s murders was himself. If he hadn’t been so reckless, so stubborn and arrogant in pursuing the case that had gotten his father killed nearly a decade prior, they would still be alive.

That’s what he was running from now. Not just losing his wife and son, but the terror that history could repeat itself.

The logical part of his brain—the investigator, the problem solver—kicked into gear, sifting through evidence.

Their killer is dead. Eight years ago, Seth had made damn sure he’d slaughtered the bastard who had murdered his young family—in the most violent way possible. For four days, he’d tortured Silas Nichols in his disgusting South Bronx apartment, feeding off the man’s screams before putting a bullet between his eyes. That monster was rotting now, six feet under and serving as maggot food.

No one had ever connected Seth to Silas’s death. No one ever would.

And in the years since, had there been even a whisper of a threat? Nothing. Not a goddamn thing. So why was he still living like everyone he dared to love had a target on their back?

“Because you’re a fucking coward,” he whispered into the awful silence, the words burning his throat.

Despite becoming an edge-walking, gun-toting badass, his father would’ve admonished him for being afraid of a boogeyman he’d already vanquished. Fear had never stopped Michael Cooper from living, from loving, or from fighting for what mattered.

Seth curled his hands into fists. He was going to lose them. Beck’s patience had run out. And Heavenly, his sweet angel, had walked away from him tonight. Not physically, but emotionally. He’d seen it in her eyes. Heard it in her trembling voice.

I’m sorry, Seth. I won’t sacrifice having a family because you’re too scared to make one.

Her quiet devastation had cut deeper than her anger ever could.

Then, while he’d been clutching his figuratively kicked-in balls, Beck had heaped more truth onto him.

If you were actually trying to help yourself, we’d gladly give you all the time you need. But you’re not. Heavenly and I have waited for months. We’re done. We’re starting our future tonight.

Seth bit back a curse. What was he fighting so hard to avoid? More loss? More pain? He’d lived through both. It had nearly destroyed him, but he’d survived…though he hadn’t really healed. Instead, he’d weaponized his grief, using it like a shield against any potential heartbreak. As if loss could be prevented by refusing to truly live. If he didn’t get his shit together, he’d let his past—and his fear—fuck his future for good.

And he’d have no one to blame but himself.

The realization slammed into him like a wrecking ball. He couldn’t put off this decision. They intended to start their tomorrows tonight. Right now. So he had to choose: stay paralyzed by fear and lose everything…or step into uncertainty and fight for the life he wanted?

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Advertisement Claim Me at Nightfall – Doomsday Brethren Read Online Shayla Black http://www.books2020.com/claim-me-at-nightfall-doomsday-brethren-read-online-shayla-black Sun, 01 Feb 2026 09:23:45 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/claim-me-at-nightfall-doomsday-brethren-read-online-shayla-black Genre: Alpha Male, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal, Witches Authors: Shayla Black Advertisement

Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 29381 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 147(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)

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I’ll protect her with my last breath…even if it means breaking my own heart.

Raiden
My family is cursed, so I swore I’d never take a mate…
Especially while the war decimating magickind grows bloodier every day.
But my heart refuses to let go of Tabitha Lowery—soft, stubborn, brave…
And carrying my youngling.
I have a target on my back. I should keep my distance.
But when the unthinkable happens, I’ll burn the world down to protect her.
And the secret her father died to keep.
Even if it means handing her over to the man her parents chose to keep her safe.

Tabitha
Raiden’s abandonment was the worst pain in my life—
Until my family was murdered before my eyes.
Then the wizard who broke my heart comes roaring back.
Ready to sacrifice everything to save my life…even at the cost of his own.
I should walk away.
I should honor the safe mate waiting for me.
But when Raiden risks everything to protect our unborn child and claim what’s his…

There’s one truth left: love like ours isn’t chosen.
It’s fate

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

Chapter

One

Ice Rykard’s Caves

Wales

December 29

* * *

Raiden

* * *

“Mathias attacked the Lowery estate last night,” Bram Rion announces behind me. “He burned it to the ground.”

At the news, I whirl to him. Instant terror grips me as I fixate on one question. “The family?”

Solemnly, he shakes his head. “Dead.”

My heart plummets. The cave tilts around me. I stagger, slamming my palm against the nearby wall to stay upright as his terrible words ricochet in my skull.

The entire family dead? Including Tabitha...and the unborn youngling she carried?

My youngling.

Fuck, I never said good-bye to her, never had the chance to hold her one last time.

Pain detonates in my chest, an inferno torching every nerve. My knees buckle as my thoughts rebel against Bram’s news. Maybe he’s wrong. Maybe, somehow, she was magically spared.

As soon as the hope flares, I force myself to snuff it. I’ve seen the aftermath of other such Anarki attacks. My head knows the odds of her still living and breathing—still growing my son in her womb—is zero.

But my stubborn heart refuses to believe she’s gone until I see her body myself.

After recently returning from exile to wreak havoc on magickind, the evil wizard, Mathias d’Arc, has been quiet for weeks, his indiscriminate raping and killing of his enemies among magickind’s elite paused. He claims he commits his crimes against the wizarding upper class, the Privileged, in the name of uplifting the lower class, the Deprived, to power.

Liberation based on blood, pain, and torture? I shake my head. That’s not liberation, but terror.

“I know what you’re thinking, and I won’t let you go alone.” Bram blocks the doorway, his voice flat. Even in the dim light, a darkness simmers under his surface—something coiled and volatile that sends a chill up my spine. It wasn’t there a few weeks ago.

He leads the Doomsday Brethren, a ragtag band of warriors devoted to stopping Mathias. We’ve taken to hiding in a fellow warrior’s caves like damn underground rodents scurrying for shelter. While others above us die.

Like my beloved Tabitha.

Her fiery hair, her laughter, her hazel eyes, her sweetness…all gone?

Anguish and fury assail me at once. It’s all I can do not to charge across the room and rip Bram’s blond head off his wide shoulders. “I have to go. I must know if there’s any way…”

I rake a hand through my hair. I can’t even speak about Tabitha’s death. I tore out my heart and left her behind so she would be safe. Off Mathias’s radar. Hopefully immune from the violence.

Instead, I left her to die.

“The neighbors reported fires. When Caden and Ice”—Bram references two of the Doomsday Brethren’s other wizards—“teleported there to investigate, they found no survivors. You won’t solve anything by going.”

“If someone had attacked Emma’s house, wouldn’t you investigate personally?” I snarl about Bram’s mysterious mate who bonded with him one night, then disappeared the very next dawn.

Bram raises a brow. “It’s not the same. Tabitha wasn’t your mate. In fact, didn’t you spend last night with another woman?”

I did, and his reminder is a gut punch. She was human. I don’t even recall her name. And don’t I regret that choice now? While trying to avoid Tabitha so she could live a safer life, I’d left her and her family to face Mathias’s murderous wrath alone.

Self-loathing eats my stomach like acid.

I shoot Bram a glare. “I’m going. I don’t care if you come with me or not.”

Forcing myself to tamp down the turbulence roiling inside me and concentrate, I take a deep breath, struggle to center my magic, and teleport to the Lowery estate.

The grand home lies in ruins, a skeleton against the rising sun, charred and ransacked, as if someone has searched it high and low. The devastation is absolute. It guts me. Bodies are strewn on the lawn, eyes still open wide in terror. One by one, I find them. First, her mother’s twisted body near the door. Next, her father face down in ash. Finally, her brothers, Javen first, then Russum. Each corpse another nail in my chest.

But no sign of Tabitha.

Hope—and dread—grip my throat. I can hardly fucking breathe.

I prowl through the charred remains of the house—foyer, sitting room, bedrooms, servants’ quarters. Smoke chokes me. Debris crunches under my boots as I call her name until my throat turns raw. Every wall, floor, and surface still smolders, black and twisted, with the aftereffects of the fire. Every room lies empty.

Ash coats my hands. Fear squeezes my heart. And with every step, my dread burns hotter. My hands shake. Sweat—or is it tears?—burns my eyes. She has to be here. She has to.

But she’s not. Panic balloons until it feels like an elephant sitting on my chest, threatening to crush me.

I can think of only two reasons Tabitha’s body isn’t among the dead. First, she miraculously escaped. Or second, Mathias took her with him. And if that’s the case, the evil bastard will torture my beloved and unborn son unmercifully before ending their lives in a cataclysm of humiliation and pain.

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Advertisement Wicked and Bound – Soldiers for Hire Read Online Shayla Black http://www.books2020.com/wicked-and-bound-soldiers-for-hire-read-online-shayla-black Mon, 10 Mar 2025 19:23:51 +0000 http://www.books2020.com/wicked-and-bound-soldiers-for-hire-read-online-shayla-black Genre: Alpha Male, Erotic, Suspense Authors: Shayla Black Advertisement

Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63082 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)

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He vowed to protect her. Now he’ll risk everything to save her…

Nash Scott thought he’d reclaimed the love he lost when Haisley Rowe walked back into his life. But their fragile reunion shatters when she’s taken by the brutal gang they’ve been hunting. Nash will stop at nothing to save her—even infiltrate the secret society behind her abduction and play their twisted games.

Haisley Rowe once survived heartbreak by running from Nash—hiding a truth that would have ripped them apart. Now, he appears during a captive auction to claim her. Together, they scheme an escape while she tries to guard her heart—and her secret. But their only path to freedom lies in baring her soul and divulging the devastating truth that could destroy them.

With shadowy forces tightening their grip, one wrong move could mean losing everything. And trusting in the love that refuses to die might be their only chance at survival.

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

CHAPTER ONE

January 8

Lafayette, Louisiana

Nash Scott’s hands shook as he gripped the steering wheel, scouring the road for any sign of an old seventies-style brown conversion van—one speeding Haisley Rowe away to God knew where. Same type of vehicle used in the other mall abductions. Same MO. Same circumstances.

His training screamed at him to think, not react, but his Haisley had been abducted moments ago. The image of her purse scattered across the mall floor, her phone still ringing, seared his brain.

And now she was gone, almost certainly abducted by the same ring of traffickers who had been kidnapping young women from Oakfield Mall for the past year so they could sell the victims to rich pricks who cared more about getting off than the lives of the innocents taken. Worse, this trafficking ring was well organized and had significant resources. They must, in order to stay undetected and under law enforcement’s radar for so long.

Straight up? He’d failed Haisley.

Two years ago, she’d walked out of his life—and ripped out his heart. Last night, he’d finally held her in his arms again after they’d both admitted they still had feelings for each other.

“I’ll never let anyone hurt you,” he’d whispered against her hair as she’d tumbled into slumber, her skin still flushed from their lovemaking. He’d drifted off, dreaming of sharing a future with her. This morning, he’d watched her sleep in his bed, her soft, womanly scent clinging to his sheets. Then he’d gone—unwittingly leaving her vulnerable and alone.

Every cell in his body screamed at him to save Haisley. Where had these merciless monsters taken her? She couldn’t slip through his fingers, not again. The universe couldn’t be that cruel.

He had to keep thinking. He had to find her. He had to bring her home safely.

Fuck, he should have stayed with Haisley this morning, should have hustled to the Oakfield Mall to support her while she held the presser about the shocking murder-suicide overnight of her bosses, George and Mila Benedict. And the moment she texted that she’d secured a meeting with that sketchy janitor—who had been working every day each of the previous victims disappeared—he should have raced to her side. Instead, he’d been analyzing the explosive intel his brother had extracted from the burner phone he and Haisley had swiped from George Benedict’s office last night.

His conversation earlier with Trees haunted him.

“The phone was loaded with encrypted files. Took me most of the night to crack them. There’s a website. Looks like a high-end rug import business, but it’s a front. The real business is human trafficking.”

“Rugs Direct Unlimited. We already know. We found references to it in Benedict’s office.”

“It gets worse. New ‘merchandise’ shows up on the site within hours of acquisition. They work fast, Nash. Really fast.”

And now Haisley was in their grasp. Nash’s gut twisted. His chest constricted.

Some fucking protector he’d turned out to be.

The early morning sun glinted off his windshield as he weaved through traffic, fighting the urge to ram vehicles out of his way while he frantically scanned the roads for the van. No sign of it, goddamn it.

Time was his enemy. Every second that crawled by was another second Haisley slipped further from his grasp.

Think. Focus. Act.

He punched the hands-free button on his steering wheel. “Call Ethan.”

The phone rang twice before Garrison, his roommate and fellow operative, answered. “I saw your team text. You’re sure? Haisley is gone?”

“Yeah. She’s been taken.” The words scalded his throat like acid. “Brown conversion van, likely headed toward I-49. No plate visible. About three minutes ahead of me.”

He heard Ethan scrambling, probably grabbing his gear and keys. “Details? Do you know anything else?”

Loads, but now wasn’t the time. He needed Ethan’s cool head and boots on the ground to help locate Haisley. “I was on my way to meet up with Hais and this elusive janitor, but by the time I got to the food court…” His jaw clenched against the wave of helpless rage. “I saw the van speeding away with her trapped inside.”

“Shit. You think her abduction is connected to Benedict’s death?”

“Has to be. The timing is too coincidental.” Nash swerved around a slow-moving SUV, ignoring the angry honk. “Especially based on what Trees found on Benedict’s burner phone. I think this criminal ring figured out that we were onto him, so they offed him. I don’t know if also killing the wife was meant to misdirect and make this look like a domestic situation, or whether these assholes were simply tying up loose ends.”

“You calling Hunter? The police?”

“Have to.” And their boss was going to rip him a new one for going behind management’s back, breaking into their client’s office, and taking that phone without authorization. But Hunter Edgington’s rage was nothing compared to the ice in Nash’s veins. “Ethan, one more thing? Get whatever the mall has in the way of surveillance tapes from this morning and go through them with a fine-tooth comb. Ask Kane to help you. We need all the help we can muster.”

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Advertisement Watch Me Read Online Shayla Black http://www.books2020.com/watch-me-read-online-shayla-black Sun, 02 Feb 2025 19:14:32 +0000 http://www.books2020.com/watch-me-read-online-shayla-black Genre: Alpha Male, BDSM, Contemporary, Erotic, Novella Authors: Shayla Black Advertisement

Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 199(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)

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To stop a blackmailer and achieve her dreams, she only had to do one seduce the enemy.

Shanna York was set to achieve her glittering ballroom dreams and become a dance champion—until her dance partner gets tangled up in scandal and blackmail. With the clock ticking and all her ambitions at stake, the last thing she needs is the gorgeous owner of a sex club tempting her with the forbidden.

Or maybe that’s the very thing she needs…

Alejandro Diaz has sizzled for Shanna since he set eyes on her months ago. Her repeated rebuffs will make her surrender that much sweeter. She’s ambitious and driven…but so is he. When she asks for his assistance to ensnare a voyeuristic blackmailer with a video fetish, he doesn’t hesitate to help her stage a bedroom trap. But neither is prepared to face scorching, endless passion, the blackmailer’s real identity—or the undeniable love that grows between them.

** This title is a reissue of a 2007 release

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

1

Shanna

Who knew it would take a mere two minutes, seventeen seconds to destroy all my dreams?

I eject the flash drive from my laptop, resisting the urge to fling it across the dressing room. Instead, I set it with great care on the table beside me and stand, sniffing back my tears.

I adore my dance partner, Kristoff…but what was he thinking?

Besides looking for inventive ways to get off, not much. That’s very clear.

In the snap of my fingers, any hope of achieving twenty years’ worth of dreams is gone. Goodbye, California Dance Star competition, which Kristoff and I were favored to win in eight days. Adios, any chance of making World Cup Latin finals—something I’ve been striving for my entire dance career.

Kristoff knows how important that is to me. I’m twenty-eight—old by ballroom standards. He’s the best partner I’ve ever had. This is our year; everyone says so. And I don’t know if my body can continue training at this pace anymore. This year might be my final chance to achieve everything I’ve strived for since childhood.

But that flash drive holds damning video footage recorded last week, according to the date in the lower right corner of the screen. It came with a scrawled note that cryptically read:

WATCH ME.

If I don’t fix this mess-and fast-I’ll never be a champion.

Sighing, I close my eyes, hold back my tears, and try to think. But everything on that video flashes through my head in full Technicolor. Kristoff, the tall and ungodly handsome Russian, stands above two figures, one male, the other female. He cradles each of their heads in his hands as they kneel before him. Their tongues slide up and down his erection, lick his balls, and occasionally meet at the head of his cock for a juicy kiss.

“You like that big dick?” he asks. They both moan. The camera zooms in as the woman, a stunning blonde with a starburst tattoo on her breast, deep-throats Kristoff.

The other male, a buff guy with military-short hair and his own raging hard-on, stands and licks Kristoff’s nipples. My dance partner groans, but the sound is soon drowned out when the other man begins devouring his lips in a harsh kiss.

That’s the first thirty seconds—plenty depraved by the deeply traditional standards many ballroom judges hold. Then comes the middle of the clip…

Kristoff, looking flushed and intent, penetrates the blonde, plunging in with one slow, agonizing stroke after the next. Seeing him enjoy a woman is a surprise. I thought he was strictly gay. Clearly, I was wrong. Not a problem.

Until the camera pans back, revealing the fact that, while Kristoff sinks into the blonde, the other man is shuttling into Kristoff’s ass, the forward momentum of his stroke pushing Kristoff deeper into the panting woman.

My breath catches. Heat creeps up my neck. I’m horrified to feel an unwanted tingling between my thighs. What is wrong with me? I don’t have time to be turned on by this. I have to catch this blackmailer and do whatever damage control I can before my dreams are dashed for good.

It isn’t even Kristoff or his lovers arousing me. But sex—hell, a man’s touch—is something I haven’t experienced in so long. I’ve been too busy practicing, giving my all to reach the pinnacle of my dreams. I’ve shoved my sex drive aside.

Now I’m feeling it.

As if the rest of Kristoff’s sex tape isn’t eye-popping enough, the end will undoubtedly crush my dreams of being a ballroom champion for good.

The man reaming Kristoff suddenly pulls free and tears off his condom, then scuttles around to hover over the supine woman’s pussy, frantically jerking his cock while Kristoff stands above her, gripping her thighs and slowly railing her. The man with dark hair watches them feverishly before throwing back his head and spraying semen over the woman’s wet mound. Collectively, the trio groans.

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Advertisement Seduce Me in Shadow – Doomsday Brethren Read Online Shayla Black http://www.books2020.com/seduce-me-in-shadow-doomsday-brethren-read-online-shayla-black Wed, 30 Oct 2024 13:02:55 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/seduce-me-in-shadow-doomsday-brethren-read-online-shayla-black Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Magic, Paranormal, Suspense, Witches Authors: Shayla Black Advertisement

Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 115860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)

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Caden is determined to deny his coming magic—and the nosy human reporter threatening to expose them all. Too bad she just happens to be his mate…

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

Chapter

One

Caden

“We’re fucked.”

Bram Rion’s words echo through his palatial study as he slams the door, the sound as final as a coffin lid.

I snort. No shit, Sherlock. Merlin’s golden-boy grandson is two weeks late to that particular party.

Perched on the edge of a bottle-green armchair, I watch him lock us in. Gone is the Hollywood smile, replaced by a mask of grim determination that matches the rest of the Doomsday Brethren. The air crackles with tension, thick enough to choke on.

Lucan’s absence is a raw wound. My brother should be here, standing tall with this ragtag band of magical misfits. Instead, he’s chained to a bed, wrestling with death itself.

Please let his torment end soon.

A loud crash upstairs thumps the ceiling and shakes the walls, putting the rest of the Doomsday Brethren on edge.

In the distance, a woman screams, terror bleeding in every note. Upstairs, a door crashes open. Her shrieks grow louder. Footsteps pound above me. She’s running down the stairs.

Damn it. She’s fleeing.

Tearing out of the library, I race to intercept the shrieking witch, ignoring Bram’s shout calling me back. I grab the frantic blonde. Her wide, green eyes are frightened, as if she’s been playing a game of chicken with a barreling freight train. Despite the fact she’s probably over two hundred years old, she looks deceptively young.

“Wait. Please,” I beg. “My brother⁠—”

“I’m sorry. I can’t help him.” Her voice breaks. “He’s a beast, big and feral, and…and he snarled that I smell of another wizard before he ripped free from his ch-chains and lunged for my throat.”

Bloody hell. No wonder she’s quaking. But she’s the fifth energy surrogate Lucan has sent fleeing in a fortnight—and supposedly the toughest. What the fuck am I supposed to do now?

Bram’s sister, Sabelle, appears at the top of the stairs, her lace shirt torn, golden hair a wild tangle. Yet she’s surprisingly steady. “I’ve contained Lucan. You can release her.”

Shaking my head, I clasp the witch tighter. “Lucan needs her. Without the energy she generates…”

The words die in my throat, choking me with their implications.

“He’ll die. I know.” Sabelle’s calm facade cracks, revealing the anguish beneath. “Anka's absence has driven him mad with grief. Aunt Millie says she’s never seen mate mourning this severe. It’s like his soul is being ripped apart.”

More terrible news. Where’s the bloody light at the end of the tunnel? Sabelle, at Bram’s behest, dragged me away from my peaceful life in Dallas two weeks ago; the hell hasn’t let up since. Frustration eats at my gut like acid. I can’t fail Lucan. Years ago, I was unable to save my younger brother from magic gone horribly wrong. I’ll be damned if I let my older one die, too.

“Since Lucan refuses to take the energy from these witches to survive, how does he have enough strength to fight them?”

“Primal rage,” Sabelle supplies. “When the surrogates come, they unwittingly bring traces of their other clients. Because all of Lucan’s senses have shut down except smell, he’s convinced other wizards are attacking him. Of course it’s a delusion, but he’ll defend himself—to the death. He’s not coherent enough to explain otherwise.”

“Maybe…it’s time to consider that, with Anka gone, he wants death,” Bram murmurs behind me.

I whirl in fury. What sort of friend even thinks that? I held the hands of fallen comrades in far-flung deserts around the world and prayed for their recovery, even as some rattled their last breath.

“My brother cannot die like this. He will not! I intend to find Anka and bring her back.”

“It may be too late, and the witch can’t help.” Bram bobs his chin toward the scared surrogate in my grip. “Let her go.”

“Please,” the blonde pleads with a sniffle.

The urge to destroy something, to punch through walls, to curse magic for decimating my life again, burns through me. But the witch in my grasp shrinks back, terror in her eyes. She sees me as another monster.

For the millionth fucking time since setting foot back in England, I damn magic to hell.

To a human, losing a beloved wife would be devastating. For Lucan, it’s reduced a brilliant wizard to a feral beast. The thing chained to Bram’s guest bed is no longer the older brother I once idolized.

Guilt sears through me. I abandoned this world—disavowed magic and everyone in it—a dozen years ago. Now I might lose my only remaining family to this nightmare. The thought of never speaking to Lucan again guts me.

I have to find Anka, to return her to Lucan’s arms. Nothing else matters. Nothing else will cure him.

Swallowing my snarl, I release the terrified surrogate. “Go.”

The witch bolts, leaving a deafening silence in her wake.

“My office. Now.” Bram’s voice brooks no argument.

I whirl on him. “I won’t give up on Lucan!”

With a twitch of his finger, Bram magically drags me back into the study, slamming the door. I’m about to unleash hell when he cuts me off.

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Advertisement Wicked and Ruthless – Soldiers for Hire Read Online Shayla Black http://www.books2020.com/wicked-and-ruthless-soldiers-for-hire-read-online-shayla-black Wed, 07 Aug 2024 09:50:41 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/wicked-and-ruthless-soldiers-for-hire-read-online-shayla-black Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Suspense Authors: Shayla Black Advertisement

Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >83

She knows love is a fairy tale…until her ruthless operative ex steals her heart.

Haisley Rowe has always believed that happily-ever-afters are pretty lies. But after a scorching, year-long fling with a rugged operative, she committed the ultimate sin: falling for a man who will never love her back. Carrying her secret, she left town. Two years later she’s back, and a fateful run-in proves he alone still ignites her—body and soul.

Nash Scott disavowed marriage and babies...until Haisley blazed into his life, all fiery red hair and saucy sexiness, awakening his insatiable desire and becoming his deepest obsession. Now that she’s returned, he’ll do whatever it takes to make her his for good.

When he tackles a twisted abduction case, he discovers Haisley is embroiled, too. In a high-stakes world of vast power and unthinkable danger, they will have to repair each other’s hearts and their shattered trust before it’s too late. But as darker forces zero in, shocking secrets will be uncovered and threaten to tear them apart forever…

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

PROLOGUE

Christmas Eve

Lafayette, Louisiana

Festive carols filled the crowded mall as Kaylee Wright hurried beside her mom, dodging last-minute shoppers loaded down with bags and boxes, and headed to the food court. The scent of cinnamon, sugar, and waffle cones wafted through the air, giving a definite holiday vibe to the hurried bustle around her. Despite the frantic energy, she couldn’t fight her swell of excitement.

It was Christmas Eve, and the mall was decked out in all its holiday splendor—towering trees dripping with lights and ornaments, lush evergreen garlands wrapped around the railings. Even the potted poinsettias seemed to glow a little brighter. Kaylee scanned the packed food court, finding a table that a pair of senior citizens with their grand-toddler in tow were vacating.

“Look.” She pointed to the table, then tugged on her mom’s hand.

“I’ll grab it if you’ll stand in line for hot chocolate.”

“Deal. But I really need to go to the bathroom first.”

“Go. I’ll hold the table and rest my sore feet,” her mom said. “Here’s some money so you can grab the cocoa when you come back.”

As Kaylee pocketed the bills, she grinned. “I’m glad we came today. It’s crowded, but it’s festive.”

“And I’ve loved being here with you, sweetie.” Her mom set their packages on the table and sank into her chair with a groan of relief.

They’d been on their feet for hours now, but they still had a few last-minute gifts to grab, especially one for her boyfriend. She’d finally earned enough money to buy him the Blu-ray movie box set he really wanted.

And on Christmas night, they’d arranged to spend a few hours alone. She planned to give him her virginity. She was nervous, but she was ready.

“Me, too.” She smiled at her mom. “This has been super fun. I’m sure this will be the best Christmas ever. Be right back.”

“I’ll be here, trying to convince my feet that we can still shop more.”

Laughing, Kaylee clutched her purse tightly as she picked her way between the tightly packed tables, flashing shoppers apologetic smiles as she squeezed past. Inside, the bathroom was crowded, and she had to wait. The janitor came in just behind her and put a closed sign across the door before rolling his mop near the door and patiently waiting for the place to clear out.

After she emptied her bladder and washed her hands, she reapplied her lip gloss, full of giddy thoughts about tomorrow. She exited, flashing the janitor a polite smile as he entered behind her, rolling his mop in the sudsy water, and closed the door.

In the little hallway that led from the restrooms to the bustling food court, the lights suddenly flickered, then died, leaving her in shadow. She frowned when she realized she was alone. Where was everyone? There had been at least a dozen people here five minutes ago.

A cold chill zipped down her spine as she dashed for the opening. She could see her mother sitting at the table, staring at her phone. Thank god she was almost out of here. This creepy hallway was giving her the willies.

Before she made it to the light, a thick arm like an iron bar clamped around her from behind.

Kaylee tried to shriek, but a rough hand clapped over her mouth, muffling her cries. Her purse tumbled from her grasp and fell open, sending her phone clattering across the floor. Violently, she was hauled back into the shadows. She thrashed wildly, terror clawing at her insides as the unmistakable barrel of a gun dug into her ribs.

Oh, god. Was this really happening?

“Don't make a sound, pretty girl,” a gruff voice hissed in her ear, hot breath washing over her face. “I’d hate to have to blow your brains out on Christmas Eve. Not that you won’t wish you were dead soon enough.”

When she tried to scream again, the iron grip across her chest constricted, cutting off her airflow. She fought against the paralyzing panic, but black spots swam in her vision as something smashed against the back of her skull, a searing wave of pain and nausea cresting over her.

Kaylee’s world tilted violently, shrinking until all she could make out were the muffled sounds of jingling bells and bright laughter from the food court—so achingly close yet utterly out of reach as her reality contracted into darkness.

She was vaguely aware of his thick-soled boots crushing the screen of her cell phone into shards of glass and plastic. Then everything went dark as her assailant hauled Kaylee out a rear service exit and threw her into the swallowing void of an unmarked van idling in the shadowy alleyway while her mother waited in the food court for a daughter who would never return.

CHAPTER ONE

New Year’s Eve

Lafayette, Louisiana

Amidst the revelers at Highrise, Nash Scott stood, beer in hand, a blonde under his arm, getting ready to ring in the new year, when the hair on the back of his neck rose. He stiffened. Goose bumps erupted across his skin.

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Advertisement Capture Me in Moonlight – Doomsday Brethren Read Online Shayla Black http://www.books2020.com/capture-me-in-moonlight-doomsday-brethren-read-online-shayla-black Sat, 27 Apr 2024 17:49:10 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/capture-me-in-moonlight-doomsday-brethren-read-online-shayla-black Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal Authors: Shayla Black Advertisement

Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >28

I crave her like no other…but touching her could destroy us both.RonanFor thousands of years, the Wolvsey wizards have been cursed never to know their fated mate.Then I see her. A beauty with a bruised heart. A human who’s not supposed to know about our world. She’s off-limits, yet I'm obsessed. I shouldn’t want to share everything with her. Given my manwhore reputation, she’ll never trust me.And if I give in, she’ll die.***KariFor two years, I’ve ached for the enigmatic stranger who watches me possessively every night, then leaves with another woman. He’s not mine, and after my ex, I swore I’d never fall again.And if I give in, he’ll break my heart.There’s no place for us—in his world or mine. Yet our spark burns too hot to resist. And when a terrifying dark wizard threatens everything, we must band together…or we won’t survive.

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

Chapter

One

London

November

Ronan

There’s a bloody unwelcome sight.

I wander into the Witch’s Brew with Raiden, my twin brother, close behind. The rowdy London pub always draws a boisterous, eclectic crowd: athletic types, businessmen, goth girls…and many of magickind’s unmated. A surprise, considering its owner, Kari Keswick, is pure human.

It’s that very woman I watch now, all swinging golden curls and enormous blue eyes, as she leans over the bar, her brief blue T-shirt exposing a band of soft skin at her midriff as she whispers to a wizard. He’s big, with hair as dark as night and moody gray eyes. He has the look of a predator. Tynan Someone-or-other. Why the fuck is he single-mindedly focused on my Kari?

She’s not yours, you barmy bastard. She can’t be.

Fighting a gust of wind, I slam the pub’s door. She doesn’t look my way, merely grips Tynan’s shoulder as she stares softly into his eyes with a smile.

This fury poisoning my blood as I curl my fingers into fists must be the wretched emotion humans call jealousy. Though I’d rather swallow battery acid, I can’t stem my violent urge.

If that bastard touches Kari, I will kill him.

“You’ll burn holes in her if you stare any harder,” Raiden drawls beside me.

“For the past month, that tosser has all but rubbed against her as if he’s marking his territory.”

“So? It’s not as if you’ll spend tonight alone. In fact…” My twin scans the room—until his stare stops near the back. “I see two splendid possibilities by the window. Let’s go.”

Raiden sees such possibilities every place, and he’s rarely wrong. Even if I won’t spend the night alone, I’m dying to spend it with Kari. But she’ll refuse me, as she has for countless months in the two years I’ve known her.

Until recently, I assumed she didn’t want to cross the human-wizard line…presuming she even knows magickind exists. But given her present coziness with Tynan, she likely does. Which means her refusal is personal.

I seethe.

“In a moment.” I stomp toward the bar.

Raiden grabs my arm. “Forget her.”

Doesn’t he think I’ve tried?

I jerk free. “Shove off.”

“What the devil is wrong with you? Kari is hardly the most beautiful female you’ve shagged. Last week’s blonde was more stunning by half. What was her name?”

I have no idea, and that’s the problem. I despise waking up in a different bed, beside a different body, every morning. At barely ninety, I’m young by magickind’s standards. But I don’t want to live this way for ten more minutes, much less nine long centuries.

“Kari is different.” She’s special. “I’ve nearly gone mad trying to discern why.”

Raiden snorts. “She’s the only woman who’s ever told you ‘no.’ There are plenty who won’t. Pick one and move on.”

As if all women are interchangeable. But for Raiden—and the rest of the Wolvsey wizards—they are.

Why am I different?

“Chat up the women by the window,” I tell my brother. “I’m popping over to the bar to say hello.”

He rolls his eyes. “You’re wasting your time. Kari looks…busy.”

I turn back to find her pressing her soft pink lips against the big wizard’s stubbled cheek. The sight rips through my gut. She looks so delicate and fair against his strong, sun-bronzed face.

Tynan squeezes her hand. I clench my jaw so hard, I nearly grind my teeth into powder.

After stalking across the pub, I yank out the stool beside the big wizard. It screeches across the old stone floor. Everyone nearby turns to stare—except Kari.

To my left, the flames in the brick hearth ward off the coming winter’s chill. Heavy alternative rock plays in the background as a group of wizards laughs at their attempts to play billiards without magic. Human females at the end of the bar toast with stout red wine. But when I set eyes on Kari, everyone else falls away.

She commands my attention and hypnotizes me with a smile that shines as brightly as her golden hair. Her otherworldly blue eyes that seem to take up half of her sweet face suck me in. One glance and I’m panting. My cock is hard as steel.

There is something about her I can’t pinpoint. If I could, maybe I could rid myself of this odd obsession. In the two years since I first set eyes on this woman, it’s only grown.

“Kari?”

Slowly, the other wizard releases her with a nod, as if he’s grudgingly giving her permission to greet me. With a sigh, she tears her attention from Tynan.

Is she fucking the wanker? Is she in love with him? The questions scream through my brain like a battle cry.

“Ronan.” She slides closer. “A scotch?”

“Double, no rocks.” I glance at Tynan. “New…friend?”

“I see your brother has already made yours for the night.” She peers over my shoulder at my twin with a sarcastic twist of her pretty mouth. “I hope you’re in the mood for a brunette. It appears she’s yours by default. Raiden always takes the redheads.” Then she looks at her watch and whistles. “Wow. Three minutes. That’s a record, even for him.”

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Advertisement Tempted by the Bosshole (Forbidden Confessions #11) Read Online Shayla Black http://www.books2020.com/tempted-read-online-the-bosshole-forbidden-confessions-11-read-online-shayla-black Tue, 27 Feb 2024 19:57:19 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/tempted-read-online-the-bosshole-forbidden-confessions-11-read-online-shayla-black Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Erotic Authors: Shayla Black Series: Forbidden Confessions Series by Shayla Black
Advertisement

Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 50828 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >52

A Forbidden Age-gap, Pretend Relationship, Office Romance

Will he embrace revenge…or his most forbidden temptation?

I’m Bella.
After my father’s mysterious disappearance, I’m all alone.
Broke and homeless, I’m forced to quit school and find a job.
In desperation, I turn to my dad’s gorgeous business partner and best friend, Nathan Price.
I had a forbidden crush on him as a girl. Now, my potently sexy boss looks at me like a woman.
And when he touches me…I can’t resist giving him my body—or my heart.
But once I learn Daddy’s dark secrets, can I trust that Nathan wants me for more than revenge?

What’s Included:

Age-gap
Enemies to Lovers
Office/Boss-Assistant
Pretend Relationship
Temporary Fling

**Tempted by the Bosshole is a sexy bedtime story, designed for you to start in the evening and complete before you turn out the lights. All Forbidden Confessions: Filthy Rich Bosses are connected, but can be read as a standalone. Each is a HOT, romantic story with strong language, sexy times, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after!**

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

CHAPTER ONE

December 1

Boston

Nathan

“Okay, spill,” my older brother demands, lounging on my living room sofa and tossing back a swallow of beer. “You’re up to no good.”

I stare into my whiskey glass, repressing a grin. “What makes you say that?”

“You’re way too quiet not to be plotting something.”

He’s not wrong. “Guess.”

“Well, you tolerated Douglas Shay stealing the money from your joint venture years ago only because he paid you back⁠—”

“After I threatened the living shit out of him.”

Steve nods. “So the asshole knows you won’t take the fact he stole your wife lying down.”

I snort. There’s no way I’d let that son of a bitch steal from me twice.

“He didn’t.” Julia and I were already on the verge of divorce. “After I ended things, he moved in with her.”

“Semantics. They were already fucking.”

“By then, I didn’t care who she spread her legs for. We were done.” In fact, my heart purged Julia as soon as I realized she lied to me for a decade.

“Then what’s your beef with Shay?”

“Besides the fact he’s a backstabbing asshole? Julia got half of everything in the divorce. Now she plans to marry that bastard, so he’ll get back all the money he once stole from me—with interest.”

Steve winces. “That would piss me off, too.”

“You’ll never have to worry about that, bro. You’ve got the best wife in Laurel.”

“I do,” Steve says smugly.

He deserves happiness—and his amazing wife. My sister-in-law is kind, generous, funny, smart… They have a great marriage and a passel of kids, the last of whom just left for college. Besides love, he’s also been blessed with money, success, and security. Steve is living the dream.

“I want the same for you, Nate. It’s been months since Julia and Doug announced their engagement, and you’ve let this go way longer than I expected.”

“Eleven months, seven days, and two hours. Who says I’ve let it go?”

“So you are up to no good.” Steve grins. “Tell me your plan.”

“Did I mention that Doug has a daughter?”

He raises a brow. “How old is she?”

“Fresh out of college. And looking for a job. Or she was until I hired her.”

His jaw drops. “You didn’t.”

“Oh, I did. She starts Monday.”

“Holy shit. Seriously? She must know there’s bad blood between you and Doug.”

“I don’t think so. During her phone interview, she said she hadn’t spoken to her father in a while.”

“What did you hire her to do?”

I grin. “She’ll be my personal assistant, at my beck and call, working directly under me.”

He nearly chokes on his beer. “Dude, you’re forty. And she’s…what, twenty-two?”

“Twenty-three.” I shrug. “Why does it matter? She’s an adult, and I’m not dead.”

“How will you get her into bed, unless… You already have dirt on her, don’t you?”

I merely smile. My brother knows me too well to think I have qualms about blackmailing Isabella Shay.

“You son of a bitch.” He laughs. “I almost feel sorry for her. But if she’s anything like her father...”

“Probably everything like her father.” Though I’ve barely talked to Isabella since she was a gangly thirteen.

“So…what’s your end game? What do you want from this girl besides raunchy sex?”

“Fucking her will merely be a fringe benefit. Let’s just say that by the time Julia and Doug return from their honeymoon after New Year’s, everything he left behind will belong to me.” Including his daughter.

And she will give me the one thing my ex-wife refused to…

December 16

Isabella

“You look hot.” Jen eyes me suggestively. “If you weren’t my best friend⁠—”

“But I am, and you’re strictly dickly.” I smooth my hands down the figure-hugging red velvet dress, wishing I wasn’t too broke to buy my own. Thank god we wear the same size. “It’s not too much?”

“Only half your tits are hanging out, and I can’t see vag, so it’s super classy.”

“Jen…” I huff.

“I’m kidding!”

“No, it’s too much.” I pull another dress from her closet. “The black one would be better.”

She yanks it free and shoves it back on the rack. “God, no. I wear this to funerals. And my exes’ weddings. You’re going to a Christmas party! Wear the red. It looks amazing on you, especially because you have the man-magnet trifecta: great tits, a tiny waist, and fantastic legs. You’re smart and nice, too. I’d hate you if I didn’t love you so much.”

“If I’m such a man magnet, how come you’re the one always having orgasmic sex with super-hot guys?” I’m definitely not.

“Because I’m looking for a human vibrator, not a husband.” She scowls. “Eric doesn’t deserve you. He never puts you first, even in the orgasm department.”

Jen hates my boyfriend…but she’s not wrong. Eric and I have been together since our junior year in high school. I fell hard and fast, convinced he was “the one.” But lately, he’s seemed distant. When he looks at me, I’d swear he’s looking through me. We’d planned to get engaged after my graduation. But weeks have passed since I received my degree, and Eric hasn’t popped the question. I’m wondering if he even wants us anymore. I don’t know what to do.

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Advertisement Wicked and Bare – Soldiers for Hire Read Online Shayla Black http://www.books2020.com/wicked-and-bare-soldiers-for-hire-read-online-shayla-black Sun, 30 Jul 2023 16:00:56 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/wicked-and-bare-soldiers-for-hire-read-online-shayla-black Genre: Alpha Male, BDSM, Dark, Erotic Authors: Shayla Black Advertisement

Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 107115 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >113

Join Matt and Madison for the conclusion of their Wicked Lovers: Soldiers For Hire love story. Coming July 18, 2023!

**Wicked and Bare is part of the Wicked Lovers: Soldiers for Hire romantic suspense series. Stories in this series are told in a duet of two full-length novels. Each duet can be read as a standalone. Includes strong language, sexy times, alpha male attitude, and a guaranteed happily ever after. Enjoy!**

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

CHAPTER ONE

Monday, July 16

Atchafalaya Basin, LA

Madison Archer-Pershing swallowed her horror. Her estranged husband stood ten feet away, arms crossed over his chest, staring at her with a grin somewhere between smug and malicious.

Oh, god.

She knew nothing about chess, and Todd had come to play the ruthless, four-D kind. The husband who had once tried to kill her was her worst nightmare, bursting the bubble of safety and passion she’d shared with Matt Montgomery for the last twelve achingly beautiful days and threatening to tear them apart.

She didn’t dare let him. She refused to give Todd an inch.

Madison had ducked and run for too long. The time to fight had come.

“No.” She stepped out from behind Matt’s protective body, hands on her hips defiantly, and glared back.

“What did you say?” Her husband’s narrowed eyes filled with threat, terrifyingly reminiscent of the night she’d fled his bloody knife and run straight to Matt, despite their agonizing three-year separation.

Matt shoved her behind him again with a reprimanding scowl. “Madison…”

The submissive inside her yearned to obey almost like a physical ache. Matt had taken on the role of her Dom and her lover. He had listened. He had cared. He had kept her safe. He had shown her a side of herself she’d never indulged and made so many of her fantasies come true. He had become her moon and stars. But the woman in her would not obey. Todd was her mistake. Matt shouldn’t be the one to pay for that. She had to meet the bastard she’d married head on.

Madison wrenched away, burying the guilt for her disobedience, and sent Matt a silent apology. Todd only respected power, and if she gave hers to Matt, her husband would interpret her submission as weakness.

“I said no,” Madison repeated, then faced Todd. “If I didn’t have any leverage, you wouldn’t be here negotiating our divorce in person. You would have sicced lawyers on me while you fucked strippers, snorted an average family’s annual salary up your nose, and engaged in whatever shady shit keeps you from kissing your grandfather’s ass. I’m not spending three months in DC with you.”

“Listen, you little cunt…” Fury twisted his face as he stomped toward her like he intended to crush her with the fingers he’d balled into fists.

Matt stepped between them, his demeanor a warning. “Don’t you ever call her that again.”

“Stop embarrassing yourself, Romeo. You think Madison cares about you?” Todd scoffed. “You’re a stiff dick to her. I stopped giving it to her more than a year ago, so I’m not surprised she went looking for a chump with a hard-on. But her spread legs don’t mean anything. Do yourself a favor and bail. Her pussy is nothing special, and there’s plenty more out there.”

“I’m going to fucking end you.” Matt lunged for him.

Madison pushed him back with a silent entreaty.

“Oh, try it. Please,” Todd drawled, looking almost gleeful. “What was it your pal said? You’d look pretty in prison?”

“You’re disgusting,” she spit at her husband. “And transparent. Stop attacking Matt and deal with me. I’m the one you’re married to. I’m the one who captured you murdering your cousin on video. I’m the one threatening to blow up your house of cards.”

To her left, Deke chuckled, enjoying Todd’s humiliation. When she glared at him, he disguised the sound by clearing his throat behind his fist. “Sorry.”

Todd glowered at Matt. “See what happens when you give the girl some dick? She grows a set of balls. Given the dungeon equipment I saw through the open door at the end of the hall, I’m guessing you like her a lot more when she only opens her mouth to scream or suck cock.”

Matt looked an instant from beating the hell out of Todd, and Madison had to stop him. His fury merely told Todd their weakness and gave him a cudgel to use.

One-Mile stepped between the men, shooting his best friend a quelling stare before he addressed her husband. “How about less trash talk and more negotiation?”

Todd acted like the proceedings were beneath him, but he relented with a roll of his eyes. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Matt?” One-Mile prompted, asking indirectly if he’d gotten his temper under control.

He cursed under his breath, then nodded. One-Mile turned to her, gesturing with a sweep of his big hand.

The floor was all hers.

“Like I said, I won’t spend three months with you,” she told Todd. “I need to be with my dad.”

“Don’t act like his condition is life-or-death. He’s going to survive, for fuck’s sake.”

“The doctors think so. But it’s cancer. It’s unpredictable. And he’s going through it alone.” Guilt for that was killing her. When her dad needed her most, it must seem as if she couldn’t be bothered to spare him even a phone call. If not for Todd, she would be by Daddy’s side, holding his hand through every test and procedure.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >113

Advertisement Wicked as Secrets – Soldiers for Hire Read Online Shayla Black http://www.books2020.com/wicked-as-secrets-soldiers-for-hire-read-online-shayla-black Thu, 01 Jun 2023 11:54:11 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/wicked-as-secrets-soldiers-for-hire-read-online-shayla-black Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, BDSM, Erotic, Suspense Authors: Shayla Black Advertisement

Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 82973 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >87

He’ll do anything to protect her from danger…but it will cost her everything.

Security specialist Matt Montgomery has never forgotten—or forgiven—Madison Archer for walking away and ripping out his heart. Three years later, she crashes back into his life, terrified that her wealthy husband is trying to kill her. Matt vows to protect Madison…but there’s a price. He’ll have revenge by making her submit to his every sexual demand.

Part of a powerful, ruthless political dynasty, Madison's soon-to-be ex has deep, dark secrets. When uncovering them nearly proves fatal, she turns to the one man she knows can protect her—the lover she’s never been able to forget. Matt’s ultimatum is both shocking and intoxicating. But if she wants to keep herself and her ailing father alive, he’s her only option.

As the danger escalates, so do Madison and Matt’s feelings. But navigating their rocky past while trying to stay one step ahead of her deadly husband proves perilous. Will their forbidden love survive the danger and give them a second chance at happiness?

**Wicked as Secrets is part of the Wicked Lovers: Soldiers for Hire romantic suspense series. Stories in this series are told in a duet of two full-length novels. Each duet can be read as a standalone. Includes strong language, sexy times, alpha male attitude, and a guaranteed happily ever after. Enjoy!**

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

CHAPTER ONE

Washington, DC

July 1

The second Madison Archer-Pershing climbed out of her Mercedes coupe, the night air smothered her, thick and oppressive. She refused to let it choke her as she slammed her car door behind the expensive, exclusive building she wasn’t supposed to know about.

This day had been more than two long years in coming. No more waiting. Starting now, she was taking her life back. She intended to confront her husband, Todd, in the secret apartment he kept to engage in activities that violated their vows and to tell him she wanted a divorce.

He wouldn’t care about losing her, only about how it looked. And to save appearances, he’d be ruthless. The whole family would be.

Madison was prepared.

As she marched for the covert door under the old-money lobby, the one erected so drug dealers, underworld business associates, mistresses, and hookers could enter without being detected, her heels clicked on the concrete. No surprise a lot of DC insiders lived here. The secrecy was undoubtedly what had persuaded her husband to conceal a place on the top floor.

Finding it had taken her over a year. Naturally, she hadn’t thought to look for his clandestine den of sin during their whirlwind romance or even the early days of their marriage.

Her Uncle Martin had introduced her to Todd, the only grandson of the esteemed Senator Winston Pershing, at one of those hoity, do-nothing benefits. She’d felt so out of place, but he’d set her at ease with his charm and attention. He’d asked her to go sailing the next day. A week later, he’d insisted that she was a breath of fresh air, and he was falling hard.

After Matt Montgomery’s romantic hit-and-run weeks earlier, she’d felt abandoned. Heartbroken. Oh, he’d had good excuses and he had eventually called—to hook up again. Same song, different verse in her love life, but this tune had been particularly wrenching because in a mere weekend, Matt had rewired her body and stolen her heart. The pain of his rejection had made her vulnerable to Todd’s smooth talk and BS. She’d believed every word because she’d wanted to.

At the time, she’d been twenty-four and too naive, not to mention a little starry-eyed at all the wealth, glamor, and beauty of Todd’s privileged political world. He rubbed elbows with ambassadors. He played golf with the VP every now and then. He had the Speaker of the House on speed dial. He was even on a first-name basis with the president. And he had wanted her, an average girl from Cajun Country in Louisiana. He hadn’t seemed to care that she knew more about fishing than setting a proper table or that she’d never traveled the world. God, he’d made her feel so special.

Looking back, she suspected Todd had known about her bad luck with romance. And her bad taste in men…

Weeks later, he had proposed, giant rock in hand, swearing he couldn’t live another day without her. Coupled with Uncle Martin’s persuasion, she’d seen no reason not to say yes.

Mere days after they exchanged vows, reality began to set in.

At first, she’d tried to make their union work, fixing Todd’s favorite dinners and wearing her sexiest lingerie. She had helped, supported, and cheered for him. She’d genuinely tried to understand him. Wasn’t that what married couples did? She’d listened to, empathized with, and soothed him. Whenever he’d been upset, she had given him encouragement and affection. She’d been there.

None of that meant a damn thing to Todd, and after enough of his drunken nights out and “friendships” with questionable women, she’d given up, accepting that she was merely a prop—a sweet-as-pie, small-town bride who had “reformed” him after he’d been caught in a compromising situation with a not-quite-legal Georgetown coed—something she hadn’t known about until after the wedding.

The potential scandal had been hushed down to an urban legend, explained away as “misinformation,” then intentionally overshadowed by their elaborate nuptials. Money had changed hands and favors had been granted, so the press had willingly parroted the family’s fixer’s spin that the incident had been fabricated by his grandfather’s political enemies. Of course, Todd had never touched the girl.

Madison scoffed. If it wasn’t hush money or child support, why did her father-in-law write the former student a hefty check every month?

She hated the lies, hypocrisy, and fabrications. She couldn’t stand another day of plastering on a smile as fake as the Pershing family image. So she’d begun planning her exit months ago. Tonight, she would tell the son of a bitch exactly where he could go.

Under the venerable building, she passed a couple of suits with earpieces. Security. Would they prevent her from entering? Madison kept walking like she belonged. Neither man stopped her as she waltzed onto the basement-level elevator and ascended to the top floor. The doors opened into a foyer that was an impossible step up from the ultra-swanky lobby. Naturally. Only the best for Winston’s golden boy.

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