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

Forbidden – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.books2020.com Wed, 23 Sep 2026 18:56:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.2 http://www.books2020.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png Forbidden – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.books2020.com 32 32 Hidden Desires – Dangerous Desires Read Online S.E. Law http://www.books2020.com/hidden-desires-dangerous-desires-read-online-s-e-law Wed, 23 Sep 2026 18:56:13 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/hidden-desires-dangerous-desires-read-online-s-e-law Genre: Alpha Male, Erotic, Forbidden, Insta-Love Authors: S.E. Law Advertisement

Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >86

I lead a naughty secret life ... and my dad’s best friend found out!

Eliza:

When Jack Landry strides into my parents’ yard, I’m done for. He’s older. Dominant. Arresting. My dad’s best friend is a retired Air Force hero with a broad chest and piercing blue eyes that seem to see right through my “good girl” act.

He sees me in my garden. He sees me in my tiniest bikini by the pool. He sees me offering him a drink while my dad is just twenty feet away. But Jack doesn’t realize that the innocent young woman he sees during the day has a much darker side once the sun goes down.

Jack:

I spent twenty years in the military, but nothing prepared me for Eliza Shaw. She’s goddamn tempting with her saucy smile and those lush curves, but I have to keep my hands off my best friend's daughter.

Except I know her secret. She says she’s a hardworking paralegal, but I’ve seen her on my laptop screen. Performing for an audience of men under the name BunnySnowGirl. I’ve been paying for private sessions just to watch her, but now that I’m back in town, I’m done being a spectator because it’s time for this curvy blonde to perform for an audience of one!

Sparks fly and secrets unravel in this high-heat, age-gap romance. When Eliza finally lets Jack in on her hidden life, the veteran is more than game to play—and he’s bringing his own brand of discipline to the table.

HEA guaranteed. This is a standalone follow-up to One Taboo Night. 73k words

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

1

CHAPTER 1 – MY SECRET IDENTITY

Eliza

At 7:50 a.m., exactly as scheduled, I glide into the marble lobby of Gibson Grant with a determined click of my kitten heels. The fluorescent lights overhead render the place with hospital clarity—glass, chrome, and a massive aquarium filled with colorful fish. My skirt’s pressed to mathematical precision, the blouse sharp enough at the cuffs to draw blood, and the bun at the base of my skull is so tight it’s already giving me a headache. But that’s the impression that I’m trying to give because this is work, and I want people to think of me as a lady badass. After all, if they knew the secret life I’m leading, they’d be shocked, scandalized, and utterly agog.

But of course, no one at the law firm knows anything about the real me. The security guy waves me through without a word. He’s learned, after many months of smiling, that my conversational skills are reserved exclusively for work. I flash him a half-smile anyway—a habit of courtesy my mother boiled into me, like potatoes, until I couldn’t tell if it was sustenance or just starch.

Upstairs, I’m the first to reach the fifth floor. Gibson Grant’s paralegals are paid slightly above poverty wages in exchange for quietly running the world, or at least keeping the world of litigation from flying off its axis. I like the silence, the sense that my hands are already touching the gears before anyone else in the building’s even found their second sock.

On my desk: a pile of deposition transcripts, a flat, warm Coke from yesterday’s lunch, and a Post-It from last night’s me—”Don’t forget: Curtis motion, Buster v. Steele, 9:30.” I do not forget. I never forget. Some days, the only thing holding my atoms together is a lanyard of self-imposed reminders.

I log in, read through the overnight case notes, and triage the day’s emergencies. At 8:41, the first attorney breezes in. They all breeze, even the ones shaped like melted cheese sticks, because that’s how you’re taught in law school: if you’re late, it’s a power move; if you’re early, it’s a power move with a hangover.

“Morning, Eliza.” This one’s Rhonda—mid-forties, nails lacquered in an old-fashioned French, every word delivered in bullet points.

“Morning. Your docket’s on your desk and the revised Kincaid summary is in your inbox,” I say, because it’s already been there for seven minutes.

She makes a show of surprise, then swans off toward the break room, probably to test whether the coffee can melt another K-Cup machine before lunch.

The day’s first battle: the conference room at 9:30, where James Grant (senior partner, local legend, and my friend Marnie’s boyfriend) expects a flawless digest of three months’ discovery in under thirty seconds. I have not only the digest but the sub-digests, and color-coded post-its for when his temper flares and he needs a fact check within two heartbeats.

I sit at the far end of the walnut table, laptop open, the epitome of helpful invisibility.

Mr. Grant, already half-scowling, scans the documents I pass him. His blue eyes flick to mine. “You highlighted the new affidavits?”

“Yellow, as requested,” I reply, adding, “The ones contradicting last week’s statements are tabbed red.”

He nods imperceptibly. It’s either grudging approval or a prelude to homicide. I file both responses away for future use.

“Fine,” he says in a tight voice. “Thanks, I’ll take it from here.”

I nod and step out, wondering if I should have asked about his new baby. After all, my friend Marnie is dating him … as well as Gibson Grant’s other senior partner, Brent Gibson. Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Marnie was once a lowly paralegal here, just like me, and somehow, she got entangled with not one man, but two. Not only that, but Brent Gibson and James Grant are the co-heads of Gibson Grant itself.

Suffice to say, it was a huge scandal. It ended up with my friend quitting her job here for obvious reasons, but Marnie didn’t go away. Instead, she moved into a huge penthouse apartment, and now has a baby by her two boyfriends. Who’s the biological father? No one knows. But it doesn’t matter because my buddy is as happy as a clam with her newborn son, and even happier still with two alpha males to service her each night. Yes, our two senior partners are engaged in a menage a trois with my pretty friend, and it’s for the better, to be honest. Mr. Gibson and Mr. Grant used to be ruthless perfectionists at work, and they still are. But there’s a slight edge of softness now, and I attribute that to the gentle, feminine influence of my friend.

But there’s work to be done. At around ten, the associates arrive, trailing whispers and cologne, and the room turns into a knife fight over timelines. I type and type, catching the overlapping cross-talk, threading sense out of their combined mania. When they start talking about the Carlsen brief, my own pulse kicks up a gear—I worked on that one at midnight, and it’s a disaster nobody else has noticed yet.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >86

Advertisement The Unexpected – A MFM Menage Billionaire Bad Boy Read Online S.E. Law http://www.books2020.com/the-unexpected-a-mfm-menage-billionaire-bad-boy-read-online-s-e-law Wed, 23 Sep 2026 18:55:31 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/the-unexpected-a-mfm-menage-billionaire-bad-boy-read-online-s-e-law Genre: Alpha Male, Bad Boy, Billionaire, Erotic, Forbidden Authors: S.E. Law Advertisement

Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 83355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >88

Please don’t judge me.I’m in love with my dad’s stepbrother.I’m also in love with our pastor.I know it’s wrong. But how can an unexpected love feel so good?

I thought getting arrested would be the biggest mistake of my life.

I was wrong.

Now my father has decided I can't be trusted alone, so he's left me with two babysitters.

Hunter Roberts is six-foot-three of expensive suits, black tattoos, piercing blue eyes, and pure intimidation. Billionaire. Control freak. My father's stepbrother. Every time he looks at me, I feel like he's daring me to misbehave just so he has an excuse to put me back in my place.

Then there's Lachlan.

The town's gorgeous new pastor. Broad shoulders hidden beneath crisp dress shirts. Warm smile. Kind eyes. The sort of man everyone trusts without question.

I should probably mention that I don't.

Not when I catch him looking at me for one heartbeat too long.

Not when his calm voice makes my pulse race.

Not when I start wondering what secrets a man like him keeps buried beneath all that restraint.

Hunter says I need discipline.

Lachlan says I need guidance.

Neither one seems to realize they're the reason I can't think straight anymore.

Every argument turns into dangerous chemistry. Every accidental touch lingers too long. Every day under the same roof makes it harder to ignore the hunger simmering between us.

I've spent my whole life pretending I don't need anyone.

Now I'm trapped between a possessive billionaire who wants complete control... and a forbidden man of God who's trying desperately not to want me at all.

The worst part?

I'm not sure I want to be rescued anymore.

This is a scorching MFM menage romance featuring forced proximity, forbidden family tension, an obsessive billionaire alpha, a protective pastor with a dark side, explosive chemistry, and a heroine who discovers that sometimes one perfect man simply isn't enough. Stella Moreland wants two … and two she’ll get, which is why we adore our sassy heroine! As always, bring a tall glass of iced tea because the pages of this book are scorching hot! 75k words. This book is a follow-up to The Accident, but all of my books are standalones and can be read in any order. HEA guaranteed

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

1

DO I REALLY NEED A CHAPERONE?

Stella

The honey-wood floor gleams under the boutique's track lighting as I run a hand over a soft cashmere cardigan, its deep emerald color like a secret garden at dusk. "Honestly, who tries on a sweater and then folds it like they're packing a cannonball?" I mutter, more to myself than to Chloe, who is zoning out by the register, probably mentally redecorating her entire apartment again.

"Just say you're folding it like you're trying to suffocate it," Chloe calls back, not looking up from her phone. "More dramatic."

I snort, arranging the collar just so. The familiar scent of rose and cedar hangs in the air, a perfume so persistent it's practically part of the Nicolette uniform. It clings to my own skin, mingling with the vanilla body lotion I smooth on every morning before my shift.

A vibration starts against my hip, a familiar, frantic buzz that means the group chat is blowing up. I tug my phone from the pocket of my black work slacks, the screen lighting up my face. Three new notifications.

Kayleigh: Trevor’s still asleep. But he has the cutest little snore. Like a sleepy puppy.

I smile, my thumbs flying across the screen.

Stella: Awww, a puppy! Make sure you take a picture for blackmail purposes. xo

Another buzz, immediate.

Mary Kate: [image attached]

I tap it open. It's a close-up of a hand—Mary Kate's hand, with her perfectly manicured nails, a delicate silver ring on her middle finger, and on her ring finger, a new, sparkly addition. It's a classic solitaire, elegant and understated, catching the light in a way that makes my breath catch for a second. She's been dropping hints about Kent for weeks.

Stella: MK!!! Holy shit. He didn't.

Mary Kate: He did. Over dinner last night. At that Italian place we love. I was a mess. Crying everywhere.

Stella: Of course you were, you beautiful disaster. Congratulations. I am screaming internally for you. Let's celebrate ASAP.

And then, another message, a string of them, all from Andie.

Andie:

Andie: [photo of her hand holding a steaming coffee cup] Thomas brought me coffee this morning. In bed. At 7 AM.

Andie: I said thank you and then we had sexy timez

This one makes me pause because actually, Andie’s talking about sexy times with my dad. It’s a long story. Basically, we had a bet, back when we were fancy-free co-eds, to see who could lose their virginity first, and Andie lost hers to my dad. They were sneaky about it, but they ended up falling in love, and now, she’s engaged and set to become my new stepmom. Ugh, doesn’t the word “stepmom” sound weird? But I’m excited because I adore Andie and I think she’s exactly what Thomas needs. But still, my friend has sex with my dad on a regular basis and I do not need to know the details about their relationship.

Nonetheless, I type back a quick, enthusiastic reply, a string of exclamation points and smiley faces, my thumbs a blur of practiced cheerfulness. My smile feels genuine enough as I hit send, but as I slide the phone back into my pocket, the expression on my face feels heavy, like a mask I can't quite take off. I glance around the boutique. The racks are neatly organized, the glass shelves are dusted, the silk blouses are fanned just so. The floor is empty. The whole place is quiet, save for the soft hum of the air conditioning and Chloe's occasional tapping on her phone.

I find myself drifting toward the window, the large plate-glass one that looks out onto the cobblestone street. I adjust the neckline on a mannequin wearing a cream-colored silk camisole, even though it's already perfect. I linger there, watching people walk by, couples mostly, their hands clasped, their heads bent toward each other in conversation. A pang of something sharp and lonely twists in my stomach.

It's stupid, I know. In movies, on TV, in the articles I scroll past online, having a boyfriend is “embarrassing” these days, a burden, something to roll your eyes at. That's the persona I've cultivated, the one my friends know and love. I'm the independent one, the free spirit, the one who flirts with multiple dudes, but doesn't need a man to complete her. I'm the one who cracks jokes about big dicks, who rolls her eyes at the sappy love stories, who says things like, "Who has time for all that drama?" with a casual toss of my blonde hair.

But the truth, the one I keep buried so deep I almost forget it's there, is that I want it. I want all of it. I want the late-night texts, the surprise coffees, the inside jokes, the stupid arguments over what to watch on TV. I want a boyfriend. A huge, handsome one, with broad shoulders and a kind smile, who would wrap me in his arms and hold me until the world went away. Who would kiss me until I forgot my own name, who would stroke my hair and tell me everything was going to be okay. I want to lose my senses in someone, to be so completely and utterly consumed by another person that there's no room for anything else.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >88

Advertisement Lovely Venom (Empire of Kings #3) Read Online A. Zavarelli http://www.books2020.com/lovely-venom-empire-of-kings-3-read-online-a-zavarelli Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:28:03 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/lovely-venom-empire-of-kings-3-read-online-a-zavarelli Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Contemporary, Dark, Forbidden, Mafia Authors: A. Zavarelli Series: Empire of Kings Series by A. Zavarelli
Advertisement

Total pages in book: 148
Estimated words: 143870 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 719(@200wpm)___ 575(@250wpm)___ 480(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >148

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

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

PLAYLIST

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

“Video Games” – Lana Del Rey

“Hypnotic” – Zella Day

“Bruises” – Lewis Capaldi

“Haunted” – Isabel LaRosa

“Heaven” – Julia Michaels

“More Than Friends” – Isabel LaRosa

“But I Am A Good Girl” – Christina Aguilera

“Happiness Is A Butterfly” – Lana Del Rey

“Feel Like Shit” – Tate McRae

“Ain’t No Other Man” – Christina Aguilera

“The Only Exception” – Paramore

“Dirty Thoughts” – Chloe Adams

“Middle Of The Night” – Elley Duhe

“Sorry” – Halsey

PROLOGUE

CHANTEL

Rough words. Steady hands.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Of course he knows.

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

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

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

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

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

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

They unravel me.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If only he’d let me.

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

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >148

Advertisement Tracking Wolfe (Made Marian Legacy #4) Read Online Lucy Lennox http://www.books2020.com/tracking-wolfe-made-marian-legacy-4-read-online-lucy-lennox Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:27:30 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/tracking-wolfe-made-marian-legacy-4-read-online-lucy-lennox Genre: Contemporary, Forbidden, M-M Romance, Suspense Authors: Lucy Lennox Series: Made Marian Legacy Series by Lucy Lennox
Advertisement

Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99399 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >105

I’ve been in love with Trace Bishop half my life… 
And I’ve been hiding it just as long.

He’s my father’s best friend. 
The man who tracked me down and kept me safe my entire childhood…

The man who looked me in the eyes six years ago and said we were impossible.

So I poured my longing into love songs.
Songs no one knows are about Trace. 
I shared them with the world under a secret identity and won a Grammy.
Just another thing to hide. 

Then one stupid kiss changes everything.

Trace can’t want me back. 
It would cost him his friends, his family, and the life he’s built. 
And I’m tired of wanting the impossible.  
So I run… 

Straight into the crosshairs of someone who knows all my secrets and doesn’t care who gets hurt.

Trace does what he always does–he finds me. 
But this time, he’s not tracking his best friend’s son.
He’s tracking the man whose kiss he can’t forget. 
The man he’ll burn his life down to keep. 

Because if Trace and I want a chance at forever, hiding is no longer an option

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

PROLOGUE

WOLFE, AGE 13

I’d known Trace my whole life.

That was the thought I kept coming back to as I sat by the pool that afternoon, pretending to read. Trace had helped Dad teach me to swim in this pool. He’d been at every birthday, every barbecue, every Christmas morning sprawled on our couch with terrible bedhead and Papa’s good coffee. He was part of the landscape—like the oak tree or the vines or the way the summer heat made the air shimmer.

So I didn’t understand why my hands suddenly felt clumsy holding my book.

“If you burn that portobello, Derek, I’m writing a lament and making you sing it,” Papa called from the outdoor bar area, where he was spraying the counter down with cleaning solution before setting up the ingredients for frozen drinks.

“I’ve never lost any of your ridiculous vegetables yet,” Dad said.

The sliding door opened. I glanced up out of habit to see who it was.

Trace stepped out shirtless in his swim trunks, his chest already golden brown from wherever he’d been working for the past month. He grinned at Papa. “What’s the ruling on cannonballs, Marian?”

I’d seen Trace without a shirt a hundred times. A thousand times. This shouldn’t have felt like anything.

“You mess up what I just cleaned, you’re the one redoing it,” Papa said. “Welcome back to the real world.”

“Real world, my ass,” Trace said with a laugh, dropping his towel on the chaise near mine. “Hey, kid.”

“Hey,” I said. My voice came out strange. I cleared my throat. “Hey.”

He gave me that half grin he always gave me—the one that meant he thought I was funny without meaning to be—and walked to the pool. The dive was clean. Barely a splash. He always dove like that.

I looked back at my book, but my eyes wouldn’t focus on the words.

I could hear Trace swimming. Steady strokes, the sound of water moving. The same sounds I’d heard every summer since I was small enough that he had to hold me up in the shallow end.

I turned a page I hadn’t read.

When he surfaced and pushed his wet hair back, I told myself to keep reading. That’s what I’d been doing.

Reading. I was reading.

Trace swam to the far wall. Turned. Pushed off.

My chest felt tight.

I shifted on the lounge chair, and the towel scratched my legs wrong. My skin felt too tight for my body.

I shifted again, knocking my chair into the umbrella stand beside it. The umbrella wobbled, and I reached up to steady it, smearing sunscreen on the canvas.

“Trace,” Dad called. “Give Wolfe a hand with the umbrella before it decapitates him.”

“On it.”

Trace climbed out of the pool. Water streamed off his shoulders and down his back. The beads caught the sunlight like sparkling gems winking unexpectedly. He crossed the stone and reached up to grab the umbrella pole above my head.

I should have looked away. I looked away all the time—when Papa and Dad kissed in the kitchen, when actors kissed on TV, when anything felt like I was seeing something private. It was automatic.

This time, I didn’t.

Trace stretched to hold the pole steady. His arm extended over me, ribs visible above the slight bumps of his stomach muscles, water still dripping from his skin onto the stone beside my chair. The umbrella created a small shadow between us. I could smell chlorine and his deodorant—the same brand he’d always used, the same smell that had been in our house forever because he left a bag here and showered after using the pool.

Nothing was different.

Everything was different.

“Loose wing nut,” Trace said, squinting at the mechanism. “Derek, you got a⁠—”

“Top shelf of the pantry. Left bin,” Papa supplied. Dad saluted before walking inside.

My heart pounded, but I didn’t know why. Trace was just fixing an umbrella. Trace fixed things all the time. He’d fixed our fence last month and the gate before that and helped Dad with the truck and⁠—

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >105

Advertisement Chasing the Rush (Football and Feels #2) Read Online Lauren Rowe http://www.books2020.com/chasing-the-rush-football-and-feels-2-read-online-lauren-rowe Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:16:42 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/chasing-the-rush-football-and-feels-2-read-online-lauren-rowe Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Forbidden, Funny, Sports Authors: Lauren Rowe Series: Football and Feels Series by Lauren Rowe
Advertisement

Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 121095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >127

Rudy meets Moneyball in a sexy yet warm-hearted, second-chance football romance for fans of Sarah Adams, Tessa Bailey, Monica Murphy, Kristen Callihan, Lucy Score, and, of course, “Tayvis,” as the analytical, math-nerd, type-A daughter of a tough love coach is assigned to babysit the team’s adrenaline junkie pass rusher.

**DELUXE LIMITED EDITON with interior 4-color character art, designed chapter headers, and stenciled edges!**

Chelsea Parker, 26, knows football, thanks to growing up with a football coach for a father and two linebackers for brothers. But Chelsea’s true passion has always been math: crunching numbers to predict statistical outcomes for everything from football to stocks to romance. Chelsea dreams of merging her two passions to become the first female head of analytics for an NFL team. But for now, she’s got to convince the powers-that-be at her father’s new team, the Mastodons, the worst in the NFL, to give her that entry-level position in the front office.

Luca Maguire, 26, a pass rusher and adrenaline junkie with a famous last name, knows this upcoming training camp with his new team, the Mastodons, will likely be his last, if he can’t get out of his own way long enough to make the cut. The dire nature of his circumstances is the only reason Luca didn’t quit on the spot when Coach Parker assigned his daughter, Chelsea, a statistics-loving, spreadsheet-making math nerd, as Luca’s “personal coach” for the duration of camp. More like his babysitter, if you ask Luca.

Well, okay, Luca didn’t quit for that reason and another one: the thing that happened seven years ago between Luca and Chelsea as strangers, when Luca’s college football team stayed at the same hotel as Chelsea’s mathletes squad. Luca would never admit this to Chelsea, especially not with her being Coach’s daughter and the newly assigned bane of his existence, but the truth is Luca hasn’t stopped thinking about that cute little mathlete who ditched his ass seven years ago, right before their clothes came off, ever since

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

CHAPTER 1

Chelsea

Bloomington, Indiana

“LOOKS LIKE OUR serenity is about to get shattered by a pack of starving hyenas.” Daisy snorts. “They’re hot, though. I’ll give ’em that.”

My new friend’s comment prompts me to look up from the color-coded spreadsheet I’m working on for our math team. A college football team—Nebraska’s, based on the logos printed on their T-shirts and sweats—has blasted into the breakfast area of our budget hotel.

“You think they’re a team of some kind?” Daisy asks innocently, surveying the rowdy young men as they raucously descend upon the tepid buffet offerings and jockey to pile soggy scrambled eggs onto paper plates.

I smirk to myself, amused but not surprised my friend hasn’t instantly recognized this breed of athletic young men as football players. For my part, thanks to my upbringing, I’m already mentally sorting them into their positions on the football field, based on body type: running backs, receivers, cornerbacks, offensive linemen, and so on. And let’s not forget my all-time favorite position: linebackers. Better yet if they’re an outside linebacker. And better still if a guy is an OLB that’s an edge rusher—the guy tasked with breaking through the opposing offensive line and taking down his opponent’s quarterback. Yum.

“Maybe they’re a wrestling team?” Daisy offers nonchalantly, her gaze continuing to drift across the testosterone-laden chaos.

Her suggestion is ludicrous, quite frankly, but I refrain from saying so. Daisy knowing I come from a die-hard football family that includes a head coach and two NFL players is one thing; scaring her off by saying something that could make me sound like a know-it-all blowhard would be another.

Daisy’s the only good friend I’ve made so far since starting at Northwestern two months ago, and I’d really like to continue building the friendship. Daisy’s the sort of person I’ve always dreamed of having in my life—a fun, wild-child type—so I’m determined not to give her the ick by revealing Stat-Keeping Football Fanatic Chelsea too early.

“I feel like they’re most likely football players,” I murmur vaguely.

“Well, if anyone would know about that, it’s you.” Daisy scans the melee for another long beat. “Although I’m kinda thinking they look like soccer players.”

I press my lips together. Those are football physiques, as surely as my name is Chelsea Parker. Also, Indiana’s campus is only a few miles away, and today is Saturday—game day in the world of college football. Plus, they’ve all got NEBRASKA plastered all over their clothes, and that particular university is in the Big Ten Conference, along with Indiana, which means the two schools are likely opponents in today’s game. So, put all those facts together, along with the approximate number of them being exactly what I’d expect to see for a traveling football team, and there’s not a doubt in my mind those young men are Nebraska’s football players, come to Bloomington as the visiting team for today’s home game at Indiana.

I don’t feel the need to convince Daisy I’m right, however, so I simply shrug and return to my spreadsheet. But only a few seconds later, Daisy pokes my arm and whispers, “Hey, do any of those hotties catch your eye?” She waggles her eyebrows. “I know you said you don’t want a boyfriend for at least a couple years, but maybe you could have your first fling tonight after the competition.” She smiles mischievously. “I bet any of those boys would be more than willing to make out with you for your first time.” She snickers. “Or with me for my twentieth.”

I roll my eyes and return to my spreadsheet. “You do you, Daisy. But that’s not what I came here for. I came to win.”

“Why can’t we do both?”

I look up from my screen. “Even if I were going to let myself get distracted like that, why would I do it with someone I’d never see again? They’re Cornhuskers, Daisy. From Nebraska.”

“That’s exactly my point. You could have some fun checking off some of those boxes you keep talking about and never have to worry about the guy turning into a cling-on and suddenly thinking he’s got the right to tell you what to do.”

She’s parroting my own words back to me. That’s what I told her during freshman orientation when the topic of boyfriends came up, because that’s how it went down for two of my best friends from back home, once they got their first boyfriends. After living under the watchful, protective eyes of my father and two big brothers my whole life, why would I want any man thinking he’s got a say in what I do, now that I’m finally free and on my own?

“Well, regardless, I couldn’t possibly do that tonight because I’m one hundred percent positive we’ll make it into the finals, which means we’ll need to come back here and prepare as much as humanly possible before getting to bed at a reasonable hour so we maximize brain function with a full eight hours of sleep.” As Daisy well knows, the top six teams in today’s first round of the competition will advance to tomorrow’s finals, and it’d take an act of God to keep a team like ours out of them.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >127

Advertisement Her Forbidden Teacher (Taboo Sneaks #3) Read Online K. Webster http://www.books2020.com/her-forbidden-teacher-taboo-sneaks-3-read-online-k-webster Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:15:23 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/her-forbidden-teacher-taboo-sneaks-3-read-online-k-webster Genre: Alpha Male, Forbidden, Taboo, Virgin Authors: K. Webster Series: Taboo Sneaks Series by K. Webster
Advertisement

Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 36551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >38

From USA Today Bestselling author K Webster comes a steamy, forbidden romance about a girl with a ruined reputation… and the teacher who risks everything to make her feel whole again.

I ruined my life with one photo.

I trusted the wrong girl.
She sent it to the wrong man.
And suddenly, I wasn’t just Addison Monahan anymore…

I was the scandal.

Expelled. Humiliated. Sent away to start over somewhere no one knows me.

New house. New school. New rules.

I was supposed to keep my head down.
Stay out of trouble.
Disappear.

Then I met him.

My teacher.

He’s not supposed to look at me like I matter.
Not supposed to listen when I speak.
Not supposed to believe me when no one else did.

But he does.

And the more time we spend alone…
The harder it is to pretend this is nothing.

Because it’s not.

It’s stolen moments in empty classrooms.
Lingering looks that last too long.
A connection that feels a little too real.

We both know it’s wrong.

That doesn’t stop me from wanting him.
And it definitely doesn’t stop him from choosing me.

When everything finally comes crashing down, he’ll have to decide…

Save himself?

Or ruin everything for me.

A taboo MF romance featuring a forbidden student/teacher relationship, age gap, sneaking around, a scandalized heroine, and a broken hero who risks it all for the one girl he should never touch. No cliffhanger, no cheating, and an HEA guaranteed.

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

Chapter 1

Addison

It all started with a dumb picture.

A picture of me, topless and only covering my nipples with my fingers, while still wearing my school uniform skirt. I’d sent it to my friend Lucy with the words, “Should I go bigger?”

We’d been discussing plastic surgery. Lucy wanted a new nose. I thought having bigger breasts would be cool. It was silly girl talk.

Or so I thought...

Betrayal burns hot in my gut as I make my way up to my new school. Brown High School is such a far cry from my private one. People can park anywhere since there aren’t reserved spots. You can wear whatever you want. And I have suddenly gone from one of the poorer kids at school to no doubt the richest.

I feel so out of place.

My stomach roils as I approach the door to the building. I get a few curious stares which I expected. I’m the new girl, showing up her senior year. I know no one. I have no friends here. It sucks.

When my phone buzzes in my purse, I glance at my watch to look at the notification.

Kenzie: Where are you? We’re waiting in the library for you.

Bile creeps up my throat.

I should have told them.

Seconds later, I get another text.

Halle: I saw Cason, but you weren’t with him. Sick on the first day?

Then, another text pops up.

Lucy: Everyone’s looking for you. Are you in Mr. Thompson’s room?

My blood turns to ice at her text. Lucy knows good and well where I’m at. Or where I’m not in this case.

I should have told Kenzie and Halle the truth—that I’m no longer attending our private school because of a stupid picture I didn’t even send, but I was too ashamed. It was easier to pretend all summer that everything was fine. Sweep what happened under the rug.

Lucy’s text is a stab to my heart. I sent that picture to her in confidence. It was supposed to stay between us. What she did with it was a hard lesson I’ll forever be learning from.

I shudder at the memory of being in an office with my parents, their lawyer, Mr. Thompson, his lawyer, school officials, and two police officers. It was humiliating. All for something I didn’t even do.

Another buzz on my phone. This time, a text from my brother.

Cason: Word is spreading. The secret is out.

I read his text as I make my way past some students just inside the building door. This place smells like floor cleaner, a mixture of cologne and perfume, and mildew. The flaking paint on the lockers that line the hallway and the brown water stains in the ceiling tiles point out how different this place is than my old, pristine, beautiful school.

In a way, I’m glad to be here as the secret gets out. Everyone is going to think I’m some whore who threw herself at her teacher. Mr. Thompson was friendly with all the students, especially us girls, but I didn’t like him like that. In fact, Lucy was the one who shamelessly flirted with him.

I still can’t believe she did that to me.

Lucy: Oh no. People are saying you did something terrible.

It’s then, the texts start rapid-fire hitting my watch.

Halle: Did you and Mr. Thompson have a fling?

Kenzie: Someone just said you were expelled! What’s happening right now?!

Nick: Heard you showed your tits to one of the teachers. Fucking skank. Is that why you turned me down? You were sucking Mr. T’s dick?

My eyes burn with tears as my skin heats up. The dean at my old school assured me and my parents we could keep the scandal between us. I’d stupidly hoped that were true, but Lucy already betrayed me once, so it’s not surprising she did it again.

I considered her one of my best friends, too.

Halle: Lucy said Nick said he saw you blowing Mr. Thompson. That’s disgusting! He’s like forty!

Kenzie: You kept this from us all summer? Lucy is crying. She’s devastated. You know she had a secret crush on him, right? Is that why you slept with him?

Maddy: You’re pregnant with Mr. Thompson’s baby? I overheard Halle saying that’s why you’re not in school. We always knew you were a slut.

A tear streaks down my cheek, and I hastily swipe it away.

Cason: I just got sent to the dean’s office. I’ll probably get suspended. Nick’s bloody nose was worth it.

At this, I crack a small smile. My younger brother always has my back.

I pass by the classroom where my second hour will be and Coach Long glowers at me as I pass. It makes me wonder if Mr. Thompson told all his teacher friends outside of the private school. Does everyone know I’m a whore?

You’re not a whore.

You didn’t send those messages to him.

I’d tried to explain that to my parents, the cops, to everyone, but no one believed me. The picture was clearly me. It was sent from a profile that had my pictures on it to Mr. Thompson’s Instagram. All the messages sent after that even sounded like me. I was just as shocked as they were.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >38

Advertisement Illegal Formation – Red Zone Rivals Read Online Kandi Steiner http://www.books2020.com/illegal-formation-red-zone-rivals-read-online-kandi-steiner Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:15:10 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/illegal-formation-red-zone-rivals-read-online-kandi-steiner Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Forbidden, Sports Authors: Kandi Steiner Advertisement

Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 115577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >121

When I make the cheerleading team for Seattle’s pro football organization, there are many rules.

Most notably?
Stay away from the football players.

Everyone on my squad takes that warning to heart.
I, on the other hand, take it as a challenge.

Especially after I meet Braden Lock.

With his easy smile, endless patience, and heart-of-gold reputation, the star receiver is everything I’m not — soft where I’m sharp, steady where I’m mayhem. Braden Lock has always played by the rules.

Unfortunately for him, I’m very good at breaking them.

And after one unexpected turn of events leaves me spiraling, I convince the league’s golden boy to indulge in one very forbidden distraction: me.

What starts as secret hookups and harmless fun quickly turns into something far more dangerous — because the more time we spend sneaking around behind closed doors, the harder it becomes to pretend we’re not already in too deep.

But our organization has one ironclad rule: players and cheerleaders are strictly off limits. If anyone finds out about us, Braden’s contract — and my spot on the squad — could disappear overnight.

We knew the risks of our illegal formation. We just didn’t realize the real danger wasn’t getting caught.

It was how badly we’d destroy ourselves trying to hold on

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

Emily

There was nothing worse than underboob sweat.

It took everything in me not to pick at the band of my sports bra to relieve some of the dampness there, or to take the towel draped around my neck and shove it down between my breasts. Just the thought had me twitching to do so, knowing I’d feel instant relief.

Instead, I was focusing on all the sweat pooling in the worst possible place knowing damn well I couldn’t do anything about it.

If I were at the gym, it’d be a different story. If I were at the little studio downtown where I’d been dancing since I moved to Seattle, that would have been fine, too. I could have wiped myself down and I wouldn’t have given two shits who saw me or passed judgment.

But this was the final auditions for the Seattle Seahawks Dancers.

And I had to act like a fucking lady.

Act being the keyword there. I had spent hours on my hair and makeup this morning to pull off the look of a well-behaved and amiable young woman — although to this group, I was far from young.

At twenty-nine, I was the oldest to audition.

If I made it, I’d be like a grandma to these youngins.

My smile twitched a little as another bead of sweat slid down the crevice between my tits to join its friends. They were having a little sauna party down there. The band of my bra was completely saturated, even now, well after my audition was done. God, I didn’t even have large boobs. What did the girls with double Ds do when heat struck?

I shifted in my seat, hoping my smile was still sweet and demure and not the uncomfortable, impossible-to-fake-much-longer version that it felt like. To be fair, I wasn’t only sweating under my boobs. Sweat was also running down my spine and prickling at the back of my neck.

I was nervous.

It was hard not to be when — for the first time since I could remember — I actually wanted something bad enough to care.

I wasn’t sure I really wanted to be on the squad when I submitted my virtual audition back in March. Maybe it was that my life was stalling out in Austin. The trio of jobs I’d tried while living there hadn’t panned out, and I kept finding myself drawn back to dance — except there was no way to make a decent salary dancing in Austin. The best I could find was as a go-go dancer at one of the bars on the weekend and frankly, I was too old for that shit. I preferred to be asleep by midnight, at the latest, and even that was pushing it.

So, I submitted my virtual audition to the Seattle Seahawks Dancers, just to see what happened.

I’d only been to Seattle once before, when I’d booked a solo hiking trip after I graduated high school. I wanted to experience something new before I was locked down for another four years of school.

I found I loved the city, the fog and the drizzle and the cool, crispness of it all. I loved the mountains and hiking within driving distance, the culture of the people, the way everyone seemed to actually give a fuck about the planet.

Seattle was calling me back in a way. I wasn’t sure why, and I was fairly certain — given my track record — that I wouldn’t stay long. But it was where my heart was drawn to, at the moment at least.

When I got through to the interview round for the dance team, my interest picked up. Could I actually do this? I wondered.

And by the time I attended the first round of auditions at the stadium, battling it out with almost two-hundred other dancers?

Yeah. I wanted it.

I wanted it bad.

Maybe it was because I’d been wandering the world like a lost kitten for so long now that the idea of belonging somewhere, of having a job I cared about and was good at and wanted to do lit me up in a way I hadn’t felt since I danced for my college team.

To my friends — and especially to my family — it seemed like I loved the life of a nomad, that I thrived in not being tied down to any place or job or life plan.

But anyone who’s ever lived inside that reality knows better.

We’re all looking for something.

I just wasn’t sure what that something was.

Now, weeks after the first round of auditions, and hours after the finals, the final forty of us were gathered in the stands at Lumen Field, the lights shining down on the green turf.

And I couldn’t help but feel like it was all a bit ridiculous.

They could have just told us right after auditions ended this afternoon who made the team. Instead, they’d made us stick around for most of the day other than a quick break for dinner, and now, we were back to hear the names of the dancers who made the squad.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >121

Advertisement Bronco (Cuddle a Cowboy #1) Read Online Mia Brody http://www.books2020.com/bronco-cuddle-a-cowboy-1-read-online-mia-brody Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:11:55 +0000 http://www.books2020.com/bronco-cuddle-a-cowboy-1-read-online-mia-brody Genre: Alpha Male, Forbidden, Insta-Love, Virgin Authors: Mia Brody Series: Cuddle a Cowboy Series by Mia Brody
Advertisement

Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >47

I did a teeny, tiny bad thing for a very good reason.

Lauren

When I heard my aunt was about to lose her home, I couldn’t just sit by. I had to do something. So, I started a fundraiser inviting people to cuddle a cowboy and well, it kind of went viral.

Now, women are bidding on these big, bearded cowboys who are grumpy and scowling. But the grumpiest one is Bronco. He’s my brother’s best friend, and he’s furious with me for using his farm this way.

I should probably tell him that I got the winning bid on him.

Bronco

This cowboy wants to cuddle. Problem is, the only one I want to cuddle is my best friend’s little sister. She’s sunshine and sweetness and temptation rolled into one vintage vixen.

When I told her to use the farm as a fundraiser, I had no idea she’d be putting me on the auction block.

Now, it’s time for this cowboy to put his boot down and show Lauren that she’s the one who belongs in his arms.

If you love a gruff cowboy who will do anything to make his curvy woman smile, then climb onto Bronco’s horse. It’s going to be a wild ride, but you’ll ache in the best way.

This is a steamy cowboy rom com with plenty of on-page spice between a gruff cowboy and his curvy woman set in the welcoming, small town of Courage County. If that sounds like your kind of story, click to read now

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

Chapter 1

Lauren

I read a statistic that said if you have one person you can call in the middle of the night who will drop everything to come help you, then you should count yourself lucky. Well, I guess I’m doubly lucky because my person also happens to be a cranky cowboy with a heart of pure gold.

“Hey, sweetheart.” The moment, I hear my brother’s best friend’s voice some of the tension bleeds from my shoulders. He is the cranky cowboy. He’s cranky with everyone. Except me.

I stare at my bedroom wall where the water spot grows bigger by the second, a distinct rushing sound behind it. I whisper into the phone, “I need you.”

“I’m on the way.”

It’s two in the morning. He doesn’t sound all that awake, but his tone is gentle. It could make a girl think she were special to him if she were foolish enough to believe in such things. “I’m sorry to wake you.”

“Wasn’t sleeping anyway,” he answers as if I can’t read the lie in his rumbly voice. Still, it makes me feel better that he’s trying to make me feel better. Bronco has been like this as long as I’ve known him, though I’ve only known him for a few years.

He and my brother, Vale, became best friends when they were serving in the Marines together. They were supposed to come home and start a ranch for veterans, a place where guys returning from combat could transition back to civilian life.

Except that only one of them came home.

Now, Bronco looks after me because I’m his responsibility. The little sister he inherited from Vale. Problem is, I’ve never once looked at Bronco and thought of him as a big brother. I’ve always thought of him as a man—a big, gruff man with eyes that are stormy blue and a bushy beard I want to touch.

I listen to the sound of his quiet breathing and the rustle of clothes as he pulls them on. Does Bronco sleep naked? Is that a normal thing to wonder about your brother’s best friend? Somehow, I don’t think it is.

I wish things were different between us. I wish he’d want me back. I wish he’d take me in his arms and kiss me until I can’t think anymore. But if I can’t have that, then I wish I didn’t think of him at all. I wish I could be content, happy even, with his begrudging friendship.

Instead, I’m stuck with a helpless crush that I’ve never been able to shake. I guess, it’s my fault really. When Vale told me about Staff Sergeant Hayes, a gruff loner with no family of his own, something in my heart hurt.

I hated the idea that there was a man out there, willing to give everything to protect his men and no one was looking out for him.

After that, when I sent care packages to Vale, I included little treats for Bronco. He never said thank you or acknowledged a thing I did. But I knew it mattered. I knew it in the way that only someone who’s been abandoned too could know it.

“Tell me something,” he says, and I hear the truck door slam. He’s on the way. Help is on the way. Tears prick at my eyes when the thought comes, and I have to blink them back. Bronco doesn’t know how bad things are here. No one does.

I haven’t told him because it’s not his mess. This is my mess. I made it. I have to figure out how to clean it up. Except that I’ve never been so scared in my life, and I’m terrified that the people I care most about are going to pay for it.

“Like w-what?” I ask, stalling for time.

“A favorite memory,” he answers easily. “What’s one of your favorite memories?”

It only takes me a moment to think of one. “There used to be a magnolia tree on the property. It was the first thing I noticed the day my mom aban—dropped me and Vale off here.”

I’m not sure how much of our past Vale told Bronco. I don’t guess it matters. A lot of kids are abandoned by their drug addicted mom. Most kids just aren’t abandoned by their mom at a retirement community.

My Aunt Elaine is the director of the Wildflower Retirement Community. She didn’t blink or hesitate when my mom left the two of us on her doorstep. She hugged both me and Vale, gave us her trademark sunny smile, and promised that things were going to be all right.

Because of her, I grew up in this retirement home. I spent my days running the halls and doing craft time with the seniors. It was like having a big extended family filled with dozens and dozens of grandparents. Most of them doted on us, and very few complained about the noise we made. Instead, we were embraced as part of the community.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >47

Advertisement His Obsession – Sinful Mafia Daddies Read Online Natasha L. Black http://www.books2020.com/his-obsession-sinful-mafia-daddies-read-online-natasha-l-black Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:11:24 +0000 http://www.books2020.com/his-obsession-sinful-mafia-daddies-read-online-natasha-l-black Genre: Alpha Male, Dark, Forbidden, Mafia Authors: Natasha L. Black Advertisement

Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 65112 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >67

I went to my brother's house expecting dinner.
Instead, his best friend looked at me like he wanted to ruin me.

Sebastian De Luca.
My brother's oldest friend.
Dark eyes. Controlled. And not the kind of man you say no to.

I should have kept my distance.
Instead, I let him pull me onto the dance floor of his nightclub.
Then into his bed, before I could remember why men like him are dangerous.

One night was supposed to get him out of my system.
Instead, two pink lines changed everything.

Then my violent ex found me.
And suddenly, nowhere felt safe anymore.

Sebastian moved me into his mansion that night.
Guards at every door. Eyes on every camera.
He didn't ask. He decided.

Now it's not just protection. It's possession.
And God help the man stupid enough to come for what's his.

This is a full-length, standalone age-gap mafia romance packed with danger, possessive heat, and a guaranteed HEA. No cliffhanger

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

1

VALENTINA

The bar line is backed up, the champagne needs more ice, and a girl with six million followers is about thirty seconds away from having a meltdown in the middle of the venue. As far as I’m concerned, the night is off to a perfect start.

I stand just outside the private elevator bank at the top of the hotel, phone in one hand, earpiece in, and my eyes sweeping the rooftop in quick, practiced passes. The venue is stunning, overlooking the ocean. One thing I’ll give LA is that the views blow Manhattan’s out of the water. The décor I’ve selected for tonight only adds to the ambience. Candlelight flickers across glass tables and white orchids hang over the main bar in soft, dramatic clusters. The skyline stretches beyond the low glass wall, glittering against a dark velvet sky.

“Valentina,” a voice calls.

I turn toward the service corridor just as one of the catering servers comes out carrying the wrong tray. He’s young, nervous, and moving too fast, which means he’s about to make a mistake.

I step into his path before he hits the floor. “Hold on.”

He stops so abruptly the tray rattles. “What?”

I glance down at the tuna cones on his platter. “These aren’t for the first pass. These go out after the founder speech.”

His face goes blank. “Chef told me these were up.”

“Chef is wrong,” I tell him, keeping my smile in place. “First pass is burrata crostini and truffle tartlets. Take these back and tell Mario I said if he pulls this again, I’m keying his car.”

The server blinks, then laughs nervously. “Okay.”

“You’re not in trouble. Just move.”

He nods and disappears back through the doors. I peer through the glass into the prep area and catch Mario’s eye immediately. He puts a hand over his heart like I’ve wounded him. I point two fingers at him. He grins.

I swear under my breath, then cut across the terrace to head off the next problem.

An influencer in silver sequins is leaning over the east bar, giving one of the bartenders hell because she wants into the roped-off lounge. The bartender looks about one second away from telling her off, which would inevitably end up all over TikTok.

I slide in beside her.

“You look stunning, Melissa,” I say warmly, like we’re old friends and she’s not currently terrorizing my staff. “I’m so glad you made it.”

She turns, ready to fight, then hesitates. People like being greeted by someone who looks like she’s in charge. I learned that a long time ago.

“Someone’s fucked up the VIP room,” she snaps.

“I’m so sorry you feel that way,” I tell her gently. “The front lounge is reserved for press during the first hour, and then we’ll be rotating guests through after remarks. You’re at the top of the list.”

Her mouth tightens. “I don’t wait in lines.”

“Neither do I.” I lean in like I’m about to do her a favor. “That’s why I’d hit the west photo wall right now, before the actresses get here. The lighting is better on that side, and once the bigger names start posting, the line is going to be impossible.”

That gets her attention. She glances toward the west side, already calculating her own face from every angle.

“Perfect,” she says, a gleam in her eye, and stalks toward the west wall.

A launch party like this is controlled chaos. The clients think they’re paying for beauty and exclusivity. What they’re actually paying for is the woman sprinting in heels behind the scenes so no one realizes the ice delivery was late, the logo plaque on the flower wall shifted half an inch, and one of the assistants nearly cried.

I catch a hostess near the private lounge and straighten the angle of her name badge without breaking stride.

“Relax your shoulders,” I murmur to her.

She straightens. “Sorry.”

“You’re fine,” I tell her kindly. “Just breathe. It’s a catering job, not World War III.”

Gia appears beside me like she was summoned by my stress level alone. She looks incredible in her bronze slip dress, with long dark hair swept over one shoulder, and sharp, smoky eyes that miss almost nothing. She works in branding and publicity, which means we cross paths constantly. Somewhere in the middle of that, she became my best friend.

“Mrs. Reynolds is panicking in the powder room because she thinks one side of her contour looks muddy,” she says.

Jacqueline Reynolds is the wife of Harold Reynolds, the founder of the company launching tonight. She’s the kind of woman who thinks this party is all about her, and she’ll milk every last second of it.

“I already sent up a makeup artist.” I sigh.

“Of course you did.” Gia laughs. “You don’t miss a thing.”

I grin and take a sip of water before scanning the room. The DJ is spinning bland, nondescript music that’ll serve as background for the evening. The bartender has a small crowd, but he moves like lightning, keeping the wait time low. Out of habit, I note where every security guard is stationed.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >67

Advertisement North Country Read Online K.A. Tucker http://www.books2020.com/north-country-read-online-k-a-tucker Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:11:03 +0000 http://www.books2020.com/north-country-read-online-k-a-tucker Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Forbidden, Suspense Authors: K.A. Tucker Advertisement

Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 136507 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 683(@200wpm)___ 546(@250wpm)___ 455(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >142

From the USA Today and international bestselling author of the Simple Wild comes a sweeping second-chance, forbidden romance set against the rugged beauty of northern Canada.

Emery McAllister once dreamed of leaving Cold River with the boy next door, but one devastating night destroyed their future and left her heart carefully guarded. Twenty years later, she’s built a life of control: running the town’s police detachment, raising her daughter, and keeping a fragile peace with her ex-husband, the mayor.

She’s certain she has moved on until the day she has dreaded—and secretly hoped for—finally arrives.

Logan Landry is home.

After two decades behind bars for being in the wrong place at the wrong time—and the choices that haunted him ever since—Logan returns to his family’s bison ranch carrying the weight of everything he lost, but especially Emery. Friendship is all he dares hope for now, but seeing her ignites a fire he thought long extinguished.

When a teenage girl disappears and old wounds reopen, Logan becomes Cold River’s favorite suspect, despite his airtight alibi. As distrust closes in, Emery must choose between the life she’s built … and the love she can’t let go

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

Playlist

Available on Spotify

Pg. 1: “Santa Monica” by Theory of a Deadman

Pg. 51: “4AM” by Our Lady Peace

Pg. 58: “Long Time Running” by The Tragically Hip

Pg. 100: “Quitter” by Cameron Whitcomb

Pg. 109: “Blown Wide Open” by Big Wreck

Pg. 129: “Wheat Kings” by the Tragically Hip

Pg. 134: “Let Me Down Slowly” by Alec Benjamin & Alessia Cara

Pg. 173: “Home” by Matthew Hall

Pg. 226: “Quitting You” by Arkells

Pg. 256: “You and Me” by Cameron Whitcomb

Pg. 277: “Silent Night” by Sarah McLachlin

Pg. 291: “Everything is Alright” by Glorious Sons

Pg. 295: “Holly Jolly Christmas” by Jeff Straker

Pg. 298: “The Breakdown” by The Trews

Pg. 305: “Next to You” by Charlotte Cardin

Pg. 331: “Sing Me a Song” by William Prince & Serena Ryder

Pg. 325: “Gordon in the Willows” by Patrick Watson & Charlotte Cardin

Pg. 357: “Weak in the Knees (Acoustic Version)” by Serena Ryder

Pg. 364: “New Plan” by The Glorious Sons

Pg. 377: “Feels Like Home” by Chantal Kreviazuk

Chapter 1

Emery

Twenty years ago, May

“Busted!” Logan’s chuckle carries over the music.

“Damn it.” My curse is punctuated with a creak as I try to slip up the stairs unnoticed. There’s no point in this charade anymore. I run the rest of the way, taking the steps two at a time, until I reach the loft above the Landrys’ garage that has become our sanctuary.

Logan is sprawled out in the middle of it on his back. The only thing between his solid six-foot-two frame and the plywood floor is an unzipped sleeping bag that never leaves this room. The window on the far side welcomes in afternoon sunlight, and the rays capture the dust in the air. A five-disc stereo system clunks and whirs as it shuffles noisily to another CD, its display lights flashing like an ’80s techno party.

“Took you long enough.” He sounds groggy. I’ll bet he drifted off.

“I had a long shift.” I drop to my knees behind his head and peer into golden-hazel eyes that are indeed bleary from sleep. My stomach flutters. It always does around him.

He inhales. “You smell like chlorine.”

“Yeah, I had to pull a kid out of the pool.” I lean down to plant an upside-down kiss on his mouth before whispering, “Happy birthday.”

His plump lips curve into a smile. “Thanks.”

“You’re officially an adult.” I don’t turn eighteen until September, when we’re in Toronto for university. We were both accepted into the University of Toronto’s downtown campus—me, for criminology, Logan for mechanical engineering.

“That’s right, I am.” In the next beat, he’s reaching over his head to grab my ribs. I squeal as he lifts and flips me around to land against him with little effort. Another quick move and he has me on my back, my arms pinned over my head with one hand, long since calloused from helping around his family’s bison ranch. “Are we still allowed to do this?” He punctuates the question by slipping his free hand under my shirt.

“Yes. As long as you’re not in a position of authority over me.”

Logan’s face dips toward my neck, his lips finding a sensitive spot below my earlobe. “Okay, Officer McAllister.”

“Wait! I want to give you your present.”

“Isn’t that what you’re doing?” He guides my shirt up.

The warm spring air grazes my bare skin, stirring a base need. “No!” I tug against my restraints, but I can’t break free. He’s too strong. “I’ve been sitting on this forever.”

His fingertip traces the seam of my lacy bra before relenting with a groan of frustration as he releases me.

From my pocket, I slide out the envelope.

Logan’s eyebrow arches with interest as he collects it and gives it a shake.

I bite my bottom lip to quell my excitement.

“You’re kidding me.” He holds up the receipt for the two VIP Edgefest concert tickets, his eyes wide with disbelief. “But how? I couldn’t get through!”

My laughter is giddy. “I hit redial, like, a million times, as soon as they went on sale⁠—”

He cuts off my words with a hard kiss before whispering, “This is fucking amazing. I wanted to go so bad.” I get another kiss and then, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I beam, grazing my nose against his. “You have no idea how hard this was to keep secret. I almost ruined the surprise so many times.”

He rolls onto his back to study the wooden beams zigzagging across the rustic ceiling. “Now I have to decide who I’m taking.”

“Umm, shut up.” I climb on top of him, straddling his jean-clad hips. “You better be kidding.”

He laughs as he grips my slender waist within his strong hands. “Of course it’s you, Em.” He stares up at me with a mixture of awe and desire.

The moment grows heady as I feel him reacting to my body pressed against his. “Can’t you skip going out with Jay tonight? Hang out with me?” I punctuate that by rocking my hips.

“You know I can’t. He’s my brother. He’s been planning this for weeks.”

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >142