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Ana never expected Luiz, her ex-boyfriend, to come into her business meeting, let alone that it would lead to thirty days of searing love. ***** Ana is passionate about journalism, and now that she runs her father's newspaper, she will go to any length to keep it afloat. She didn't anticipate her ex-boyfriend, Luiz, to be the one she turned to for assistance. But there's a catch: he wants vengeance for betraying him back in the day. In exchange for the money, he wants her to spend thirty nights with him; however, things start to go wrong when flames bloom between them. Could this be their second shot at love, or will scandal and blackmail tear them apart forever?
Teng o de tus ojos, de tu boca, de tus besos...
These were the first words I heard Luiz speak.
I long for your eyes, tongue, and kisses...
On a sunny October day, he stood at the front of a University of Miami classroom and recited a poem in both Spanish and English. It was the second week of school, and he had moved to Public Speaking 101. He had previously skipped a few courses, so everyone noticed him when he read aloud.
All the females couldn't quit staring at him. Neither could I.
I was 19 years old.
Luiz stood tall and wore worn trousers and a basic black T-shirt. The dark stubble on his face, mixed with his black brows, eyelashes, and short black hair, gave him the appearance of the devil's best disciple. A flashing red peril for my heart.
Luiz gazed as he spoke. At me. I was seated in the second row. His eyes were filled with possessive want, and I wanted to fall at his feet and ask him to do anything he wanted with my body and soul.
When he finished speaking, Luiz looked at me with a half-smile that promised pleasure.
I was out of breath. Hypnotized.
Thank you, Mr. Menendez. "Ms. Lavoie, you're next," the professor announced, shocking me sufficiently to swiftly grab my papers. One dropped to the floor, and I hurried to get it, picking it up with shaking fingers.
I stepped to the front of the room, passing Luiz as he took his seat. I swallowed hard when our gazes connected for a brief moment. My mouth felt uncomfortably wet, so I folded my arms. I was conscious of how my vintage black-and-rose-printed Betsey Johnson slip dress and black flip-flops brushed against my flesh and wanted to take everything off. luiz's look left me feeling exposed. Makes me want to be nude. With him.
"Please tell us the title of the poem you're reading," the lecturer asked.
"I chose 'Sonnet Seventeen' by Neruda," I said in a faint voice, looking at the floor.
"Uncross your arms." And you'll have to talk louder. Remember: this is a public speaking lesson, not a public whispering class.
The few students who tried to pay attention chuckled, and I raised my gaze to Luiz. He slouched low in his chair, his long legs sprawled across the front row. His lips curled upward and formed a sensuous grin. I tucked my wavy hair behind my ears.
With a deep breath, I started.
Luiz fixed me with long, deliberate stares while I performed the poem. His lips opened, and I saw his tongue in the corner of his mouth. By the second phrase, I was smiling. It's a secret exclusively for him. It seemed like we were the only two individuals in the room.
When the class finished, I dashed outdoors into the white-bright Florida sun, shaking with feverish want. A gentle hand gripped my wrist, and the delicate hair on my nape shook.
"Ana?" he said, his tone mild.
"Yes."
At that time, I had only kissed a couple of guys and perhaps gone a bit farther. I was somewhat bashful back then. And I avoided males that resembled Luiz, mostly because I felt they would not be interested in a lady like me.
"Where are you from?" My little wrist seemed delicate in his large grasp.
"St. Augustine."
luiz's grin revealed dimples below his beard.
"So, Ana from St. Augustine," he continued, rhyming and capturing my heart. "What are you going to do this weekend?" Are you planning to attend the Fantasy Fiesta costume party, which everyone is raving about? "Are you dressing up?"
I chuckled, temporarily silent. Diana, my best friend, had told me about the party and urged me to join her. I had said no.
But if Luiz was present, perhaps I would. My skin flushed with heat as if I'd spent the day at the beach in August. His eyes were the most peculiar color, nearly copper, and they glinted in the sunlight.
"I don't have any plans," I said.
Another nasty smile. I'd never seen such long lashes on a man.
"Do you know what you should be for Fantasy Fiesta?"
I shook my head again, and he gave me a smoldering look.
"Mine."
When Abigail is offered a job as a maid at the Charles estate, it seems almost too good to be true. The work is easy and fair, her coworkers seem nice enough, and the best part? The owner doesn't even seem to live there. That is until he returns.
Irene Hart never fit in; being ridiculed every day at school and working continuously to pay off your mother's drug addiction was not what an 18-year-old wanted to accomplish in their senior year of high school. What happens when Irene is appointed to work as a maid at the house of a millionaire family, who also happens to be the crime boss? Irene's life is flipped upside down when two attractive brothers show an interest in her.
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..." But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"
Anabel found out she was pregnant and dialed her husband's number to share the good news to him. They have been married for two years without a child. Desmond's mother had been accusing her of being barren and unproductive. When the call was picked, she was flabbergasted and broken. She was hearing a loud moan of feminine voice. "Ohh! Yeah! Don't stop fucking me! Fuck me harder baby!" accompanied with sound of skins slapping against the other. She went home to confront her husband and end up receiving a divorce paper. Desmond divorced him for a lady his mother was rooting. Few months later when he found out that his ex-wife is a billionaire heiress and she is pregnant with twins, he went crazy!
Her fiance and her best friend worked together and set her up. She lost everything and died in the street. However, she was reborn. The moment she opened her eyes, her husband was trying to strangle her. Luckily, she survived that. She signed the divorce agreement without hesitation and was ready for her miserable life. To her surprise, her mother in this life left her a great deal of money. She turned the tables and avenged herself. Everything went well in her career and love when her ex-husband came to her.
Trigger warning!!! Intended for mature readers who enjoy morally complex, slow-burn, poseesive, forbidden, dark romance that pushes boundaries. ***EXCERPT*** Blood everywhere. Trembling hands. "No!" My eyes blurred. His lifeless eyes stared back at me, his blood pooling at my feet. The man I loved-dead. Killed by the one person I could never escape - my stepbrother. *** Kasmine's life was never hers to begin with. Kester, her stepbrother, controlled and monitored her every move. At first, it was all sweet and brotherly until it began to turn into an obsession. Kester was the Alpha, and his word was law. No close friends. No boyfriends. No freedom. The only consolation Kasmine had was her twenty-first birthday, which was supposed to change everything. She dreamt of finding her mate, escaping the sickening control of Kester, and finally claiming her own life. But fate had other plans for her. On the night of her birthday, not only was she disappointed that she wasn't mated to the love of her life, but she found out that her mate was none other than him - Her tormentor. Her stepbrother. She'd rather die than be mated to a man whom she had known as her big brother all her life. A man who would do just anything to make sure she was his. But when love turns to obsession, and obsession turns to blood, how far can one girl run before she realizes there is nowhere else to run to?
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"