Elena thought she was walking into a dream: a new school, a fresh start, and a dangerously charming man who seemed to crave her heart as much as her body. Zayne was everything she'd ever wanted-magnetic, tender, passionate. But behind his perfect smile was a man playing a twisted game... and she was his latest prize. At first, the relationship is all sweet kisses, slow burns, and soul-baring conversations. But the deeper Elena falls, the more the shadows stretch. Strange women from his past. Locked doors. A best friend who might be lying. And whispers of a secret that could destroy her. When Elena stumbles across a hidden phone filled with intimate recordings-of her and many others-everything shatters. Betrayed by love and broken by obsession, she teams up with an unlikely ally to unravel the truth. But some secrets don't stay buried. And some lovers don't let go. As her world burns down, Elena must decide: will she run from the fire-or rise from it? Sugar Before the Burn is a haunting tale of erotic obsession, emotional manipulation, and the dark side of desire. Perfect for fans of Verity, It Ends With Us, and You, this story grips tight and doesn't let go.
The air was thick, like it knew something she didn't.
Elena stared out the bus window, watching unfamiliar streets smear past. Everything felt new and wrong at the same time. Her hand trembled slightly as she clutched the strap of her bag, the only thing keeping her grounded in this unfamiliar city. Behind her was a past she wouldn't dare touch again. Ahead of her was her aunt's house-Mrs. Greene, the woman who never smiled long enough to be trusted.
This wasn't just a change of location.
This was exile.
The bus groaned to a halt in front of a quiet residential block. Not rich. Not poor. Just... neat. Controlled. Like the kind of place where people didn't raise their voices or admit to sins.
Elena stepped off the bus with her suitcase, dragging it behind her like guilt. The house loomed ahead-whitewashed, sterile, and quiet. A thin trail of smoke escaped the chimney, the only sign someone lived there.
The front door creaked open.
"Elena," Mrs. Greene said in her usual tone-neither warm nor cold. Just efficient.
She hadn't seen her aunt in years, but the woman looked exactly the same: silver-rimmed glasses, tightly pulled-back hair, and eyes that scanned more than they blinked.
"You've grown," she said, stepping aside. "Shoes off, bag by the stairs. Dinner's in the oven."
Elena mumbled a thank you and stepped inside. The house smelled like bleach and leftover regrets.
Later that night, in her new room, Elena sat on the edge of a mattress that felt too firm, staring at the ceiling that felt too silent. The walls were bare, save for a mirror on the wardrobe that seemed to stretch her reflection thinner than it was. She hadn't cried. Not yet. Crying meant weakness. And if she was going to survive this new world-Zenith University, new faces, a new city-she had to stay sharp.
She checked her phone.
Nothing.
No texts. No notifications. No one even knew she was here yet.
She was invisible again.
Just how she liked it.
Zenith University was big.
Too big.
Elena stood in the middle of the main campus square the next morning, heart racing as students swarmed past. She wore jeans and a black long-sleeved top-safe, quiet, forgettable. That was the plan. Don't stand out. Don't attract. Just survive.
"Elena!" a voice called from behind.
She turned.
Ava. Her only real friend.
The one person who knew bits of her, just not all the pieces. Ava hugged her tight, her blonde curls bouncing as she pulled back to grin.
"You made it," she said. "God, I was beginning to think you'd chicken out."
"I almost did."
"Yeah, well... welcome to the war zone. Let's get you killed slowly."
They walked together, Ava filling the silence with gossip and inside jokes about lecturers who had egos the size of Jupiter and boys who thought eye contact meant marriage.
And then-
Everything went quiet.
A presence. A shift.
Elena turned her head-and saw him.
Standing by the tall art building, sleeves rolled up, cigarette between his fingers, dark curls falling over one eye, and a smirk that didn't belong to a student. Zayne.
Ava noticed.
"Don't," she warned under her breath.
"Who is that?"
"Zayne," she said. "Trust me-don't."
But Elena's eyes were already locked with his.
He looked right at her.
Not through her. Not past her.
At her.
The corner of his mouth lifted like he knew a secret she hadn't even told herself yet.
Then he turned and walked away, leaving smoke and static in his place.
In the studio arts building, Elena tried to focus. Tried to blend. But her heart hadn't slowed since the moment Zayne looked at her. Ava was talking about some girl who got suspended for cheating, but Elena's thoughts were already gone. Floating somewhere between curiosity and warning.
"Zayne used to date one of my roommates," Ava said out of nowhere, eyes flicking toward her. "He left her in tears and therapy."
Elena raised a brow. "And yet you're still looking at him like that."
Ava rolled her eyes. "It's not about looks. It's about danger. He's magnetic, yeah. But magnets destroy things, El. Just keep your head down."
Elena nodded.
But she didn't promise.
That evening, back at Mrs. Greene's house, Elena sat by the window, sketching for the first time since she arrived. Her pencil moved almost on its own-lines forming lips, jawlines, curls...
When she finished, she stared at the page.
It was him.
Zayne.
She tore the page out.
Crumpled it.
Tossed it in the bin.
But as she reached for her phone, something strange happened.
Her lock screen lit up with a new message.
Unknown Number: You looked lost today.
Her breath caught.
Unknown Number: I like that on you.
She stared at the screen, heart thudding.
She hadn't told anyone her number yet.
Not even Ava.
She was twenty, just stepping into adulthood-bold, curious, and unprepared for the fire she was about to play with. He was in his thirties, a father, her neighbor. What started as casual conversations turned into silent glances, stolen moments, and eventually, a love they weren't supposed to feel. But forbidden flames always burn the brightest-and the most painfully. In a world that said they shouldn't, they did. Until the cost became too high. Three years, one unforgettable connection. Will love be enough, or will life pull them apart forever?
"I'm going to tell you what I have in mind," he murmured. "First you're going to strip down until you're completely naked," he whispered against her ear. "Then I'm going to tie you up so you're completely powerless and subject to my every whim." "Mmm, sounds good so far," she murmured. "Then I'm going to insert a plug to prepare you for me. After that I'm going to spank that sweet ass of yours until it's rosy with my marks." She shivered uncontrollably, her mind exploding with the images he evoked. She let out a small whimper as he sucked the lobe of her ear into his mouth. God, she could cum with just his words. She was already aching with need. Her nipples tingled and hardened to painful points. Her clit pulsed and twitched between her legs until she clamped her thighs together to alleviate the burn. "And then I'm going to f**k your mouth. But I won't cum. Not yet. When I'm close, I'll flog you again until your ass is burning and you're on fire with the need for relief. And then I'm going to f**k that ass. I'm going to take you hard and rough, to the very limits of what you can withstand. I won't be gentle. Not tonight. I'm going to take you as roughly as you can stand. And then I'm going to cum all over your ass. Are you ready to be completely and utterly dominated?"
P-please, I beg you. Come let's go tell Christian I had no hand in whatever happened, p-please." I clutched the lapel of his jacket desperately. "Let's go. You need to tell my husband you were paid." "Young lady, you're harassing me." His tone was cold and his stare granite. But I could care less. "You harassed me first! You had sex with me without my consent, my husband knows and now I'm pregnant with this child he doesn't want. You ruined my marriage! I-I hate you!" ************************************ Caught by her husband with another man on their matrimonial bed the morning after her birthday, Hailey Codza could not defend herself. As though it's not enough, she gets pregnant. Her enraged husband decides to pay her back for her infidelity by having an affair with his ex-girlfriend - Denise Kellers, the family Hailey never knew she had. Losing her family's wealth and company to her husband and his ex (now girlfriend), she is devastated, homeless and penniless as all her credit cards are blocked by her husband. She sees the man who is responsible for her pregnancy. The man she has no idea how he'd found his way to her matrimonial bed - Jared Johnson. Jared is annoyed when this strange woman disrupts his meeting and accuses him of ruining her life, marriage and impregnating her. It affects his business deals and having no choice, he marries her to calm the public whilst engaged to someone else. But he loathes her and allows his family treats her badly. Hailey who has fallen in love with Jared is broken when she can no longer take the humiliation. She signs the divorce papers and leaves, only to arrive six years later to the country as a self-made, secret billionaire and a mother of twins. Now her two ex-husbands are begging to have her back...
Accused of murder, Sylvia Todd's mother was deemed a traitor by the entire pack, condeming Sylvia to live the rest of her life alone in humiliation as a lowly slave. All she wanted to do was to prove her mother's innocence somehow, but fate never seemed to be on the side of the traitor's daughter. Still, Sylvia never lost hope. As the future lycan king of all werewolves, Rufus Duncan possessed great power and status, but he had an inexplicable reputation for being cruel, bloodthirsty, and ruthless. Unbeknownst to everyone, he had been cursed long ago to transform into a killer monster on every full moon. Even though fate did not always look upon the two, it brought Sylvia and Rufus together as each other's destined mates. Will justice be served for Sylvia's mother? What about Rufus' secret? Can Sylvia and Rufus defy all societal norms and stay together? Will these two unlucky souls have their happy ending?
COALESCENCE OF THE FIVE SERIES BOOK ONE: THE 5-TIME REJECTED GAMMA & THE LYCAN KING BOOK TWO: THE ROGUES WHO WENT ROGUE BOOK THREE: THE INDOMITABLE HUNTRESS & THE HARDENED DUKE *** BOOK ONE: After being rejected by 5 mates, Gamma Lucianne pleaded with the Moon Goddess to spare her from any further mate-bonds. To her dismay, she is being bonded for the sixth time. What’s worse is that her sixth-chance mate is the most powerful creature ruling over all werewolves and Lycans - the Lycan King himself. She is certain, dead certain, that a rejection would come sooner or later, though she hopes for it to be sooner. King Alexandar was ecstatic to meet his bonded mate, and couldn’t thank their Goddess enough for gifting him someone so perfect. However, he soon realizes that this gift is reluctant to accept him, and more than willing to sever their bond. He tries to connect with her but she seems so far away. He is desperate to get intimate with her but she seems reluctant to open up to him. He tries to tell her that he is willing to commit to her for the rest of his life but she doesn’t seem to believe him. He is pleading for a chance: a chance to get to know her; a chance to show her that he’s different; and a chance to love her. But when not-so-subtle crushes, jealous suitors, self-entitled Queen-wannabes, an old flame, a silent protector and a past wedding engagement threaten to jeopardize their relationship, will Lucianne and Xandar still choose to be together? Is their love strong enough to overcome everything and everyone? Or will Lucianne resort to enduring a sixth rejection from the one person she thought she could entrust her heart with?
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"
It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wife’s countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. “Let’s get married again.”