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

Contemporary – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.wownovels.com Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:32:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.4 http://www.wownovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png Contemporary – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.wownovels.com 32 32 A Simple Love – Return to Richton Read Online Melanie Moreland http://www.wownovels.com/a-simple-love-return-to-richton-read-online-melanie-moreland Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:32:26 +0000 https://www.wownovels.com/a-simple-love-return-to-richton-read-online-melanie-moreland Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary Authors: Melanie Moreland Advertisement

Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)

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He left Richton to become a star. He's coming back to face the one he never forgot.

Oliver Hart
A well-known, leading Hollywood heartthrob is suddenly on the downslide.
Gossip and whispers of trouble follow him these days.
His latest project is yanked away, and a new role is offered to him.
One that sends him back home to the small town of Richton.
To the location of his greatest regret.
To where she is.

Kassie Brennan
The girl he once loved.
The one he left behind.
How will she react when she discovers he’s there?
Closer than either one of them realized?
Can the past stay in the past?
Or will their hearts decide their future?

Author’s Note: Get ready to fall all over again — for the Hollywood heartbreaker who never forgot the girl he left behind, and the woman still guarding the heart he once held. Small town. Big feelings. Second chances don't come easy — but some loves were always meant to find their way home

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

1

OLIVER

Istopped at the top of the stairs, taking a deep breath for courage before walking into my agent’s office.

Annie Stillwell was etched in faded lettering on the upper glass of the door. I knew without a doubt she was inside, waiting at her desk, impatient and growing more so every minute that passed while I chose to hang out in the hallway.

If I were brave enough, I would run.

But she’d find me.

I plastered a smile on my face and walked in, her assistant, Carmen looking up from her computer. The inside of the office looked like a set from a 1950s movie. An old wooden coffee table, piled high with out-of-date magazines, sat in the middle of a grouping of lumpy chairs where hopefuls would wait to see if Annie would accept them as a client and help launch their careers. Worn wallpaper, holding years of smoke and witness to many tears, disappointments, and deals. It never changed and was in total contrast to the sleek desk and computers where Carmen sat on the other side of the room. Behind her, file cabinets stuffed with contracts, scripts, proposals, and God only knew what else, burst the seams, some of the drawers barely shutting, while others were open, their chaotic contents visible.

I met Carmen’s eyes. “Hey, beautiful.”

“Stow it, pretty boy. You’re late, and she’s already in a mood.”

“It’s barely past seven in the morning,” I protested. “Why the hell I had to be here so early is beyond me.”

She shook her head. “So clueless.”

“I could come back at another time,” I offered. “Meet her for lunch at her club, maybe.”

Martinis usually put Annie in a better mood.

“Nope.” Carmen popped the word decisively. “She’s waiting. Get in there.”

I sighed and headed toward a heavy wooden door. Annie had had it installed specially—plus had the office soundproofed. She liked her privacy when doing a deal or ripping her talent a new one.

I had a feeling today’s meeting was the latter.

I knocked and waited for the usual “In!” growled in her signature pit bull voice.

I stepped in, shutting the door behind me.

“You called and requested my presence?” I quipped, hoping to keep things light.

Annie glanced up, observing me over her thick tortoiseshell glasses. I had no idea exactly how old she was. Late sixties, I assumed from her history. Gossipers insisted she was much older. Some whispered the words “ancient” and “deal with Satan” that kept her alive and thriving. If that was the case, Satan was no doubt exhausted having to handle her. I’d given up trying to find out. When it came to her private life, she was a vault.

Her dark eyes were shrewd and sharp. They regarded me as if seeing a bug she wanted to squash under her no-nonsense pumps. Her stares were legendary. Rumors were she often made Hollywood execs cry with her silent glares. God knew how many wannabes left here in tears.

She refused to comment.

Her silver hair was pulled back in her usual thick knot on the top of her head. I had never seen it in any other fashion. Nor, I believed, had another living person. Her makeup was minimal, except her lips, which were scarlet red—another signature for her. She had a surprisingly sexy mouth, with full, pouty lips that rarely smiled and belied the words that often spilled from them.

There was nothing soft about those.

And hanging from the right side of her mouth was a cigarette holder. No actual cigarette since she’d given them up, but only the holder. It was always there. I found it impressive that she could talk, eat, and drink without removing it. I’d tried to imitate her actions for a role once and failed miserably. Food fell out. Liquid spewed forth. My voice sounded as if I had a speech impediment.

But it was part of her, and her favorite trick was inhaling her vape and letting the mist out through the cigarette holder, swirling around her head as she glared at you.

Or, currently, me.

“Finally showed up,” she huffed.

“It’s barely dawn.”

“In your little world. I’ve been at this since five.”

I sat down, waiting.

She studied me, inhaling another lungful of her e-cig. I’d warned her again and again they were as bad for her as cigarettes, but she refused to listen. And once Annie made up her mind, there was no changing it.

“What the fuck is going on with you, Oliver?”

I cleared my throat, but she carried on. She stood, rounding the desk and leaning on the old wooden edge, worn from years of being a prop.

“My golden boy, suddenly gone rogue.”

I scoffed. “Hardly.”

She held up her hand. “Two flops. Arthouse films I told you not to work on.”

“I wanted to do something different,” I argued. “And I believed in them. I had no idea what was going to happen.”

She shook her head. “You are a rom-com leading man. That is what you do, and you do it well.” She paused, the cigarette holder vibrating in irritation. “Or you used to.”

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Branded Mine Read Online Jenika Snow http://www.wownovels.com/branded-mine-read-online-jenika-snow Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:32:22 +0000 https://www.wownovels.com/branded-mine-read-online-jenika-snow Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Novella Authors: Jenika Snow Advertisement

Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >28

In the dusty heart of Rootstown Creek, Lila Shaw returned home to settle the ranch she never wanted and finally put the past behind her.

Fourteen years earlier, she had sworn she would never come back. Then her father died and left her the one thing she never wanted: the family ranch and all the painful memories that came with it.

She never expected Ryder Kane to still be there.

Once, he'd been the quiet boy who always appeared when she needed him most. Now, he was a scarred, brooding cowboy with rough hands, haunted eyes, and a devotion so fierce that time had never managed to weaken it.

For years, Ryder had protected the ranch, repaired what was broken, and watched over the life Lila had left behind. While she’d been running from the past, he’d been preserving it for her.

But some secrets refused to stay buried, and the truth about the darkest chapter of Lila's childhood threatened to destroy the fragile future they were building together.

Because the man who had always protected her had been keeping one devastating secret of his own.

And Lila had to decide whether she could trust the cowboy who had loved her enough to sacrifice everything for her

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

1

The first thing I noticed when I crossed into Rootstown Creek was how little had changed.

The same rusted sign leaned beside the county road, white paint so faded the town’s name had nearly disappeared. Endless stretches of dry grass rolled under a pale blue sky. Barbed-wire fences cut across the land, their posts crooked from years of wind and punishing winters.

Even the dust looked familiar.

It rose behind my car in a thick brown cloud, swallowing the road and everything I’d left behind.

I kept both hands locked around the steering wheel as the town appeared in the distance. Gas station. Feed store. The narrow church steeple stabbing up above the rooftops. Rootstown Creek had always been too small to hide in and too isolated to escape without everyone knowing exactly why you left.

I hadn’t been back in fourteen years. Not since the morning my father loaded my suitcases into the bed of his truck and drove me to the bus station two towns over. He stood there with his arms folded, making sure I understood there would be no coming back once I stepped onto that bus.

I’d believed him.

Then he died and left me the one thing I never wanted. The ranch.

A lawyer’s letter had arrived three weeks ago telling me Dwayne Shaw had driven his truck off a mountain road. The vehicle broke through a guardrail, rolled down an embankment, and caught fire. No funeral. No service. Just ashes and a key to the prison I’d escaped years ago.

The sheriff's report called it an accident, but people in a town as small as Rootstown Creek always had something to say. Some blamed the weather, but others blamed the bottle that had followed my father around for most of his life.

Either way, no one seemed particularly surprised.

And because of all that, I told myself selling it would be simple.

Drive in, sign the papers, clear out the house, and leave Rootstown Creek in the dust for good. Then I’d be out of here.

But the moment I turned onto the dirt road leading to the ranch, that lie started to crack.

The Kane Ranch bordered ours along the western fence line. Theirs had always been bigger, cleaner, and better kept. I tried not to think about Ryder Kane as the house came into view. The white siding had yellowed. Shutters hung crooked beside dirty windows, and weeds strangled the rosebushes my mother planted before she died.

The porch steps still leaned to the left, and the dent in the gutter above my old bedroom window was still there. Everything waited exactly as I’d left it, like the land itself had been holding its breath for fourteen years.

A cold shiver crawled over my skin.

I parked and killed the engine but didn’t move. Silence pressed in, broken only by the ticking of the cooling engine. I stared at the front door and the faint kick-mark near the bottom where my father had split the wood in a drunken rage looking for me one night.

That memory came back in a rush. I remembered crouching behind the kitchen table, hands over my mouth, heart hammering while his boots thundered through the house after he’d broken back in. I’d escaped through the back door, barefoot and bleeding, and ran straight across the pasture.

Straight to Ryder.

Whenever my father started drinking, I'd find Ryder somewhere on the Kane Ranch. He never asked questions. He'd just hand me a bottle of water, and let me stay until it was safe to go home.

I shoved the memories down, grabbed my purse, and forced myself out of the car. The keys felt heavy in my hand, and the front door groaned open. I stood frozen in the entryway. The smell hit me hard. Dust, old wood, stale cigarette smoke, and old resentment soaked into the walls.

But it wasn’t the complete disaster I’d expected. The scuffed recliner still sat angled toward the outdated TV, and a few newspapers lay scattered across the table beside it. The overflowing ashtray was gone, and the thick dust I’d braced myself for was only a faint film.

I moved through the rooms slowly, opening windows to let warm, fresh air push inside and stir the ghosts. For the next two hours, I drifted from space to space, touching almost nothing. A couple of dishes sat by the sink, clean and dry like someone had just washed them.

Upstairs, my childhood bedroom had been turned into a storage space with boxes stacked against the walls more neatly than I expected, an old saddle resting on the mattress, and even the floor looked recently swept. There was no way my father had kept this place even halfway clean. He’d always been a slob. I’d been the one scrubbing, cooking, and picking up after him while he sat drunk in front of old reruns.

So who had?

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Brazen (Wolf Ranch #12) Read Online Renee Rose http://www.wownovels.com/brazen-wolf-ranch-12-read-online-renee-rose Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:32:21 +0000 https://www.wownovels.com/brazen-wolf-ranch-12-read-online-renee-rose Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal Authors: Renee Rose Series: Wolf Ranch Series by Renee Rose
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Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 60481 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 302(@200wpm)___ 242(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >62

PACK RULE #12: ALWAYS SATISFY YOUR MATE.
The beautiful single mom has a secret.
It's not why she walked away from an IndyCar pit crew job.

Or the reason she chose Cooper Valley when she could work anywhere in the world.
It's that her five-year-old son smells like a wolf.

My alpha wants to know what she might be hiding. I don't care about that.
My wolf made the call: She's my mate. That means the pup is mine too, blood or not.

Except I've got a rep as the cockiest, most brazen rodeo player in three counties.

She takes one look at me and decides I’m good for exactly one thing. Fine by me. I'll take it.

We strike a bargain: I'm the only one who gets to touch her.
No labels. No strings. Just heat, and as much of me and what I can give her.
Every night I have her, I'm winning. Every time she lets her guard down, I'm in a little deeper.

She thinks I'm too young to want forever. She's about to find out exactly how wrong she is.

She's mine. The pup's mine. And I don't intend to let either go.

This reverse age-gap blue collar romance features a young, cocky rodeo star who is over-the-top possessive and protective of the feisty single mom who is his fated mate. No cliffhangers or cheating. HEA guaranteed

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

1

CLIO

* * *

Oof! There was nothing like having a twenty-pound tire tossed to you by your five-year-old.

Yeah, five-year-old.

“Here, Mommy.” JT cocked the next tire.

“Five more seconds, baby.” Six years working as a race car pit crew member meant I could change a set of wheels by myself in about sixty seconds.

I zipped through tightening the lug nuts on the first one, turned, and caught the airborne Michelin XZX with another oof. “Ow. Too hard for Mommy. Don’t put so much strength into your throws.”

“Oops. Sor-ry,” JT sing-songed as he hefted the next one overhead.

“And you know if Mr. Ernie was here, this would be a no-no.”

“I know!” JT’s exasperated sigh made me smile.

“You’re just so strong, buddy. We don’t want to make anyone else feel bad.” My daily struggle was teaching a superhuman kindergartener to mask his abilities and not show anyone what he was. It wasn’t like I could tell him he was part wolf shifter. I would someday, but he’d have too many questions, and I didn’t have the answers.

“Why don’t you grab your screwdriver and keep taking that toaster apart?” The old appliance had been Ernie’s. It broke, and my boss had brought it in thinking JT might like to use some tools to take it apart.

My little man hung out with me after school. Thankfully, the elementary school was only a block away, and I was able to meet him out front after the bell rang and walk him back to the shop until it closed at six.

I moved efficiently around the classic Volkswagen convertible Bug that seventy-three-year-old Mrs. Marsh brought in. She told Ernie in a conversation that spanned far longer than it took me to give the car a full tune-up that her granddaughter was turning sixteen, and she wanted to surprise her with the title to the treasure.

There was no sixteen-year-old on earth who wouldn’t love this baby. Especially now that I installed a top of the line stereo system, so she had full technology. Not that a teenager in Cooper Valley would need help with directions or traffic. I was pretty sure everyone in this small Montana town was born and raised here.

JT tossed me the last tire, and I put it on and lowered the car off the lift as a giant red pickup drove into Ernie’s Garage’s empty lot.

These ranchers and their giant trucks. Around here, I swore that the men equated their trucks to their dick size. Not that I’d seen one in a while.

I gave JT a pointed look, but softened it with a smile. “No more tire throwing,” I warned as I sauntered out the open garage door, peeling off my latex gloves. They kept my hands from being permanently stained with grease.

“I know,” he called.

A young, blond man in cowboy boots and jeans opened the door of the truck and dropped from the driver’s seat in a smooth motion. He started to come my way, cup of coffee in hand. When his gaze met mine, his nostrils flared, and he froze, sloshing coffee over the white t-shirt that did a whole heck of a lot to show off his packed muscles.

He turned back to the truck, which let me see the back side of him… including his ass.

Another hot cowboy. This town was full of eye candy like this guy. Good thing I was fairly immune to virile young men who thought they were the shiz. I grew up in a racetrack central pit, surrounded by trash-talking testosterone-laden young men.

That didn’t mean I wasn’t enjoying the view though. If I were a few years younger and less jaded, I might let him buy me a drink and test-drive him in bed. But I was older, wiser, and had a child.

He set the now-empty to-go cup on the hood and–holy hell.

He peeled his t-shirt off over his head, wiped his hands with it, then tossed it back in the truck.

I should thank the good Lord he didn’t have a napkin because taking his shirt off perked my ovaries right up. It should be illegal for a guy with a body like that to walk around shirtless. There could be car accidents.

It felt straight out of a movie the way the sun bounced off his six-pack abs.

But he probably spilled on himself just for the opportunity to show off his Hollywood-worthy physique. Guys like him knew their effect on women and milked it for all it was worth.

This one had broad shoulders stacked with muscles and light curls dusting his sculpted pecs. There was no farmer’s tan that I could see, and I saw. A guy that blond should’ve been sunburnt, but he sported a golden tan, like he worked all day in the sun without a shirt.

While my panties were getting wet, I was immune to this obvious display of ego. I knew all about hot, cocky young men who thought the world revolved around them. I’d had my fill of them working in racing—JT’s dad being the prime example.

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Break Me (Knighton Equestrian #1) Read Online Tillie Cole http://www.wownovels.com/break-me-knighton-equestrian-1-read-online-tillie-cole Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:32:12 +0000 https://www.wownovels.com/break-me-knighton-equestrian-1-read-online-tillie-cole Genre: Alpha Male, Billionaire, Contemporary, Sports Authors: Tillie Cole Series: Knighton Equestrian Series by Tillie Cole
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Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 128313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)

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The sexy, scandalous and heart-stopping romance from global sensation and multi-million copy bestseller, Tillie Cole . . .

--------------------

Born and raised a Texas cowgirl, Hallie Oakley is the most skilled showjumper on Team USA. She has just one goal in mind - Olympic gold. To achieve this, she must train with the most prestigious facility in the world, Golden Oaks in the Cotsworlds.

There she meets Chester Knighton, the oldest son in a showjumping dynasty, who has recently inherited Golden Oaks.

Their attraction is instant and mutal but when something devasting happens, it threatens to tear both Golden Oaks and Hallie apart.

Something Chester will not allow to happen

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

Prologue

Hallie

Age 12

Ocala, Florida

The humidity felt different here in Florida. It stuck to my skin like glue, wrapping its wet hands around each strand of my long dark hair, making it curl into ringlets around my face.

My heart fluttered as fast as a hummingbird’s wings as I gaped at the humongous equestrian center spread out before me. I knew horses. I’d been raised in the saddle with reins in my hand. I knew how to ride and rope cattle from a mustang’s back. I knew how to navigate rough pastures and herd cows into pens with perfect precision. But as a large bay mare passed by me, coat glistening, mane brushed out, hooves oiled and free of dust and mud from a hard day’s ride, I may well have been as unfamiliar with these animals as I was with the country clubs and fancy houses I’d seen on the ride from the airport.

The main door in a huge white barn to my left opened, and a woman around my daddy’s age came walking out. She looked as pristine as the bay mare that had just passed us by. Her bright-red hair was swept off her freckled face and tied in a bun at the back of her scalp. She wore cream breeches, a polo shirt to match, and polished tall black riding boots. As if feeling my stare, she lifted her head and saw me standing beside the social worker who had brought me here. Her face was as beautiful and put together as her clothes.

And she looked just like Daddy.

A lump sprouted in my throat as she approached, and her hazel eyes glistened with tears as she tracked her wide gaze over me. I glanced down at my well-worn cowboy boots, Wranglers, and favorite pink, long-sleeve button-up. My trusty Stetson was on my head—I had my daddy’s packed in a protective box in my luggage.

“Hallie,” the lady rasped, throat hoarse, and a tear fell from her eye. Her hands were shaking as she quickly wiped it away. She moved until she was just before me. She smelled like rose petals. Her cheeks matched their red shade too. She crouched until she was eye level with me. Without thinking, I reached out and touched her face. I felt my bottom lip tremble.

“You look just like my daddy,” I said. My chest felt tight. I was trying real hard not to cry. I’d cried a ton over the past few days. Ever since my daddy . . .

I sniffed and wiped away a few extra tears.

“You look like him too,” the lady said softly.

Aunt Jeanie, I reminded myself. Her name is Aunt Jeanie. She was my daddy’s younger sister. Daddy never spoke of her much. The only thing he’d ever said was that he’d been real sorry he’d stopped speaking to her when she decided to leave the family ranch before I was born. Said he hadn’t understood her choice to move away at the time. And that breaking all ties with her was the biggest mistake of his life.

One he never got to make right.

“You can cry, darlin’,” she said, her accent sounding a little like mine.

“Cowgirls don’t cry,” I said, echoing what Daddy and the cowboys back at the ranch used to tell me if I was hurt or upset.

A flash of what looked like sadness took over her face, like she’d heard that saying before too. “Do you know who I am?” she asked.

“Aunt Jeanie,” I said, and pointed at Sally, the social worker. She’d explained where I was going. Aunt Jeanie stood up and shook Sally’s hand. They began to talk about me, but movement from my right caught my eye, pulling me away from the conversation. In an outdoor arena across the yard, someone was cantering on a horse—a large gray horse that must have been at least seventeen hands high and then some. The horse was beautiful, all platinum glossy mane, its body thick with muscle.

Before I knew it, my feet began moving, and the next thing I knew, I was watching the rider and horse through the slats in the pretty white fence. Watching as the man steered the horse over huge, brightly colored jumps. My pulse raced and my breath held as, with each one, they seemed to take flight.

I wondered what that would feel like, to ride on horseback over those huge fences.

I watched, transfixed, as the man jumped all the fences, not touching a single pole. He patted the horse’s neck as he brought the horse to a slow and steady trot. The man unclipped the chin strap of his fancy helmet and placed it in his lap, tipping his head back toward the sun. His dark hair was sweaty, one thick strand falling over his forehead. It still looked perfect.

Before I knew it, he’d moved closer to where I stood.

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Chasing the Rush (Football and Feels #2) Read Online Lauren Rowe http://www.wownovels.com/chasing-the-rush-football-and-feels-2-read-online-lauren-rowe Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:31:53 +0000 https://www.wownovels.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
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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

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Daddy’s Trust – MC Daddies Read Online Laylah Roberts http://www.wownovels.com/daddys-trust-mc-daddies-read-online-laylah-roberts Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:31:30 +0000 https://www.wownovels.com/daddys-trust-mc-daddies-read-online-laylah-roberts Genre: Alpha Male, BDSM, Contemporary, Erotic, Virgin Authors: Laylah Roberts Advertisement

Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 155775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 779(@200wpm)___ 623(@250wpm)___ 519(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >159

When Addie gets separated from her sisters during a bar brawl, help comes from an unlikely person.
Cash Savage.
They’re total opposites. He’s bossy, protective, and ridiculously gorgeous.
She’s shy and struggles to talk when she gets anxious.
And she gets anxious a lot.
He’s completely out of her league. A dream she could never hope for.
However, when Addie and her sisters find themselves in danger, it’s Cash who volunteers to protect her.
It’s Cash who rocks her to sleep and makes sure she gets enough to eat.
And it’s Cash who puts everything on the line to keep her safe

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

1

Cash Savage was sick of his life.

He carried two boxes piled one on top of the other into the warehouse and set them down with a frown. On the side of the boxes, in Bonnie’s neat handwriting, was the word: Dinosaur.

What kind of dinosaurs?

Opening the top one, he saw that it was a mix of stuffed dinosaur toys. He drew out a Triceratops.

“Damn, this is soft and cute.”

“You like that one?” Ralen asked. “I thought your favorite dinosaur was the Argentinosaurus?”

“Well, yeah. It was known to be between fifty-two and sixty-five feet tall. And created so much waste that it probably killed smaller dinosaurs with it. I mean, can you imagine?”

“Being crushed by giant poo?” Ralen said dryly. “Not really.”

“You always were a T-Rex guy. Fuck, is this really how we want to be spending our Saturday night? Moving fucking boxes of new stock for LittleLand and talking about dinosaur poo?” He put the toy back in the box.

Ralen shrugged. “Doesn’t bother me. Isn’t like I’ve got anything better to do. What do you think AP stands for?”

Cash glanced over at the boxes his best friend had carried in.

They were more than friends.

They were brothers.

Cash would do anything for Ralen. But sometimes he wished he wasn’t quite so easygoing.

Of course, Ralen was only easygoing to a point. He could change his mood on a dime.

And watch out if you fucked him off or hurt someone he cared about. Because a furious Ralen could leave a trail of destruction in his wake. Kind of like Argentinosaurus—only he’d left a trail of poo in his wake.

“I don’t know,” Cash said. “Ageplay, I guess.”

Ralen opened the box and shook his head. “Nope.” He drew an item from a box. It was purple, and tapered at one end, with a flat base at the other. “Anal plugs.”

Cash had to grin. “Come on, let’s get the rest of these boxes in. When Dante said he needed a couple of guys to help watch over Bonnie, I wasn’t really expecting to spend my Saturday night hauling around boxes.”

Ralen shrugged. “Me neither. But I guess it’s better than dodging bullets or dealing with drunk assholes.”

Was it?

Sometimes Cash wasn’t so sure.

When they were finished unloading the truck into the warehouse out the back of Bonnie’s shop, he turned to his best friend. “I need a drink. I need to do . . . something.”

They were both in their late twenties, but sometimes Cash felt like he was much older. The things he’d seen and done over the years had aged him.

“We going to Reapers?” Ralen asked.

Reapers was the Iron Shadows bar. And it was where they spent a lot of their spare time. But he didn’t really feel like being surrounded by people he knew.

At one stage, he’d hoped to join the Iron Shadows; however Dante had put a stop to that. Dante didn’t think that Cash could remain loyal to him while being a member of the Iron Shadows.

Cash got it. Even if he didn’t like it.

Tonight, he didn’t need a reminder that he wasn’t part of that family.

“No, let’s just go to that place on the way home. What’s it called? Rabid Dog?”

“The one that usually closes down each night with a bar brawl?” Ralen asked.

“That’s the one.”

Ralen rubbed his hands together with glee. “Good. I was wondering when we’d get to have a drink there.”

Cash shook his head. He should’ve known that Ralen would be up for it.

After locking up the warehouse, they headed out and got into Cash’s pickup.

Maybe tonight was the night something interesting would happen.

2

“We are not going to another bar, Monroe.”

“Yes, we are!”

“No, we’re not. This is getting ridiculous. We’re in a strange city, searching for a man we barely know, and our only clue is that he told you he works at a bar in Billings. We’ve been to twenty bars so far and no one has heard of him!”

“Which means he might work at the ones we’re going to tonight!” Monroe replied, getting up into Dotty’s face. “And I do know him. He’s my husband!”

“Who you married on a drunken whim in Las Vegas. You hadn’t even known him a day.”

Monroe shrugged. “He was a good tipper.”

Dotty just gaped at Monroe. “And that’s a good reason to marry him?”

“Well, he was also cute and fun. Do you remember what fun is, Dotty?” Monroe asked, hands on her hips.

“No! Because I’m too busy taking care of you in order to have any fun!”

The words slapped back and forth between them, making Addie grow more and more tense. A large boulder filled her stomach and she grabbed hold of Snaggles, who was on the couch next to her. Holding him up, she ran his ear under her nose in an effort to soothe herself.

Addie hated it when Dotty and Monroe fought. And that’s all they seemed to be doing on this trip. Addie didn’t like being away from home. The house she shared with her sisters was her safe space. Where she never had to interact with anyone. And no one could scare or judge her.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >159

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Dirty Judge (The Firm #2) Read Online Whitney G http://www.wownovels.com/dirty-judge-the-firm-2-read-online-whitney-g Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:31:19 +0000 https://www.wownovels.com/dirty-judge-the-firm-2-read-online-whitney-g Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Erotic Authors: Whitney G. Series: The Firm Series by Whitney G
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Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 59287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >58

There are three rules in Judge Ashton’s courtroom:

1. Don’t ever question him.

2. Try not to look guilty.

3. Never make him remember you.

I just wish someone had told me that before I had a hearing in front of him.

Because this jerk barely listened to my speeding ticket case, ruled me “guilty as hell,” and made me pay thousands of dollars in fees—despite me pleading about how broke and desperate I was.

So, it’s only fair that I looked up his home address, found his luxury car, and treated all his windows to some much-deserved damage.

I “allegedly” did it, I mean.

He’ll never know…

At least, that’s what I thought.

Several weeks later, yours truly was hired to be a new law clerk.

For his courtroom.

Turns out, he remembered me all too well and decided to make my life a living hell.

And he plays dirty.

Far dirtier than anyone could ever imagine

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

PROLOGUE

JUDGE LIAM ASHTON

If you’re ever summoned to my courtroom, I expect you to follow three non-negotiable rules.

One, don’t ever question my authority.

I’m the judge, not you, and if you dare to complain about the sentence I give you?

I’ll replace it with something so severe you’ll beg me to send you to prison.

Two, try not to look guilty, but don’t lie to me.

I’ve sat through thousands of arraignments and cases, and all it takes is one look into your eyes to tell whether you’re worthy of my mercy.

The least you can do is try to make me wonder…

Three, once I bang the gavel to dismiss you, get the hell out of my courtroom.

Do not give me any lingering looks. Do not pass go, do not ask me any further questions.

I need to forget you ever existed, just in case you wind up in front of me again.

Up until last week, these three rules were always more than enough. But after twenty sleepless nights in a row, I’m considering adding a fourth and a fifth one to my list.

Then again, they’d only apply to a certain woman who thought she was above following my rules. A woman who had the audacity to break every single one, leave her memories tattooed on a heart I forgot existed, and condemn me to nightmares I can’t escape from.

Alas, if I can’t get more than two hours of sleep tonight, I’m making the additions in the morning.

Rule Four: Don’t ever stalk me when you’re upset about me finding you guilty.

Rule Five: Don’t you dare apply to work anywhere near me…

LIBEL (N.):

A WRITTEN OR PUBLISHED FALSE STATEMENT THAT DAMAGES A PERSON'S REPUTATION, EXPOSES THEM TO PUBLIC HATRED, OR HARMS THEIR LIVELIHOOD.

LIAM

F*ck Judge Ashton

The official complaint thread

r/NYCJudges

Maybeth567

Okay seriously, y’all. How is this asshole STILL allowed to be on the bench?

Jury51

This topic gets rehashed every week… Why not view the other threads and discuss it there?

Maybeth567

Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. Internet Police.

Those threads don’t have ME and his harsh punishment for ME in them, so get over yourself.

Hyt098

I think it’s because the Mayor (or his wife lmao) has a crush on him… Have you ever really LOOKED at his face?

Yuty

Yessss. I would sit on his face for hours…

Lveryt98

I’ve seen his cockprint on an elevator ride once… That’s probably why. (His face is definitely a work of art…)

Maybeth567

Is there any way we can all band together and complain and get rid of him?

Jury51

There are *300* threads about that topic here already…

Maybeth567

Well, maybe we need 500 more? Who’s with me?

Better yet, let’s band together and attack him in person. Maybe cripple him?

Douse him in gasoline and set him afire? His f*ckery can’t go on for too much longer…

User Maybeth567 has now been banned from the group for terrorist threats.

Ilogged out of my favorite forum of haters and made a mental note to show this to the courthouse security team.

Checking the latest comments was part of my morning routine, and—along with the weather—they gave me a bit of insight on how today’s court session was bound to go.

I picked up my remote and pressed the top button, forcing the drapes to reveal my view of the city.

Gray clouds hung low in the sky, crying raindrops over the city’s streets. Wispy ribbons of fog floated over the Manhattan Bridge, covering the Hudson River’s choppy waters below.

“It’s going to be a long-ass day…” I grabbed my briefcase and headed to the elevator.

The moment I stepped inside, I called my secretary.

“It’s a great day for justice, Judge Ashton!” She answered on the first ring as usual. “How are you on this lovely bright day?”

“It’s raining outside, Mara…”

“It’s only raining if you think it’s raining,” she said. “The sun is out and about for me every day.”

I held back a sigh. This woman was the definition of “toxic positivity”—the type of person who could see an upside in anything, no matter how dire. Even the death penalty.

“Give me a sneak peek of my first three arraignments this morning,” I said.

“Of course, one second.” She hummed a tune while my elevator descended. “Um… You’ve got a home burglary, a second DUI offense, and an animal cruelty charge.”

“What type of animal cruelty?”

“The guy in question was keeping a collection of ticks and cockroaches in his apartment.”

“In a glass case, I’m assuming?”

“No.” She paused. “Apparently, he was setting two hundred of them free every night in the hallway, in hopes of making his neighbors move.”

I blinked.

“He also has an OnlyFans where he, uh, touches himself while they crawl all over him. Oh and⁠—”

“Don’t tell me anything else,” I cut her off. “Put a red check on that one. What about the next three?”

“You’d hate me for telling you.” There was a smile in her voice. “You’re going to have a long day, sir.”

I figured…

“I’ll have plenty of coffee and treats ready for you in your chambers.”

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >58

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Down & Dirty – Rage (Dirty Angels MC – Next Gen #2) Read Online Jeanne St. James http://www.wownovels.com/down-dirty-rage-dirty-angels-mc-next-gen-2-read-online-jeanne-st-james Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:31:15 +0000 https://www.wownovels.com/down-dirty-rage-dirty-angels-mc-next-gen-2-read-online-jeanne-st-james Genre: Alpha Male, Biker, Contemporary, MC Authors: Jeanne St. James Series: Dirty Angels MC - Next Gen Series by Jeanne St. James
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Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 92397 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >94

Will history repeat itself? Not on his watch…

Ashton Dougherty can’t deny that his road name fits him.
Rage doesn’t know why a restlessness consumes him, but it’s always been there. Hanging over him. Because of this, his patience is short and his temper is long.
He’s the fourth generation in his family to sit at the table as an officer for the Dirty Angels MC. His club has ruled their territory since his great-grandfather founded it back in 1974. As the sergeant at arms, it falls on his shoulders to guarantee everyone is protected and to make sure their legacy continues for future generations.
Only now, new threats have emerged. To his club. To his family.
But he won’t let them destroy everything the generations before him have built and will do whatever’s necessary to defeat them.
Even if it means unleashing his rage.
Especially after they hurt the only woman who can cool the fire raging inside him.

Note: Down & Dirty: Rage is the second book in the Dirty Angels MC: Next Gen series, a spin-off of the original DAMC. It’s highly recommended to read this series in order because of ongoing plot threads. As always, each couple gets their own HEA

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

Glossary of Terms

Sled - Slang for a motorcycle

Cage - Slang for a vehicle with four wheels instead of two

Strange/Randoms - Sexual partners who are strangers/random people

Bid - Prison term

Screw - Correctional officer/prison guard

SCI - State Correctional Institution

Sweet butt - A club girl. They hang around the MC and service the patched members in different ways

House mouse - Normally a young woman who lives with a member for free in exchange for cleaning and keeping up his house

Ol’ lady - A woman considered property of a club member, similar to wife or girlfriend

Scratch - Money

OG - Old Guard - The older DAMC members

Backpack - Passenger on the back of a motorcycle

DAMC - Dirty Angels MC (Angels)

BFMC - Blood Fury MC (Fury)

BAMC - Blue Avengers MC

DKMC - Dark Knights MC (Knights)

AFMC - Angels of Fury MC

The DAMC Family Lineage

You can download this list from my website here: https://jeannestjamesauthor.com/products/damc-lineage

THE JAMISONS:

Zeke (Trouble) & Zane Jamison (Chill) – Zak Jamison & Sophie’s sons

Hudson (Wheels) & Sawyer Stone (Jigsaw) – Slade Stone & Diamond’s (formerly Jamison) sons

Adrianna & Gage Lincoln – Andrew Lincoln (Linc) & Jayde’s (formerly Jamison) daughter & son

Liam & Laney Jamison – Axel Jamison (Blue Avengers MC) & Bella’s (formerly Dougherty) twin son & daughter

Alexis (Lexi) & Avery Jamison – Jag Jamison & Ivy’s (formerly Dougherty) daughters

THE DOUGHERTYS: (pronounced dock-erty)

Violet, Indigo, & Scarlet Dougherty – Diesel Dougherty & Jewel’s (formerly Jamison) daughters

Ashton (Rage) Dougherty – Hawk Dougherty & Kiki’s son

Patrick (Trick) Dougherty – Dex Dougherty & Brooke’s son

Chance (Ghost) & Boone Ryder – Ryder (Shadow) & Kelsea’s (formerly Dougherty) sons

OTHERS:

Cait Moore, Lily & Emmalee Tate – Dawg & Emma’s daughters

Phoenix (Nix) & Lyric Alexander– Crow & Jazz’s son & daughter

Asia & Caleb Moore – Magnum (Dark Knights MC) & Cait’s daughter & son

Beck & Brielle Cross-Nash - Nash & Cross’s adopted twin son & daughter

Jacob (JJ/Jagoff/Joker) & Gabrielle (Gabi) McKay - Crash & Liz’s son & adopted daughter

Jordyn & Sydney Briggs – Brick (Shadow) & Londyn’s twins

Piper Sterling – Steel (Shadow) & Kat’s daughter

Tyler & Taylor Walker – Walker (Shadow) & Ellie’s son & daughter

Leo (Grim), Cruz & Dakota Delgado - Hunter (Shadow) & Frankie’s sons & daughter

Grizz & Mama Bear - deceased – Jazz’s grandparents

Ace Dougherty - deceased – married to Janice (deceased) - Hawk & Diesel’s father

Allie Dougherty – deceased - Ivy, Dex & Bella’s mother, Ace’s & Annie’s sister

Annie Dougherty – deceased – Kelsea’s mother

“Doc” Dougherty – deceased - DAMC Founder – Ace, Allie & Annie’s father

Rocky Jamison – deceased - married to Ruby (deceased) – Jewel, Diamond & Jag’s father

Bear Jamison – deceased - DAMC Founder – Mitch & Rocky’s father

Mitch Jamison – deceased - married to April - Zak, Axel & Jayde’s father

Next Gen Character List

Note: This list will be updated after each book in the series

CLUB OFFICERS:

President - Trouble - Zeke Jamison

Vice President - Chill - Zane Jamison – Co-manager at Shadow Valley Pawn

Sgt at Arms/Enforcer - Rage – Ashton Dougherty – Manager at Heaven’s Angels Gentlemen’s club

Treasurer - Cruz Delgado – Works at Shadow Valley Gun Shop & Range

Secretary – Chaos - Beck Cross-Nash – Works at The Iron Horse Roadhouse

Road Captain - Wheels - Hudson Stone – Works at Shadow Valley Body Shop & Towing

OTHER CLUB MEMBERS:

Nix – Phoenix Alexander – Future Manager at Green Leaf Wellness

Trick – Patrick Dougherty – Future employee at Green Leaf Wellness

Gage - Gage Lincoln – Asst Manager at Green Leaf Wellness

Jigsaw – Sawyer Stone – Works at Shadow Valley Fitness

Hook – Carver Hanson - Tow truck driver at Shadow Valley Body Shop & Towing

Lucky – Van Carson - Bartender at The Iron Horse Roadhouse

Irish – Tiernan Cahill – Works at Shadow Valley Gun Shop & Range

Iceman (Ice) – Flynn Wheeler – Works at Shadow Valley Gun Shop & Range

Havoc – Xavier Flores – Future employee at Green Leaf Wellness

Grim – Leo Delgado – Shadow - Former Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Specialist

Ghost – Chance Ryder – Shadow

Reaper – Clay Wyatt – Shadow - Former Marine Recon Sniper

T-Bone – Tyler (Ty) Walker - Shadow

Jagoff - Jacob McKay Jr. (JJ) – Prospect – Works at The Iron Horse Roadhouse

Tick – Prospect – Works at The Iron Horse Roadhouse

Shrek – Prospect - Works at The Iron Horse Roadhouse

Gerbil – Prospect – Works at Heaven’s Angels

Pugsy – Prospect – Works at Heaven’s Angels

CURRENT OG MEMBERS:

Zak – Zakery Jamison

Hawk Dougherty

Diesel Dougherty

Jag – Mick Jagger Jamison

Slade Stone – Manager at Shadow Valley Fitness

Dawg – Dawson Tate – Manager at Shadow Valley Gun Shop & Range

Dex – Dexter Dougherty

Linc – Andrew Lincoln – Asst. manager at The Iron Horse Roadhouse

Crow Alexander

Crash – Jacob McKay Sr. – Manager at Shadow Valley Body Shop & Towing

Nash – Graham Nash - Member of the band Dirty Deeds

Rig

Coop – Manager at The Iron Horse Roadhouse

Rooster – Works at Heaven’s Angels Gentlemen’s Club

Jester – Works at The Iron Horse Roadhouse

Olly – Works at Shadow Valley Body Shop & Towing

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >94

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Dull – Doormat Read Online Sam Crescent http://www.wownovels.com/dull-doormat-read-online-sam-crescent Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:31:06 +0000 https://www.wownovels.com/dull-doormat-read-online-sam-crescent Genre: Alpha Male, Biker, Contemporary, Mafia, MC Authors: Sam Crescent Advertisement

Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >35

Boring. Predictable. Invisible.

That's how Clarissa has always seen herself.

She was never meant to marry Lorenzo Vitale. The arranged marriage was supposed to be her sister's—until a gang attack left her sister dead and Clarissa standing at the altar instead.

Crushed by grief, Clarissa buries herself in hobbies and routine, keeping everyone at a distance... especially her husband. She doesn't know how to be a wife, and trusting Lorenzo feels impossible.

Losing her almost changes everything.

Determined to earn her trust, Lorenzo vows to become the husband she deserves. But when Clarissa remembers one small detail from the day her sister died, he realizes the attack wasn't as random as everyone believed.

If Clarissa was the real target, then someone has been lying.

As buried secrets come to light, Lorenzo must decide how far he'll go to protect the woman he loves... and whether their marriage can survive the truth

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

Chapter One

“Old and dull.”

“Stiff as a board.”

“She’s the backup plan”.

“We planned for this.”

Clarissa sat in her sewing room and stared at the start of Lorenzo’s present she had not touched since the night of that fateful party. She got to learn how he really felt about her, and it had been an eye-opening experience.

She knew her husband wouldn’t have any feelings for her. They were not meant to marry. Life had a horrible way of crapping on everything. Her beautiful, smart, loving, amazing sister was supposed to marry Lorenzo Vitale. Not her. But that had gone horribly wrong.

“You can’t die. Don’t die.”

“I love you, Mouse. You got this. It’s on you now to make the family proud.”

Clarissa kept looking at the suit.

Her sister had been blonde, beautiful, slender. Everything came natural to her. She was only fifteen, but Clarissa saw what a light she was. For ten years, Clarissa was the mistake, the daughter their parents wished they didn’t have. She put her hands on her knees and turned to look at her sewing machine.

“No one wants me, Grandma.”

“Hush, child, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m not pretty enough. I’m not good enough.”

She reached up and touched her face as the memory of her grandmother cupping her face came back into her mind. It had been so long ago, but it felt as if it was right now.

“You’re a beautiful girl, Clarissa. Do not compare yourself to your sister. You have so much to offer.”

What did she have to offer, really? Her husband found her boring and dull.

Getting to her feet, she stepped out of the room and made her way down the small corridor, but she didn’t go to the kitchen. Instead, she went outside, into the cold autumnal air.

Halloween was once again fast approaching. It had been a year since all of this had happened. She couldn’t quite believe a year had passed since she overheard her husband’s true thoughts about her. There was no way it could be lies, could it?

Although, her three friends went through similar experiences. Liana was called a doormat. Mia was childish. Tatiana’s husband had a mistress because she was boring in bed. As for herself, she was boring, dull, and stiff in the bedroom.

She wrapped her arms around herself and stared out into the night sky, hoping for anything. A sign. Some peace. This pain was too much for her to bear. Liana and Mia had been able to move on and forgive their husbands. According to both her friends, the men had lied. Clarissa didn’t believe Lorenzo had lied. She believed he’d been telling the truth.

There was nowhere for her to go. Her parents claimed they would be there for her, but the truth was, this marriage was nothing more than a business deal. It had been agreed between her and Lorenzo’s family when her sister was fifteen years old. In fact, the night before she died, this engagement had begun. Clarissa had been ten. And he had to wait ten years for her to be of age for this marriage to take place. A business deal.

She took a deep breath, aware of the guards that were always ordered to give her space and keep patrolling the grounds. There had been an attack within the past year, but Lorenzo had saved them both.

She looked up to the sky. She missed her grandparents. They were the only ones who understood her. Clarissa held her dying sister in her arms, trying to stop the blood, but it had soaked through her hands. For a long time, she couldn’t speak, could barely move. She remembered her father wanted to have her committed, and if it weren’t for her grandparents, he would have done so.

Sewing and other crafts distracted her. She no longer went out to school but was homeschooled. For six years after her sister’s death, she lived with her grandparents. The only reason she went back to her parents was because her grandparents got sick and then passed as well. Her grandmother always told her to be happy, to love her sewing, and to just take the time to enjoy life. She had tried.

She thought she might enjoy being married, until that night she heard her husband say those horrible words about her to his friends.

“You shouldn’t be out there,” Lorenzo said, surprising her as he stepped out into the cold. He was in the process of removing his jacket and as he moved toward her, she pulled back, not wanting him to touch her.

“Clarissa, you’re going to make yourself ill,” he said.

“I’m fine.”

She couldn’t feel her arms, and she looked toward Lorenzo. It had been hard to marry him. She didn’t know if her sister had any real feelings for him, but it felt like a betrayal.

“I’m just offering you my jacket,” he said. “You’re going to get sick.”

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >35

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Duplicitous (Deceit #1) Read Online Julia Sykes http://www.wownovels.com/duplicitous-deceit-1-read-online-julia-sykes Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:31:04 +0000 https://www.wownovels.com/duplicitous-deceit-1-read-online-julia-sykes Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Dark, Erotic Authors: Julia Sykes Series: Deceit Series by Julia Sykes
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Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 60904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >61

I've watched her. Waited for her. Protected her from the shadows.

I've been obsessed with Karolina for years, but she has no idea that I've been stalking her every move.

Any man who dared to try to touch what's mine is dead.

Now, I've finally become the man she'll want, not the monster I've hidden from her.

She only knows me as "Bones", her online masked man.

But it's time for the mask to come off, even if I can never reveal who I really am.

I'll insert myself into her life as her new professor, and she'll finally be mine in every way.

I crave to torment and cherish her.

If she ever tries to run away, there's nowhere on Earth she can hide from me.

Because I know her darkest, most depraved secret: Karolina wants to be hunted

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

1

KAROLINA

Ashadowy form stalks me through the moonlit woods.

I hold my head high, treading carefully so that I won’t trip over fallen branches in the darkness.

He likes scaring me, and I won’t give him the satisfaction of showing fear.

Not yet.

By the time the trees thin and I near the clearing, my pulse is thrumming through my veins. My feet itch with the urge to run from the perceived threat, but I’m not ready to surrender to our twisted game.

I know this is wrong. Perverse.

But I’ve never felt more alive than I do when Brandon chases me. I’ve never felt freer than I do when he captures me in his arms and tackles me to the damp earth.

At the house, our lives are strictly controlled, our emotions cruelly suppressed.

But out here in the woods, we can let the wildest parts of ourselves overtake reason and decorum.

In our stolen moments when Brandon claims a savage kiss, I don’t care that he’s my foster brother.

I step into the clearing, and my eyes take a few seconds to adjust to the wash of moonlight. Animal instincts start to take hold, and the intrinsic sense that I’m prey makes my heart flutter.

I clench my fists to hide the way my hands are shaking and turn to face him.

My stomach drops when Carter, my worst bully, emerges from the trees.

“What are you doing here?” I try to issue a demand, but my voice is too high and thin.

A sick smirk twists his blandly handsome features. “I knew I’d find you out here. You’re breaking curfew. I should tell Shirley.”

I take a step back, physically recoiling at the prospect that our cruel foster mother will punish me for my infraction.

“No, you won’t,” I hiss with more bravado than I feel. “You’re out after curfew too.”

His smirk tilts into a sadistic smile. “Maybe she’ll drown you for real this time.”

My throat constricts, and for a moment, my head is submerged in icy water, my foster mom’s fingernails digging into the back of my skull.

I narrow my eyes. “And what do you think Charlie will do to you if he finds out?”

Our foster dad is as quick and vicious with his fists as Shirley is with her cane.

Carter’s sick smile doesn’t waver. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”

He closes in, and I back away, edging towards the woods.

“Where’s Brandon?” I demand, my eyes searching the shadows frantically for salvation.

Carter’s low laugh coats my pebbled skin like toxic sludge. “Who do you think told me I would find you here? You love being chased down and fucked, don’t you? I thought you were a stuck-up prude.” His grin widens. “But you’re just a filthy little slut.”

“He wouldn’t.” I barely force the words out in an agonized wheeze.

My heart twists, threatening to tear asunder.

Carter spreads his arms, gesturing at the empty clearing—where I’m utterly alone with him.

“Brandon isn’t coming tonight,” he taunts. “You get to suck my cock instead.”

Nausea surges. “I won’t. Stay away from me.”

Even though I’ve engaged in Brandon’s deviant games, we’ve never been together like that. He kisses me with harsh passion and touches me with possessive hands, but he looks at me with reverence, like I’m his own personal miracle.

The quiet, brooding boy who used to glower at me has become my closest confidante, my safe haven in the hell that is our home.

“It’s my turn,” Carter says, moonlight flashing on his dark brown eyes in a mocking glimmer. “Do you think he cares about you? As though Brandon Harcourt has ever given a fuck about anyone.” He barks a laugh. “You really did think you were special, didn’t you?”

“Don’t come any closer,” I warn, my hands curling to fists.

But despite my show of aggression, my heart cracks open in a painful rift.

I’ve been such an idiot. Brandon barely looks at me when we’re at home. And what have we really shared out here in the woods other than stolen kisses and harsh caresses?

I thought he cared.

But I was just deluding myself because I couldn’t bear for my love to be unrequited.

I’ve been alone since my parents died, and I’ve been acting like a foolish girl clinging to scraps of affection.

“This will be our little secret,” Carter drawls. “Well, ours and Brandon’s. Maybe next time, I’ll let him watch. He seems happy to share you.”

Carter takes a single, prowling step toward me. I unstick my feet from the grass, spin on my heel, and sprint into the woods.

His delighted laugh follows me, weaving through the trees to clutch at me—icy claws raking down the back of my neck.

My breath saws in and out of my throat, lungs burning. Fallen leaves and twigs crunch beneath Carter’s shoes behind me, far too close.

A scream tears from me.

“Karolina!” Brandon’s distant bellow draws a sob from my chest.

They’re both hunting me. The boy I love betrayed me.

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