New Adult – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read

New Adult – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.wownovels.com Sat, 28 Feb 2026 17:33:37 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 http://www.wownovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png New Adult – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.wownovels.com 32 32 Quiet Ones (Hellbent #3) Read Online Penelope Douglas http://www.wownovels.com/quiet-ones-hellbent-3-read-online-penelope-douglas Sat, 28 Feb 2026 17:33:37 +0000 http://www.wownovels.com/quiet-ones-hellbent-3-read-online-penelope-douglas Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Dark, New Adult Authors: Penelope Douglas Series: Hellbent Series by Penelope Douglas
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Total pages in book: 180
Estimated words: 176012 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 880(@200wpm)___ 704(@250wpm)___ 587(@300wpm)

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The third installment in the Hellbent series is coming Feb. 24, 2026!

Quinn
I’ve always had too many men in my life. My overbearing father. My domineering older brothers. My invasive nephews. The Trents and Caruthers run this town, and although I’ve never given them a reason to worry, they treat me like I’m made of glass.

They’re wrong, though. At twenty-one, I finished college in record time, I own my own business, I pay taxes, I don’t party, and I’ve never broken a law.

But I have one secret: I raced to grow up in case he ever came back home.

Lucas Morrow grew up with my brothers and my family, but he left when I was thirteen. I’ve waited to see him again, making sure everything is perfect.

But I’ve realized I’m waiting my life away. It’s time to move on. Maybe get my own place.

And I think I’m going to make some new friends, too.

It’s summer. Cookouts, Fourth of July, the Night Ride… I want freedom.

I mean, I am my brothers’ sister. Did they really think the apple fell that far?

Lucas
She thinks her family are the only men watching her. So innocent.

And I want to keep her that way. Even though I’m twelve years older, we were always the odd ones out around her family. She gravitated to me, and I always made sure she wasn’t alone. When I left, I told myself she’d be fine without me. They all would.

But really, it was just an excuse to escape the guilt.

I only meant to come back for a few days, but I never entertained the thought that she’d grown up. Her brothers are distracted, and one bad decision after another is circling her.

A motocross racer who can’t stop whispering in her ear.

A criminal from across the tracks who can’t stop looking.

Old ghosts.

And old enemies.

She doesn't want a babysitter anymore, and if she ever finds out why I left town, she'll know why I'm not the best role model.

But I'm still the older one.

And she still needs supervision.

*Quiet Ones is suitable for readers 18+ and should be read after Falls Boys and Pirate Girls

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

“Was it a threat, or a well-meant warning?”

― Carolyn Keene, The Secret of Shadow Ranch

Quinn

Nine Years Ago

“We don’t have to find you, you know?” he calls out.

I step from one rafter to the other, and then kneel down and peek through the slits in the ceiling beneath me. My niece and nephews are below, searching the great room of the main lodge of our family’s summer camp. At only ten—a couple of years younger than me—I don’t think they know that the ceiling above them is false, the rafters I stand on hidden away up here by the previous owners decades ago to conserve heat.

I’m so close to them and they can’t even see me.

“If we turn off the lights,” Kade goes on. “You’ll come to us!”

I drew the short straw, so I have to hide. If they find me, then I’m the one who has to steal the keys to the ATVs for a no-parents’ midnight ride this weekend.

I really don’t want to steal anything. I’m not good at breaking rules.

“Quinnnn…” Hawke sings in a calm tone, and I watch him look from left to right like a cyborg scanning for heat signatures. “I know you can hear me, and I don’t have to shout. Where are you?

I smile. Hawke is actually only a year younger than me, and I don’t usually stump him.

I never really felt like the oldest out of the kids. I’m still wondering where I fit. My older brothers are their parents, and since the age gap between my brothers and me is more than twenty years, they act more like my parents too. Their kids grew up more like my cousins, but not in the same way that they’re cousins with each other. I never understood why it felt different, but I just knew that someday it would be.

Maybe I liked that I’d be treated more like an aunt to them when we grew up. Or maybe I didn’t. All I knew was that something separated them and me, and it was more pronounced when we were all together like this, because that’s when I noticed the couples. How everyone broke into a natural pair. Dylan and Hunter. Kade and Hawke.

The babies, A.J. and James, would also grow up together.

They didn’t exclude me. But none of them gravitated to me like they did to each other.

Even the adults were all in pairs.

“Quinn!” Dylan yells, searching underneath lunch tables, dressed in her Chucks and hoodie.

Kade’s twin, Hunter, follows her. Always within reach of each other. “Quinnie!” he calls.

“Quinnie-bean!” I hear Kade tease from farther away.

I hate those names. I should tell them, but everyone teases each other in this family, and I don’t want to make it awkward.

Hawke stalks slowly, out of view, and I plant my hands on the rafter under me, pushing myself up. I leap from one beam to another, following their voices in the faint light streaming up from below.

It’s a little dark up here, but it was the only hiding place I suspected they didn’t know about.

They trail through the lodge, and I don’t peer down to see which rooms they search. The kitchen, the pantry, the offices…

Taking out my compass, I flip the lid, finding north. I turn to where the needle points, knowing the lake is ahead of me—out of the lodge, across the lawn, and to the beach. Then I pivot to the left, knowing the way out is that way.

“We’re coming for you, Quinn!” Hunter threatens.

Followed by Kade, “I just hope we find you before sheee does.”

She…

I glance over one shoulder, then the other, looking above me and all around.

Undergrove.

That’s what they call her. The spirit who lives on the tiny island in the middle of the lake. A summer camp urban legend. I scan the far recesses of the dark corners, the walls of the attic disappearing into a black void. She could be there.

But I shake it off and kneel back down. He’s just trying to scare me out of hiding. I don’t believe in ghosts.

And I don’t know why I’m even playing hide-and-seek. I don’t want to steal the ATVs for a secret ride in the woods, either. One of the many other things about me that made it feel like I never really fit in with my family. They all love to drive things. Especially the adults. Cars, motorcycles, drones, boats, side-by-sides…

Lowering myself, I peer through a small hole in the ceiling.

They all love speed, and they’re all in pairs.

My brothers and their wives…

My parents…

“Can I help you?” I hear my mom through the peephole.

I watch her pick up the other end of a table, helping my brother’s mom—my dad’s first wife—clear the room. The whole family is gathered this weekend to help my brother Jax and his wife, Juliet, clear and clean the lodge and cabins for renovations that’ll happen over the fall and winter, before next summer’s campers arrive.

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The Fifteen-Minute Rule (Dickson University #3) Read Online Max Monroe http://www.wownovels.com/the-fifteen-minute-rule-dickson-university-3-read-online-max-monroe Thu, 26 Feb 2026 08:20:50 +0000 http://www.wownovels.com/the-fifteen-minute-rule-dickson-university-3-read-online-max-monroe Genre: Alpha Male, College, Contemporary, Funny, New Adult Authors: Max Monroe Series: Dickson University Series by Max Monroe
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Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 133655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)

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Dickson University’s reigning social king can get any girl on campus to fall for him…except the one he’s been silently falling for his whole life.

Campus legend. Life of the party. The guy everyone wants to know.
That’s me—Ace Kelly.

But the one person who truly knows me? Julia Brooks.
My best friend since we were kids.
Julia’s the kind of girl everyone loves. Sweet, painfully beautiful, and steady, she’s always been my constant.

Somewhere between childhood and college at Dickson University, I fell for her. Hard. And I’ve been running an incognito mission ever since.

Operation: Make Julia fall in love with me...without ruining the friendship.

Flawless plan, right? Wrong.
One catastrophically stupid moment—fine, several—might’ve blown everything apart.

We’ve always had our fifteen-minute rule: get mad, shout, hate each other all we want, but when the time is up, we're back to best buddies.

But this time, fifteen minutes might not be enough.

Not when Julia’s trust and our entire lifetime of “us” is suddenly on the line.

I’m in love with my best friend.
And come hell or high water, I’m not giving up my girl without a fight

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

Julia

Sometimes, Ace Kelly is the most annoying best friend in the whole wide world.

I don’t care if he gave me the last purple popsicle yesterday or told everyone at school that I’m the bravest girl in the second grade because I touched a worm on the playground. None of that matters right now because I am so mad at him. He just made his stupid Hulk action figure rip the hair out of my favorite Barbie’s head.

“She didn’t even do anything!” I yell, holding my partially hairless Barbie up in the air. “She was trying to do some yoga, Ace!”

“I’m sorry, Lia!” Ace exclaims. “But the Hulk gets mad sometimes! He can’t help it!”

“Well, the Hulk has anger issues,” I snap, scooting to the edge of the rug in his bedroom and turning my back to him. “And so do you. I’m mad at you, Ace Kelly. Really, really mad.”

Instantly, he goes quiet because he knows the only thing he can do when I’m upset with him is to wait it out.

We have a rule called the fifteen-minute rule. It’s not, like, a law or anything. We made it up. But between us, it’s nonnegotiable.

Ace wanted to choose sixty-nine minutes because he says his dad tells his mom he likes that number all the time, but I told Ace that sixty-nine minutes is a really long time. Like, I’m pretty sure that’s more than a whole hour, which is, like, forever long.

I guess we could’ve chosen the five-minute rule or ten-minute rule, but we both think fifteen is a cool number, so it won two to nothing when we took a vote. Now, we’re not allowed to stay mad at each other for longer than fifteen minutes, and it all started over my sidewalk chalk drawing last summer.

Ace added a gross stream of boogers and snot to the pretty girl I drew on my parents’ driveway, ruining all my hard work. One minute, she had beautiful long purple hair and big pink eyes and a yellow dress, and the next, she had a face covered in green slime because boys are gross.

The only problem with our rule is that Ace isn’t very good at telling time yet, so I’m the one who always has to say when the fifteen minutes are up.

“Is it time yet?” Ace asks, scooting a little closer to me.

See?

I huff out a breath, but I don’t answer him, concentrating on brushing my Barbie’s blond hair in a way that will hide her new bald spot instead.

“Lia?” he tries again, quieter this time. “Has it been fifteen minutes?”

I sigh and glance down at my pink Hello Kitty watch. Only three minutes have passed, but when I look up, Ace is sitting there with big brown sorry eyes. He’s not even playing with his action figures anymore, and his resemblance to Puss in Boots is growing by the second.

I cross my arms tighter and look away, determined to hold out until the time runs out or my Barbie grows her hair back—whichever is shorter—but when I glance back at Ace again, he looks even more pitiful. I crumble.

“Yeah,” I lie. “It’s been fifteen minutes.”

“Really?” he perks up.

I nod. “I forgive you.”

“Thank goodness, Lia. Fifteen minutes is so freaking long.” His face breaks into a giant smile as he scoots right next to me again. “Wanna play action figures?”

“No,” I say and quickly move my Barbie away from his angry Hulk and rise to my feet. “Thanks. You can play action figures. I’m going to play dress-up.”

“You can borrow my Batman costume,” he offers. “It’s in my closet.”

That might not seem like a big deal, but that Batman costume is Ace’s favorite. He never lets his little brother Gunnar wear it. And one time, Ace had Kyle Collins over at his house to play with us and Kyle wanted to wear his Batman costume so bad, but Ace said no.

It’s basically an honor. It’s also one of the reasons why Ace Kelly is my best friend. He’s always doing nice things for me that he would never do for anyone else.

I rummage through his closet, but instead of a superhero costume, I snag one of Ace’s favorite T-shirts.

With the white fabric draped over the back of my head, I swing side to side in front of the mirror on his door and imagine myself in a big, fancy church with a handsome groom standing across from me. I’m more grown, of course, like a full-fledged woman with boobs like my mom’s and lipstick and eye shadow and all the makeup my dad tells me I’m not allowed to wear.

I also have a big smile on my face because it’s the happiest day of my life.

I don’t know why wedding days are so happy for girls, but I’ve seen enough movies to know it’s supposed to be the happiest.

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Love to Hate You Read Online Jennifer Sucevic http://www.wownovels.com/love-to-hate-you-read-online-jennifer-sucevic Thu, 25 Dec 2025 22:04:09 +0000 http://www.wownovels.com/love-to-hate-you-read-online-jennifer-sucevic Genre: Alpha Male, College, Contemporary, New Adult, Sports Authors: Jennifer Sucevic Series: Series by Jennifer Sucevic
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Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 99313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)

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Fake dating the campus player never felt so good.Brody McKinnon is Whitmore University's star defenseman destined for NHL greatness. He made a name for himself playing juniors before gracing us with his esteemed presence. As much as it pains me to admit it, he’s exploded at the college level.While other girls fall all over themselves trying to gain his attention, I do my best to steer clear just as I would a particularly nasty case of crabs.For reasons I can't fathom, Brody takes great pleasure in messing with me. And I, in return, enjoy slicing him to ribbons with my razor-sharp tongue. You'd think after three years, he'd learn to keep his distance. No such luck.Unfortunately for me, I’m about to experience the worst week of my life. It starts with my ex announcing at a party that I’m a lousy lay. He’s the hockey-playing jerk I dated last year who left a bad taste in my mouth (*eyeroll* seriously…get your mind out of the gutter).Want to guess who rides in on his trusty white steed to rescue me? Or should I say, opens his big mouth? Yup, you guessed it. Brody freaking McKinnon, the guy I love to hate. He only makes matters worse by telling everyone that we’re together and then punching Reed in the face.The first…I plan on strangling him for.The second…I’m only sorry I didn’t get to Reed first.Now I’m stuck fake-dating Brody, the one guy who makes me feel like a rabid dog on a choke chain, for the foreseeable future. I guarantee we won’t last more than seventy-two hours without me killing him

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

1

DAISY

Logan brushes a stray lock of hair away from my face.

“I had fun tonight,” he says.

His husky voice sends a shiver of desire careening down my spine. I love that feeling. The one you get when you’re out with someone new, and you’re really clicking. And you think, Yeah, this could actually go somewhere.

That’s exactly what I’m feeling right now. That little voice inside my head is screaming, Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner.

“Me, too,” I murmur before shoving the key into the lock of the apartment door.

This is going to sound corny as hell, but time stands still as we gaze into each other’s eyes. Have I mentioned that Logan has the dreamiest eyes? They’re deep and soulful. I can practically feel myself getting lost in them.

His eyes were the first thing I noticed.

The second?

That he’s cute.

Cute boys have always been a weakness of mine. He’s handsome in a frat boy kind of way, with perfectly styled blond hair and an athletic build that’s not overly muscular. I’m a sucker for that look. It should not, however, be confused with the douchey frat boy look.

There’s a fine line between the two.

It takes a bit of effort for me to tamp down my rising excitement. The last thing I want to do is jump the gun. This is only the third time we’ve hung out together, but so far, it looks extremely promising. Even better than that, it feels like we’re both on the same page.

I like him, and he seems to return the interest.

My fingers are crossed that my roommates have vacated the premises for the evening. If I were a betting woman, I’d say the odds were in my favor. After all, it’s almost ten o’clock on a Friday night. Everyone with a social life at BU knows that’s prime party time.

That’s the only reason I chanced it and invited Logan up. I want to spend time alone with him, so we can get to know each other better. Since he lives at the Pi Kappa house, the idea of going over to his place was immediately nixed. I may be a lot of things, but stupid isn’t one of them.

For the time being, it’s my place or making out in his Ford Escape. And since I only live a few blocks from campus, police patrol the area on a regular basis. The last thing I need is a ticket for public indecency.

Ummm, no thank you.

I open the door and almost pump my fist at the silence that greets us. But I refrain, wanting to play it cool. Instead, I turn to Logan with an overly bright smile and he grins in response.

See? We are on the same page.

I flick on the hallway light and point toward the living area. “Make yourself comfortable. Do you want something to drink?” I head to the kitchen which is separated from the living area by a breakfast bar with three stools tucked under the faux granite counter.

“Sure, whatever you have is fine.” Rather adorably, he shoves his hands into the pockets of his khakis and surveys the apartment.

I can’t help but stop and take him in. He really is cute. I’m tempted to do a little happy dance in the kitchen but I’m afraid he’ll catch me. I’ll have to content myself to a mental jig until later.

“This is a really nice place,” he says.

“Thanks. We just moved in a few weeks ago.”

Our apartment has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. I was lucky enough to snag the master bedroom, so I have a private bathroom all to myself. The living room has a small dining room connected to it. While the kitchen isn’t spacious, it’s open to the main living area, which makes it feel bigger. It’s perfect for the three of us.

I grab two bottles of water from the refrigerator and head back to where Logan has settled on the couch. He’s tall. Probably around six feet. His legs are stretched out in front of him. I hand over a plastic bottle and sit next to him. Close, but not too close.

He twists off the cap and takes a long swallow before leaning forward and setting it on the coffee table. Then he relaxes on the couch and throws an arm across the top of the cushions. His fingers brush against my shoulder, and his mouth lifts into a sexy smile.

Mine does the same as my gaze drops to his lips. We’ve kissed a few times and Logan is a good kisser.

I’m pretty sure that I’m giving him the green light to lean in and plant one on me again.

At least I hope I am.

Logan raises his other hand to my cheek as the arm around my shoulder pulls me toward him.

“You’re so pretty,” he murmurs, gradually moving in for the kill.

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The Hot Shot – Game On Read Online Kristen Callihan http://www.wownovels.com/the-hot-shot-game-on-read-online-kristen-callihan Sun, 07 Dec 2025 21:06:04 +0000 http://www.wownovels.com/the-hot-shot-game-on-read-online-kristen-callihan Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, New Adult, Sports Authors: Kristen Callihan Advertisement

Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 119964 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >125

First we were friends. Then we were roommates. Now I want more…

What can I say about Chess Copper? The woman is capable of bringing me to my knees. I know this about five minutes after getting naked for her.

No one is more surprised than me. The prickly photographer my team hired to shoot our annual charity calendar isn’t my usual type. She’s defense to my offense, a challenge at every turn. But when I’m with her, all the regrets and darkness goes away. She makes life fun.

I want to know Chess, be close to her. Which is a bad idea.

Chess is looking for a relationship. I’ve never given a woman more than one night. But when fate leaves Chess without a home, I step up and offer her mine. We’re roommates now. Friends without benefits. But it’s getting harder to keep our hands off each other. And the longer we live together the more I realize she’s becoming my everything.

Trick is… Now that I’ve made her believe I’m a bad bet, how do I convince her to give this player a true shot at forever?

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

One

Chess

When the promise of spending hours in the presence of hot, fit, and famous naked men fails to excite me, it’s time to concede that I’ve hit a new level of apathy.

Last year, I’d been in a similar situation—all the naked men, so much hotness to immortalize in pictures—and I practically jumped out of my skin with anticipation. Much like my friend James is right now.

“I think you’re going to have to give me a ‘bitch, be cool’ lecture,” James says as he slowly blows a tendril of smoke into the air.

Curled up on a rattan love seat on the opposite side of my balcony so I don’t get a face full of his cigarette smoke, I can’t help but laugh. “Why is that?”

James, resplendent in a lime-green suit, complete with acid yellow bow tie, rolls his eyes. “Don’t be coy, Chess. It isn’t a good look on you.”

I’m mildly interested in knowing what “coy” looks like on me, but I don’t bite; I know perfectly well why James is freaking out. It’s cute, though he’d hate it if I told him so.

Instead, I shrug and flick a dead fern leaf off the seat cushion. “You’re seriously this excited because we’re going to photograph a bunch of naked football players?” I shake my head, as if I’m completely clueless. “We work with some of the most beautiful people in the world. The body is nothing more than shapes and shadows to me at this point.”

Not that this will matter to James. The moment I’d told him we were doing a calendar shoot for New Orleans’s NFL team, that all the top players would be participating not only in a photoshoot but a nude one, James had gone into fanboy hissy-fit mode. For him, that usually means chain-smoking and talking nonstop.

At this point, James is so worked up, he doesn’t seem to notice that I’m leading him along. He snorts as he takes another drag, squinting at me through the smoke.

“Naked I can handle. Shit, I kept it together quite nicely when I had to stick rhinestones on Gianna’s breasts, with her nipples all but staring at me while I worked.”

“They were fantastic breasts,” I admit, remembering the stunning model and how James had turned beet red up to the roots of his auburn hair.

James is in charge of makeup and styling for our models. He’s a consummate professional, but he’s not immune. Some of the models, be they women or men, turn him on.

Unlike me; I’ve been so apathetic this past year, I’m fairly certain a guy could wave his dick in my face during a shoot and I wouldn’t respond. Professionalism aside, it’s not exactly a good thing. In truth, it’s a little worrisome.

Years of shitty dating experiences and not one glimmer of commitment have left me feeling defective and brittle. On the bright side, I have a job I love and a loft condo in New Orleans, my favorite city. My life is fulfilling and, frankly, just getting warmed up. Still, I can’t seem to escape these bouts of lethargy.

James, unaware of my inner turmoil, nods as if remembering Gianna, but then sighs. “Tits are nothing compared to this torment, Chess. We’re talking NFL players here. My home team.” He fans himself. “Jesus, I might actually blush, or fucking stammer, or something equally mortifying.”

“Ah, right.” As if I’d forgotten what an extreme football fan James is. During the season, he goes on about team records and playoff chances and who fucked up what play, or who is his complete hero because of one win, until I’m ready to tear my arm off just to hit him with it. “The struggle is real, eh?”

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Thrown for a Loop (New York Legends #1) Read Online Sarina Bowen http://www.wownovels.com/thrown-for-a-loop-new-york-legends-1-read-online-sarina-bowen Wed, 19 Nov 2025 18:28:02 +0000 http://www.wownovels.com/thrown-for-a-loop-new-york-legends-1-read-online-sarina-bowen Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, New Adult, Sports Authors: Sarina Bowen Series: New York Legends Series by Sarina Bowen
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Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 113072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >118

Fans suspect that the bad boy of hockey has a few skeletons in his closet. They have no idea he also has a sparkly bodysuit… #toepick!
When they met at figure skating camp ten years ago, Chase Merritt was a scrappy hockey player from the wrong part of town, and Zoe Carson was the up-and-coming ice princess. They fell in love faster than you can say triple toe loop, until Zoe makes a fateful error that ends up costing Chase dearly.

Almost a decade later, their fortunes are reversed. Chase is the MVP of the New York Legends hockey team, while Zoe—their new skating coach—has years’ worth of personal and professional bruises. It’s hard to face him again—all six feet and two hundred pounds of muscle and swagger.

And anger. Chase is in hot water with management, and refusing to work with Coach Zoe no matter how badly he needs to shore up his stride—and his image. Until a journalist digs up an old video of Zoe and Chase performing a skating program, and the internet goes wild.

Management seizes on the opportunity for a P.R. redemption, ordering Zoe and Chase to reprise their flashy routine.

Skating with him again—to a love song, of course—is pure agony. But it’s also Zoe’s only chance to unpack the truth of what really happened that night ten years ago. And to at least find forgiveness, if she can’t win back his heart

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

Chapter 1

January

Nerves of steel.” That’s how an NBC commentator once described me during my Olympic-medal performance. And Sports Illustrated captioned my photo with “Grace under pressure.”

If they could see me now, they’d file a retraction. My palms are sweaty as I cross the gleaming marble atrium of the New York Legends hockey team headquarters.

In theory, this is a dream come true. In reality, I just moved to the most expensive city on the East Coast for a part-time job offered to me only after the previous two candidates fell through. But I’ve always been impulsive.

So here I stand, my heart rabbity inside my chest. “Good afternoon,” I greet the security guard, an older white man with a handlebar mustache. “My name is—”

“Zoe Carson!” chirps a female voice. I glance past the security turnstiles to see a young woman scampering down the escalator in my direction. She’s a smartly dressed redhead with a quick smile. “I have your employee ID.” She practically skids to a stop on the other side of the turnstile. Then she waves a card over the sensor. The light turns green and the gates slide open for me. “You’re in!”

“Wow, thanks,” I say, nodding a silent thank-you to the guard and then walking through to the other side of the security barrier.

“You’re welcome!” She beams. At least one person is happy to see me. “I’m Darcy Kendrick, Nolan Sharp’s assistant.”

I’m sorry is the first response that pops into my head. Sharp is my new boss, the same man who’s responsible for half the anxiety that’s sloshing through my bloodstream.

The other half, though, belongs to a certain hockey star who’s probably somewhere in the building.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I say, offering a hand to Darcy.

She gives it a quick pump, then hands over my ID. “Here you go. I put a lanyard and some swag in your locker. But first, let’s check out the main rink, and you can see the guys in action.” Darcy waves her ID in front of another scanner and opens a door to reveal a gleaming rink with bleacher seating.

I follow her inside like a puppy—if puppies were full of dread.

“We need you, Zoe,” Darcy says. “Our stats are shakier than they should be at mid-season. And the last skating coach bailed on us.”

“Why was that?” I hear myself ask.

“He moved to Sweden for better job security.” She shrugs. “I can’t imagine that his new team is better than this one, but I’m very biased. This team can win. We’re just in a slump.”

We walk right down to the plexiglass, where hockey players in blue and red practice jerseys whiz past. I turn a critical eye to their skating. One of the defensemen sends a shower of ice chips flying as he accelerates after his teammate. His stride is powerful, but I notice a shallowness in his crossovers that could cost him precious seconds in a game.

That’s why I’m here. The Legends are fifth place in their division, which isn’t great. But it’s only January. There’s still time to climb the ranks and secure a bid for the playoffs. If these men trust my coaching, I can make a difference.

The whistle blows. Another player suddenly skates close to the glass, and my heart leaps into my throat. When he lifts his gaze to the spot where we’re standing, I stop breathing.

But the skater isn’t anyone I’ve met, although he lifts a hand in a friendly wave, which Darcy returns.

“Now let’s get you upstairs,” she says, herding me out of the rink and onto one of the escalators that climb through the glittering atrium. As we rise, she points out two more practice rinks and other world-class facilities.

This job could be a godsend. So why do I feel so sweaty? Oh, right. The memory of a pair of ethereal blue eyes crosses my mind like a shadow, and my stomach tilts again.

That second coffee was definitely a mistake.

As we step onto the final escalator, I spy a cluster of men on the fourth floor, in the players’ lounge. Tall bodies. Broad shoulders.

Oh God. I’ve spent the whole day wondering what Chase Merritt will say when we finally come face-to-face. The team gave me every player’s contact information as soon as I took this job so that I could reach out to each of them and set up our first coaching session.

I spent hours writing and rewriting my first email to Chase. The first few drafts had begun Maybe you don’t remember me… But then I’d deleted that in favor of a breezier greeting.

At least I hope it was breezier. Writing a business email to the man who once broke your heart isn’t easy.

I still haven’t gotten a reply, in spite of checking my email approximately eleventy billion times. And now I’m so tense I could burst.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >118

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Bad at Love Read Online Karina Halle http://www.wownovels.com/bad-at-love-read-online-karina-halle Wed, 19 Nov 2025 18:27:46 +0000 http://www.wownovels.com/bad-at-love-read-online-karina-halle Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Erotic, Funny, New Adult Authors: Karina Halle Advertisement

Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 111165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >114

She's bad at love, but he's even worse...

Marina is hot, blonde, and wickedly smart, but when it comes to men? She's hopeless. Between her quirks and her lack of filter, there isn't a man in Los Angeles that will stick around after the third date.

Her handsome, charming friend Lazarus has the opposite problem. Everyone wants to be the sexy Brit's girlfriend, but he gets bored and moves on quickly.

There's only one way to figure out why neither of them has cracked this love thing-- they'll date each other. On paper, it's the perfect experiment. But in reality, things between Marina and Laz get complicated quickly.

They might be bad at love, but they are even worse at being friends.

Note: This full-length romance is a complete standalone with no relation to any other books and was inspired by the Halsey song "Bad at Love."
It does contain ample amounts of profanity, filthy language and graphic sex scenes.
Sensitive readers should be advised

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

PROLOGUE

MARINA

Four Years Ago

“Dream On”

“Tonight is going to suck,” Naomi grumbles.

I give her a withering glance but quicken the pace as we walk down Pico Boulevard toward The Joint where our friend Jane is playing tonight. We’re already running a bit late and her band, Magic 8 Ball, is first up. At a place like The Joint, they could have already started and finished their set by now. Or they might not go on for another few hours. It’s always up in the air.

Not that I’ve ever seen them perform live before, but I have spent many nights at The Joint during college weekends, drinking draft beer, watching bands, and vomiting outside. Ah, the good old days.

Which is probably why Naomi thinks it’s going to suck. We’re twenty-five now, not twenty-one, and what passed for good music when you’re wasted probably doesn’t when you’re (relatively) sober.

“It’s not going to suck,” I assure her. “It’ll be fun.”

She rolls her dark eyes. “Right. Fun. You know we don’t have that kind of fun anymore.”

“Always the grump,” I mumble under my breath.

“I can hear you,” she says.

“I know.” I sigh and check my phone again. We’re still a few blocks away. I wish I had my own car already instead of having to rely on the Los Angeles bus system. By the time we get to the venue, I’m going to be an even sweatier mess than usual. It may be October, but fall means nothing in LA. “This is about supporting Jane, just remember that.”

“What has Jane ever done for us?” she says. “The damn woman slept through last semester. If it hadn’t been for me stepping in and practically writing her papers for her, she would have flunked.”

“I don’t know? Professor McGill did have it pretty bad for her. I’m sure he would have given her a passing grade.”

Naomi giggles. We all studied at the University of California in Riverside together, and though our fields and interests are different, we had some classes overlap and everyone knew that the Professor loved Jane.

Jane, however gorgeous she is with her tall, lithe body, killer tattoos, and long pink hair and piercings, was never the type to indulge him. Never mind the fact that he was thirty years older than her, came up to her boobs, and smelled like ham.

Finally, we get to The Joint and the bouncer is already looking the two of us up and down as we try to get ahead of the small line of smokers outside.

We tried to dress up from our usual day uniform of jeans and a tank top. I upgraded to ripped jeans and a sequin tank top with a little extra eyeliner. Naomi has me beat, wearing faux-leather pants that make a farting sound when she walks. I don’t have the heart to tell her.

“We’re on the list,” I tell the angry-looking dude with the bald head and beard down to his knees, the prerequisite bouncer uniform for music venues. I’m willing to bet he has a tattoo on him somewhere that says Mom but I’m not willing to find out.

He continues to give us the once over. “Name?”

“Marina Owens and Naomi Harris.”

He squints at Naomi. “The actress?”

“No,” she says flatly. “It’s spelled differently.” As annoying as it is to have the same name as an actress, she actually looks like said actress. And both of them are extremely beautiful with their luminescent dark skin and bright eyes, my friend even more so when she displays her dazzling smile.

But Naomi keeps her grump face on so I have to turn on my grin for the bouncer. Which I hate to do. It makes me look like a kid. I have a lot of teeth.

“We’re guests of Jane. Magic 8 Ball.”

“Who?”

“The band that should be playing right about now?” There’s a dull crunchy rock sound coming from inside but it doesn’t sound like they’ve hit the stage yet. Thank god.

“Let’s go.” Naomi tugs at my shirt. “Jane’s on the drums. She’s not even going to notice if we came or not.”

“No, we came all this way, we can’t just bail,” I protest, but my words sound feeble. It would be so wrong to go back home but feel so right. My bed is calling me. Comfy socks. Fluffy robe. I could have a bath and light some candles and read. I know that I’m young and your mid-twenties is about getting out there and partying and meeting guys, but both Naomi and I have accelerated to old lady status really fast. We’re like the Golden Girls over at our apartment.

“Come on,” she says, and I’m about to turn around and follow her like the weak woman I am when a tall, dashing man steps out of the door, digging a cigarette out of his pocket.

Okay, I know I just described him as dashing but my mind is fumbling for the right words to convey what I’m seeing, and I’ve read far too many historical romances lately.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >114

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Keep Me Never – Boys of Avix Read Online Meagan Brandy http://www.wownovels.com/keep-me-never-boys-of-avix-read-online-meagan-brandy Wed, 19 Nov 2025 18:27:11 +0000 http://www.wownovels.com/keep-me-never-boys-of-avix-read-online-meagan-brandy Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, New Adult, Sports Authors: Meagan Brandy Advertisement

Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 128156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >133

The fourth interconnected standalone in the universe of TikTok sensation Say You Swear, from USA Today bestselling author Meagan Brandy. Full of angst, heat, and set against the background of college football, this series is perfect for fans of Chloe Walsh and Elle Kennedy.

On the outside, it looks like I've got it all together. I'm killing it on the football field, pushing harder than ever before and breaking league records.

But on the inside, I'm a mess, the pressure of the game too much, the betrayal from someone I trusted weighing me down with every breath.

I'm drowning and there's no one to pull me up.

Until her.

I tried to stay away, to keep my distance so I wouldn't ruin us both, but I was powerless against her.

She's everything I didn't know I wanted and more than I could ever deserve.

That right there is how I knew I couldn't keep her, but that didn't stop me from falling in love with her.

Just when I think maybe I'm becoming the man I want to be, my world comes crashing down around me, and I'm faced with a choice that has the power to break us both.

Suddenly, I'm right back where I started.

I'm the guy with nothing to give―and she's the girl who deserves the world

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

CHAPTER ONE

Paige

“It’s quite simple, really.”

I stare across the long wooden table at the man on the other end of it—because sitting twenty feet away from me makes sense when we’re “in a meeting”—and he’s looking at me like I’m an incompetent little lamb he has to dumb himself down to speak to. I’m not.

I was the valedictorian of my high school and I’m going to graduate from college at the end of this year with a perfect GPA. He should know this. After all, he ran a background check, paid someone somewhere for access to all my personal records, and that was before he even made himself known to me.

This man, he’s what people call old money. There hasn’t been a day in his life when he didn’t have more than a person could ever need in their lifetime. I know because, like him, as soon as I found out who he was, I did my own research.

Of course, mine consisted of social media stalking and a few dozen Google searches, but it was all right there in big, bold letters: Billionaire and CEO Grant Randolph V rumored to retire, but to whom will he leave his legacy?

That was the headline that came up the very first time I took to the internet in an attempt to learn a thing or two about the man who claimed he was my grandfather. The grandfather whom I had no idea existed until a little over a year ago.

I stare into his blue eyes—eyes that mirror my own down to the golden line curving around our pupils. I’d always known that I had my mother’s eyes. I guess I never thought deep enough to wonder where hers came from, but now I know.

It’s funny, when you have all you need in a parent, you never really stop to wonder what the other one might have brought to the table had they been there. Apparently, the answer is an obscene amount of money and unrealistic expectations.

What did he say? Oh yeah, he called this simple.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not so sure I agree.” I don’t agree. At all, but I have a feeling saying as much, and so directly, would be an error on my part. This man requires the sharpest of eggshells beneath your feet, and I learned that the very first day we met.

He looks at me with frustration, and maybe a little annoyance. “Which part of what I’m offering is confusing to you?”

“‘Confusing’ isn’t exactly the word I would use.”

“And what word would you use?”

“I don’t know…excessive?”

A low laugh comes from the man in the corner of the room, who has yet to introduce himself. For the first time, the man in the suit’s eyes lift from his laptop screen, locking with mine, and I hold my breath, unsure of what to expect to come out his mouth.

He’s…very handsome. Perfect teeth, chocolaty-brown hair, and bone structure even Cillian Murphy could appreciate. He smiles and it’s a little unnerving to have it pointed at me. Me in my leggings and baggy T-shirt and messy braid because Grant insisted I come here straight from my lesson at the local youth center.

“I think maybe the word you’re looking for is old-fashioned.” His lips curve higher as he glances toward my grandfather. “Isn’t that right, old man?”

“All right, fine.” Grant chuckles as he sits back in his seat, folding his fingers together and resting them on his stomach. “I’ll introduce you to my lovely granddaughter, whom you’ve been asking me about for weeks.”

“Weeks. Months. Who’s counting?” The man grins, closing his computer.

“You, apparently. Paige, meet Prescott. He’s the man of the hour around here. Keeps me in line among other things. Prescott, this is my lovely granddaughter, Paige.”

I wince, standing when he approaches with an outstretched hand. “Not so lovely at the moment, but Mr. Randolph⁠—”

“Paige,” Grant chastises.

My cheeks flush a little. “But my…grandfather insisted I come here straight from work.”

“As he did me.”

I laugh lightly, looking over his perfectly tailored, deep-mahogany three-piece suit. “Right.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Paige.” His brown eyes hold mine. “I look forward to you schooling your grandfather on his excessive ways.”

“Easy, son. If you give us a few minutes,” Grant tells Prescott, and without another look, he heads out of the room—a massive conference room in the cliffside coastal home he’s apparently just converted into a satellite office here in Oceanside, making this the second piece of real estate he’s purchased based on where I live, the first being a large home just nine miles from Avix University.

I’m not sure if I should be honored or concerned.

“Paige, sweetheart.” The way he says sweetheart is more condescending than a term of endearment. Not that he’s endeared to me.

I’m pretty sure I am a representation of his biggest aversions—artistic, lower class, single. It’s not his fault, really. We just come from different worlds.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >133

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Take Care Taylor – Sincerely Yours Read Online Whitney G http://www.wownovels.com/take-care-taylor-sincerely-yours-read-online-whitney-g Wed, 19 Nov 2025 18:26:53 +0000 http://www.wownovels.com/take-care-taylor-sincerely-yours-read-online-whitney-g Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Drama, New Adult Authors: Whitney G. Advertisement

Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 51243 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >50

From the bestselling author of 'Sincerely, Carter' comes a bullies-to-lovers romance...

I’m not “bullying” her.
I’m not being mean.
If only you knew what she did to me …

Audrey Parker has been my number one nemesis since seventh grade, but she’s somehow convinced everyone that I was the bully. (Please don’t believe any of her tears. She literally majored in Drama.)

She got me suspended for placing scorpions into her locker.
I forced her to transfer after she nearly drowned me in the pool.

She swore on her life that she was “done ever talking to me after high school,” but her yellow notes and mean emails still invaded my life like clockwork.

It wasn’t until we graduated college that we saw each other again, when a mixup forced us to share the same suite for a fall program.

Until one filthy night in the library changed everything.

Well, it should’ve.

I’m not “bullying” her.
I’m not being mean.
Now I’m starting to question what she means to me.

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

PROLOGUE

AUDREY

Ionce heard someone say that “our hair holds memories,” but I desperately wished mine clung to grudges. If it did, maybe my curls would’ve jumped off my scalp and suffocated Taylor Wolff the second he stepped onto the bus today.

Instead, they hung docile and blissfully unaware that he was sticking wads of his disgusting chewing gum in them.

So, here I was, for the third time this month, sitting under the harsh bathroom lights with tears in my eyes as my mother hovered behind me. Her scissors clicked like tiny jaws, salvaging what was left of the strands Taylor ruined.

“Repeat after me,” she said, snipping another curl. “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but⁠—”

“He called me a fugly bitch with buck teeth,” I cut in. “He said it in front of the entire class, and everyone laughed.”

“The principal suspended him for an entire week.”

Ugh, whatever. I groaned. His suspensions never did anything except make his return ten times worse.

And I’d never done anything to him to deserve his vitriol.

At least, I didn’t think so…

“I’m in the business of words, trust me.” My mother smiled at me in the mirror, motioning for me to smile back.

I refused.

“Words only have power if you let them,” she said. “Now, finish it. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but what?”

“Words will never hurt me,” I muttered.

“Perfect!” She washed my hair and styled it, and when she was done, I avoided looking in the mirror to assess the damage.

Her expression—and the oversized yellow glitter bow she slid into my hair—told me everything.

“Now, let’s make it even better.” She crossed the room to the bookshelf. “We’ll reread a scene from Jane & The Bully Boy, so you can get your confidence back!”

I folded my arms and braced for another unwanted book-club session.

As a bestselling children’s author, my mother never knew how to separate real life from fiction. She got so wrapped up in her characters she swore they lived among us, and she thought I was as obsessed as her readers.

I really freakin’ wasn’t, and any of her books that I’d read were against my will.

“When Jane was being bullied by Johnny, she didn’t take it personally.” She flipped through the pages with a little hum. “She knew it came from his inner dark trauma, right?”

“Right…”

“Slowly, they shifted from fighting to understanding, and they became enemies to lovers.” She squealed like one of her fangirls. “Now, of course you’re way too young for the details, but I think you and Taylor have potential to shift from enemies to friends. Or maybe even⁠—”

I mentally muted the remaining words that fell from her mouth.

There was no point in buying into any of her fictional hopes because I’d known the truth since we first moved here: Taylor Wolff was a fucking bully.

And it wasn’t because of some bullshit “trauma.”

He was born as Satan’s spawn, and it was simple as that.

He hated me, and I hated him.

End of the story.

No plot twists ahead.

I didn’t know it then, but as the years unfolded and our paths continued colliding, he became the type of guy that decorated the pages of romance books—the brooding bad boy who knew everything about sex and was “broken” at the age of seventeen.

Except... he was real.

And he wanted to break me.

So I refused to believe that we were blazing a trail “from enemies to lovers.”

We were enemies to the death—and I refused to let him kill me first…

BULLY YEARS: SIXTH GRADE

TAYLOR

Dear Audrey,

I’m sorry I stuck gum in your hair this week.

I’m also sorry that I ruined your favorite jacket with permanent marker & paint.

I’ll never do these things to you again.

Very very sorry.

Hope you’ll forgive me,

Taylor

If it were truly up to me, I would crumple this letter and throw it right at Audrey’s ugly face, but I have an audience…

And for whatever reason, they seem to have missed the first act of this show and forgotten exactly why Fraudrey Parker deserved far more than some cheap gum in her hair.

She’s not innocent AT ALL.

“Get out of the car and do it now, Taylor,” my mother said as I stared at Audrey’s house. “Then walk home and tell me how everything went.”

“Why can’t you come with me?”

“Because I wasn’t with you when you behaved terribly to that girl.” She leaned over and unbuckled my seatbelt. “Go apologize. Now.”

I rolled my eyes and opened the car door.

“Make sure you apologize to her parents as well,” she said. “Oh, and be sure to look directly into Audrey’s eyes when you speak, too.”

“If I do that, I’ll turn into stone. You know she’s a witch, right?”

“Taylor…”

“Okay, fine.” I stepped out and took my time walking down the long stone path that led to Audrey’s front door.

I looked over my shoulder, hoping my mother had pulled off so I could turn around and run home, but she was still there watching.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >50

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Most Likely To Score (The Dating Games #4) Read Online Lauren Blakely http://www.wownovels.com/most-likely-to-score-the-dating-games-4-read-online-lauren-blakely Wed, 29 Oct 2025 22:15:29 +0000 http://www.wownovels.com/most-likely-to-score-the-dating-games-4-read-online-lauren-blakely Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, New Adult, Sports Authors: Lauren Blakely Series: The Dating Games Series by Lauren Blakely
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Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >84

A sexy new forbidden romance from #1 NYT Bestselling Author Lauren Blakely about a sports star and the woman who's off limits...

It should have been a simple play…

She needed a football player to step up and be the star for a charity calendar. I needed a sharp and savvy publicist to manage a brand-new sponsorship deal. I scratched her back. She scratched mine. And oh hell, did Jillian ever drag her nails down my back on one hell of a hot night. Okay fine, it was several hot nights on the road.

Now we’re back in town and it’s time to set the play clock back to when we were simply player and publicist. Given the way the last few years have gone, I can’t risk this deal, so it's hands off for us once again. Trouble is, I want more than than just another night with her.

What’s a guy to do when he's always been most likely to score, but the woman he’s falling for is just out of bounds?

***

I don't date players. And I definitely don't sleep with players. And I absolutely don't fall for a certain player when I get to know him and learn he's more than just sexy -- he's clever, funny and has a heart as big as his... well, you get my drift.

But my job is at stake, and I can't afford to lose that as well as my heart. The problem is, I think I've already lost that game.

What's a girl to do when the clock is running out, but the man she's falling for is off limits?

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

1

JILLIAN

I’ve always been competitive. In school, in skiing, and definitely in public relations. Add in the fact that I do public relations for a professional football team, and you’ve got the makings of a perfect job for me. I’ll go toe to toe with any of the guys on the gridiron when it comes to having a competitive streak a mile wide.

That’s why this email from Sporting World excites me. In my office overlooking the city of San Francisco, early on a summer morning, every competitive bone in my body lights up as I read: We would love for you to make your pitch for the players to consider for our annual Body Issue. This is one of our most sought-after issues in the magazine. A chance to showcase the glory of the human body in artful poses. We have twelve slots available for athletes.

The last few Body Issues of the world’s most popular sports magazine have featured some of the most iconic photos in sports. World-class athletes in the nude, but angles and shadows covering them up. I’ve never landed an athlete for a cover shot. But maybe I could this year? First though, I’ll have to nab one of the coveted twelve slots before a cover is even an option.

Excitement stirs in me and I pop up from my desk, pacing to the window, staring at the city. I’m imagining our fifty-three-man roster. Picturing different guys posing on the field, or in a studio. I nibble on the corner of my lip as images of the athletes fly past me.

But they keep returning to one in particular.

One charismatic, photogenic man.

I know who’d be best. I’m positive I have just the right guy. I hope my boss agrees though.

I march down the hall to her office. Knock on the door. “Do you have a few minutes? I have an idea to run past you.”

Lily Eckles ushers me in, all red hair, light brown skin, and energy as she gestures to the chair across from her desk. “Of course. Anything for you, Jillian. What’s on your mind?”

I sit nice and straight. “The cover of the Body Issue. I think we can land it if we pitch just the right player for it,” I say, tasting the possibility.

Lily’s eyes light up. “Who do you have in mind? Harlan would be so great,” she says, enthused.

Our running back is a solid choice. “He’s super charming,” I say. With the lush locks and a sunny disposition Harlan would be terrific.

But . . .

“Or are you thinking about our quarterback? Everyone loves Cooper,” Lily adds, clearly enthused, too.

“He’s the city’s golden boy,” I say. After his whirlwind romance with his high school sweetheart last year, he’s captured all the hearts. There are other guys, too.

But there’s one in particular that I have in mind. And I’m about to say his name when a little kernel of worry rises up in me, lodges in my mind. Am I about to pitch Jones Beckett because I’ve had a crush from afar on the wide receiver?

All of a sudden, doubts plague me. I’ve tried valiantly to keep this annoying crush of mine from influencing any of my decisions. But the crush is merely a crush. Nothing will come of it and I can’t let it stand in the way of the right choice. Jones is the best.

“They’re all excellent,” I say confidently. “But with his charisma and charm, Jones Beckett is perfect for it. I’d like to pitch him.”

Her eyes twinkle and her lips spread into a huge grin. “Damn. I should have said him first. You’re right. You’re so damn right.” Then she waves me out. “Go! Make your pitch!”

“Boss’s orders,” I say with a smile, then return to my office and put together a kick ass pitch on why one of the top wide receivers in the NFL would be the ideal candidate.

His smiles last for days. His body is impeccable. Hell, it’s a work of art. And on top of that? He’s just one of those guys that has a certain magic to him. But a picture is worth a thousand words. And I bet I could capture a great one of him. A candid image that would say it all.

I have just the idea. Maybe, just maybe, I can catch him any minute.

2

JONES

That was a hell of a run so far. Five miles across the Golden Gate Bridge, then up into the Muir Woods as the sun rises higher in the sky. Now, I’m about to cross over the bridge when my phone trills.

When I see the caller, I get a little spring in my step and, honestly, in my dick, too. It’s our very sexy, very brainy publicist for the Renegades. AKA the woman I like to flirt with but shouldn’t.

And yet, I still do flirt.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >84

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Men Who Yearn Read Online Clarissa Wild http://www.wownovels.com/men-who-yearn-read-online-clarissa-wild Wed, 29 Oct 2025 22:14:50 +0000 http://www.wownovels.com/men-who-yearn-read-online-clarissa-wild Genre: Alpha Male, Dark, Erotic, New Adult, Novella Authors: Clarissa Wild Advertisement

Total pages in book: 9
Estimated words: 7999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 40(@200wpm)___ 32(@250wpm)___ 27(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 >9

For years he watched.
Diligently.
Dutifully.
Starving for her touch.
Never once did he cross the line...
Until she made him beg.

MEN WHO YEARN is a dark romance prelude SHORT STORY to BOYS WHO HUNT. Contains disturbing content that might not be suitable for all readers

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

Chapter 1

Year 4 – Spine Ridge University

Kayla

Every bite I take out of my sandwich becomes harder and harder to swallow because of those eyes. Those damn dark brown eyes that look up from a laptop every other minute to take a very direct, intense glance at us.

At me.

Or at least, that’s what it feels like while I’m sitting here in the grass, trying to enjoy my lunch. It’s not often we all get to hang out together as a group. Though, it did take me a while to get used to the fact that Penelope and Crystal are going out with boys from the Skull and Serpent Society and the Tartarus House, where some of the most notorious boys on campus have made their home.

But not even them are as unnerving as the forty-year-old suited-up man with a chiseled jaw and a neatly shaven beard staring at us from a bench in the distance.

“Goddammit …” I murmur to myself, as I take another bite.

“What’s wrong?” Penelope asks.

“Nothing,” I say, swiftly swallowing it, not wanting to make a fuss when we’re finally together again.

Especially not while Felix is sitting across from me.

Because it’s most definitely his dad working on that bench.

“So … Felix …” I try to smile but it’s only returned with a snarl.

“What?” he growls.

Penelope shoves him with her elbow and it immediately makes him loose his murderous gaze. “Be nice, please.” She looks at me. “Go on. What’d you want to ask him? I promise he won’t bite.” She chuckles.

“At least not her,” Dylan muses, and Felix throws him a deathly glare.

Felix takes a big bite out of his sandwich, and I clear my throat to get rid of the awkward silence. “So, your father is the dean, right?”

“Unfortunately.”

“Don’t you find it odd? I mean, since he’s here every day, talking with other students when they don’t even know he’s your dad.”

He simply shrugs. “I don’t care.”

“As long as he lets us do whatever we want, why does it matter?” Dylan says, raising a brow.

“He’s very strict, even though you can’t see it,” Penelope says.

I frown. “Really?”

She nods. “He’s protective over his kids.”

“He actually threatened Lana’s boyfriends,” Crystal pitches in, and everyone looks at her. “She told me she had a tough time convincing him they were all right.”

“Not the least bit surprising to me,” Alistair says, folding his arms.

“Those fuckers don’t deserve her,” Felix says, making a fist.

“Felix, chill. Please.” Penelope rolls her eyes. “It’s Lana’s choice, not yours.”

“Well, it’s good that your father cares so much about you and Lana,” I say, and I glance at him while he types away on his laptop. I wonder what’s so important that it couldn’t wait until he got back into his office. This must be break-time for him too.

“He’s watching us, isn’t he?” Felix grumbles.

I tentatively nod. “Can’t tell for sure, but I think so.”

Felix sighs out loud. “For fuck’s sake, he really doesn’t have a fucking life.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“Work means everything for Mr. Rivera,” Penelope explains. “It’s just … the way he is.”

“Bullshit,” Felix says. “He just doesn’t have anything else that’s interesting enough.”

I tilt my head, brows furrowed. “What do you mean … have?”

“Hobbies. Fun …” Dylan’s brows wriggle. “A girlfriend.”

Felix rolls up the wrapper of his sandwich and chucks it at Dylan. “Shut the fuck up.” But all Dylan does is laugh hysterically.

“It can’t be that bad, right?” Crystal asks.

“Oh, it is,” Alistair mumbles from the corner, avoiding Felix’ gaze as if he’s afraid of swift vengeance in the form of a half-finished sandwich smacking into his cheeks.

I take another glance at Mr. Rivera, the sunlight casting an eerie shadow on the pavement beneath him. But when he glances up from his work again, the unease that stirs in my stomach only grows wilder.

***

Days later

I put my laptop on the study desk in the library and throw my bag on the floor, breathing out a sigh from all the homework I still have to do for the finals. But when I come back up to open up my laptop, there’s a guy a few feet away from me that I really don’t want to see.

“Motherf…” I mutter to myself as he struts towards me with those hungry eyes. “Johnny, I’m not interested. Give it a fucking rest.”

“Girl, let me buy you a drink. Please. Just one drink. One.”

I raise a brow and lower my laptop screen. “No.”

“Oh, c’mon. It’s just a drink. Why not?”

“Do you know these two fucking letters? N. O? Learn ‘em.”

I roll my eyes and open up my laptop right in his face so I don’t have to look at it anymore.

“Hey.” Suddenly, he grips my screen. Too tightly. “I’ve been nothing but nice to you, and yet you’re being nothing but a—”

“A what?” My eyes rise to meet his in disdain. “Say it. Fucking say it … Bitch.”

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