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

Contemporary – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.lovenovels.net Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:53:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 http://www.lovenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png Contemporary – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.lovenovels.net 32 32 Just Playing for Keeps (Hockey Ever After #2) Read Online Lauren Blakely http://www.lovenovels.net/just-playing-for-keeps-hockey-ever-after-2-read-online-lauren-blakely Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:53:43 +0000 https://www.lovenovels.net/just-playing-for-keeps-hockey-ever-after-2-read-online-lauren-blakely Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Sports Authors: Lauren Blakely Series: Hockey Ever After Series by Lauren Blakely
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Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 125257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)

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A grumpy/sunshine fake dating hockey romance from #1 NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely!

Ever hear the story about the dating coach who got dumped on the hockey arena’s jumbotron?
Everyone did. But I lived it. Including the moment when the team’s broody, tattooed star Lake Axelrod swooped in on skates to rescue me from public humiliation.
Even more surprising? When the famously grumpy (and ridiculously sexy) hockey player insists on being my fake boyfriend for my sister’s high-profile wedding. It’s the perfect sweet revenge plan since my ex is the best man. Bonus – I might even salvage my professional reputation.
We need rules though.

To pull this off, everyone from his teammates to my boss has to believe we’re a real couple.
That means swoony touches and knee-weakening kisses are required.
When it ends, we walk away.
But the intensity in Lake’s eyes after every post-game kiss makes me wonder if he’s pretending. With each whispered secret, the line between fake and real bends. Until it shatters one night in a hotel room.

Soon, he isn’t just playing the protective boyfriend—he’s the only one who truly sees me.
If I’m not careful, I’m going to break the most important rule of all: don’t fall for your fake date.

This is Lake and Remy’s romance. Tropes include: grumpy/sunshine hockey romance, fake dating, workplace romance, best friend’s brother, obsessed hero

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

1

I’VE GOT EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL

REMY

Twenty-four hours’ notice and I have everything ready. I can’t leave a night like this to chance. Not after spotting a certain little jewelry box hidden among the sweatshirts in my boyfriend’s closet.

Inside the arena, a peaceful warmth floods me, the bliss of thorough preparation for whatever the night brings.

Jameson gestures to the aisle in the arena, letting me go first. I move in front of him, walking down the steps toward our seats as anthemic rock music pipes through the hockey rink, pump-me-up tunes perfect for the players as they warm up on the ice.

Just look at Jameson. He’s all dressed up, wearing his signature vest, of course, and a forest green checked shirt I picked out for him when he asked me to take him clothes shopping a few weeks ago. He’s rocking an undercut, and his jaw is clean-shaven. When we reach the second row, he pats the cushy black faux leather aisle seat. “Isn’t this great, Remy?”

His voice pitches with nerves. My chest tingles from that sign too.

“These seats are amazing,” I reassure him, since he sometimes needs that.

When my boyfriend of eleven and three-quarter months surprised me last week with center-ice tickets to the one thousandth game the Golden State Foxes have played at this arena—seats I can’t even get as the team’s part-time community relations manager—I figured it was an early anniversary gift.

But then last night, I grabbed a hoodie to borrow, and a little gray jewelry box marked “Made by Fable” fell out of the front pocket.

I popped it back in its hiding place, borrowed a different sweatshirt, and shifted into planning mode, stat. A day later, here we are, at a place meaningful to both of us. And Jameson and I did meet by his craft beer brewery on the concourse, so it makes perfect sense he’d pick the arena for the occasion.

Once he settles into the seat, he waves a slightly shaky hand toward the boards. “I know how much you love these games.”

I press my lips together so I don’t burst into confetti. “I do.”

Not the only time I’ll be saying that in the near future.

I smooth a hand over my jeans as Lake Axelrod, the team’s top right winger, glides past the glass, his gaze touring the stands like he’s checking out who’s here. I shed my jacket quickly, revealing my off-the-shoulder soft cream sweater.

Jameson’s gaze strays briefly to my exposed shoulder, then he looks away, toward the ice. Eye contact must be tough when he’s trying to keep a secret.

The game begins, and I focus on the action during the first period while mentally ticking off the arrangements I’d managed in one mere day. Like that slim videographer in the plaid beret weaving his way through the fans during the game breaks, asking them to share favorite memories of games in this arena, which are broadcast on the Jumbotron for all twenty thousand attendees to see.

I told Odin I’d help plan a special date for him and his wife if he’d stick near me during the upcoming fox toss when I think Jameson is most likely to ask the question.

And there’s the curly-haired usher, Selena. I set up a hotspot on her phone once upon a time, and she told me she owes me (she doesn’t), so she was happy to help. She’ll have a bottle of Veuve Clicquot chilled to the perfect temperature and ready for her to bring over at my signal—a double tuck of my hair.

Then a row away is Savannah, the backup photographer I hired in case Jameson didn’t think of it. What if he doesn’t know I’ve always wanted a fun, frothy proposal, or that I’d want pics of every moment?

I stop myself from scanning the seats for photographers Jameson might have hired. It’s best I focus on what I can control.

And I’ve prepared for everything.

I settle in for the rest of the game, trying to contain my excitement as the clock winds down to the second intermission. Finally, the loudspeaker warbles in the arena. “And now…” the announcer booms from the rink, “your Golden State Foxes are coming back to the ice a little early. Get ready to toss your stuffed foxes onto the ice as your home team collects them to donate to the local children’s hospital.”

The hockey stars fly through the tunnel in their purple and white jerseys, sticks in hand. The fans go wild, popping up in their seats to chuck their tawny stuffies over the glass and onto the rink.

The guys skate around, scooping them up with their gloves or sticks. I glance at the clock. The fox toss spans the final two minutes of the intermission—I planned the event. There are ninety seconds left. Plenty of time for Jameson to ask me to be his.

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Jealous Alpha Read Online Jordan Silver http://www.lovenovels.net/jealous-alpha-read-online-jordan-silver-2 Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:53:42 +0000 https://www.lovenovels.net/jealous-alpha-read-online-jordan-silver-2 Genre: Alpha Male, Billionaire, Contemporary, Erotic, Insta-Love Authors: Jordan Silver Advertisement

Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 59816 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >64

My woman! Many had vied for her position, some had spent years trying to get my notice without any luck. My position and wealth was a huge draw for some, my looks another. She was the first woman not to give a damn about either.
Is that why I’d fallen for her so easily? Was it her aloof manner that enticed me, drew me to her? Is it the constant wondering of whether or not she’d been that way with him that kept this jealousy alive?
As to that, I’ve never harbored jealousy or envy against anyone in my life, I never had to. I was born with everything I could possibly need and from then until now had never wanted for anything. Whatever I wanted I took.
And then there’s Gia, my woman. I’ve taken her but the love she once bore her dead husband still haunts me. I won’t stop until I’ve erased him from her memory no matter what it takes

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

1

“Stop here.” My driver pulled up to the curb and let me out. It was still early enough in the day that there weren’t too many people around, less annoyance for me to deal with.

I walked into the coffee shop with my head down as I looked at my phone, making my way up to the counter. “I’ll have a double espresso with a twist.”

I paid and left without once looking at the person behind the counter and walked smack dab into a warm body. “Son of a…”

I looked up sharply at the expletive and came face to face with beauty. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t expecting it that it stopped me cold.

She was a little bit of a thing, barely reaching my chin. But her curves under the fitted skirt suit and the wild black curls that fell over her shoulders and back painted quite a picture.

I got just a small glimpse of her almond shaped hazel colored eyes before she looked down at herself where I’d spilled my drink.

Her scent reached me and my body reacted so strongly the shock of it left me reeling. I stood there staring down at her as time seemed to stand still.

She on the other hand barely acknowledged me as she turned and headed back out the door, muttering under her breath about inconsiderate assholes.

She didn’t even let me see to her after spilling the hot drink down her chest and I felt bad, but not as bad as I felt at the thought that I might never see her again.

The feeling of loss was so strong it was an ache in my chest and I tried calling out to her. But she was moving way too fast for me to keep up and for some reason my equilibrium seemed off. It felt like I was walking under water.

I moved out onto the sidewalk and watched her until she disappeared around the corner. I looked up at the name of the place and the street and headed back to my car where my driver was waiting to let me in.

I can’t say I thought of her for the rest of the ride, but she did cross my mind a time or two in the half an hour it took to reach my office.

I wonder who she is, if she’s from around there? And why this morning of all mornings I’d chosen to stop for coffee?

It was most definitely not the kind of place I’d usually frequent. In fact I’ve been coming this way to get from my place to the office for a few years now and never had the inclination.

By the time I logged the secret code into my personal elevator for the ride up to my luxury office on the fiftieth floor, my mind had shifted to the coming day and what laid ahead.

“Oh, you’re here, I need you to go over these specs before the new architect gets here.” My brother walked into my office minutes after I arrived.

“I thought you already did that?”

“Oh no, I’m not falling for that again. Last time I made a mistake my ears rang for a damn week after all your yelling.” This kid’s been a pain in my ass since birth.

“Just drop it there and get out of my office. I have things to do that don’t include being annoyed by you.”

“Fine, don’t forget she’s going to be here any minute. By the way you need to call our mother. She’s on the warpath again.”

“What did you do this time?”

“I like that, why is it always me? Actually this time it’s you. You missed Sunday brunch or something like that again.”

Dammit, why does my mother think she can hold my weekends hostage? “I’ll call her later.” I was already focused on the reports in front of me before he turned to the door.

I’d almost forgotten about the new architect that we’d hired, or more to the point my brother Gavin had hired.

I usually let him take care of the hiring for our company while I focused on bringing in business and making money.

Our grandfather had started the business over eighty years ago with nothing but a few thousand dollars and brute strength.

Now, what had started out, as a mere construction-company was now one of the leading residential and commercial builders in the country.

This latest project was taking us out of the country and Gavin had got the bright idea to hire some up and coming hotshot architect that he swears is the best thing since slice bread.

Since I usually let him handle that side of things, I didn’t have much to say about his choice, as long as she got the job done I could care less. Though up to this point we’d only dealt with male architects.

This woman he’s been going on about for weeks had apparently won some awards out west and was being touted as the latest talent in her field so I trust him to have it under control.

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Drifter – Satan’s Fury MC – Little Rock Read Online L. Wilder http://www.lovenovels.net/drifter-satans-fury-mc-little-rock-read-online-l-wilder Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:53:11 +0000 https://www.lovenovels.net/drifter-satans-fury-mc-little-rock-read-online-l-wilder Genre: Alpha Male, Biker, Contemporary, Insta-Love, MC Authors: L. Wilder Advertisement

Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >84

Some men are born drifters. Others are just waiting to find their way home.
Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Seller L. Wilder brings you a new addition to the Satan’s Fury MC- Little Rock series that will have you rooting for new beginnings.
Loss is tough.
Some learn to live with the grief and move on.
I couldn’t.
There were too many memories.
It hurt too much, so I packed up and left.
I spent years trying to outrun my ghosts
And then, a threat drew me back in.
It wasn’t my fight.
Hell, it wasn’t even my chapter.
I was only in Little Rock to deliver a warning.
I never intended to stay.
And I certainly never intended to meet her.
She was beautiful and soft in all the ways that can undo a man.
And she unraveled me without even trying.
I had no business getting tied up with her, but I couldn’t stay away.
She reminded me what it was like to have something worth living for.
Now, I had to make a choice.
Stay lost or find my way home

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

CHARACTER LIST:

Preacher- (Hudson) President

Sons- Beckett and Memphis

Tabitha- Ol’ Lady

Sergei, Viktor, and Nikolai- her sons

Creed- Vice President (Jameson)

Devin

Devin’s kids- Austin and Chrissy

Seven- (Holt) Sergeant of Arms

Tallie-ol’ lady

Ford- son

Blade- club doctor

Grim- (Lawson) Enforcer

Jenna is his ol’ lady

Luna is Jenna’s daughter

Skid- son

Sheppard- Club Hacker

Ghost- (Sutton) Brother

Casey- Ol’ lady

Toby- Casey’s son

Memphis- (Weston) Brother

Antonia- ol’ lady

Rusty- Brother

Goose- (Luke) Brother

Presley- ol’ lady

Dagger- Brother

Garrison-his son

Duggar- Prospect

Jonesy- Prospect

Skid- (Thatcher)

Grim’s son

Ol’ Lady- Laken

Baylor is Laken’s daughter and Bunny B

Smitty- Prospect

Lil Nix- Fallen Prospect

Zeke- New Prospect

PROLOGUE

It’s funny how quick a decent day can go to complete shit.

I’d been out riding, minding my own business and taking in the sunshine, and it came time to fill up the tank. I pulled into the gas station and parked next to the pump like I’d done a million times, and as soon as I took off my helmet, I opened my saddle bag for my wallet.

I reached in without thinking, and my knuckles brushed up against the small bear I kept tucked inside. I don’t know why I kept it. I should’ve tossed it years ago, but I never could seem to part with the damn thing.

I picked it up and ran the pad of my thumb along its back. Its fur wasn’t as soft as it used to be. It wasn’t quite as white either. And its tiny shirt was now nothing more than worn patches.

It might’ve been old and tattered, but it still brought the same sting, taking me back to a time I’d tried to put behind me.

I could almost feel their presence in the air--could almost hear her singing to him, the sound of her voice low and soft.

‘A bushel and a peck, and a hug around the neck.’

God, how I missed that sound, along with his giggling in the background. He was always laughing and smiling and tangling his little fingers in my beard.

‘A hug around the neck and a barrel and a heap.’

They filled my dark world with light and joy. That was something I thought I would never truly find or even want, but they made me long for it.

‘A barrel and a heap, and I’m talking in my sleep about you.’

And now, it was gone.

My throat tightened as the silence settled around me.

Somewhere in the distance, there were cars driving by and people carrying on their lives. They were reminders that the world kept turning, but some wounds don’t move with it.

They stay, and they burrow deep, never letting go.

It had been five years, long enough for the ache to dull, but it hadn’t. I doubted it ever would. And I was okay with that. I didn’t want to forget.

I wanted to remember. I wanted to remember every damn second.

I had it all back then.

A club full of brothers who’d give their lives to protect mine. A woman who looked at me like I was something better than I could’ve ever thought of being, and a kid who had a smile that had a way of breaking my heart and putting it back together again all at the same time.

I had a family. A home. Something to look forward to at the end of a long day. I closed my fist around the toy, pressing it into my hand as the memory cut through me all over again.

One blink.

That’s all it took.

One second, I had it all, and the next, it was ripped from me so fast that there was nothing left but smoke, blood, and the kind of gut-wrenching heartache that never goes away. Not completely.

I made them pay for what they did.

God help me, I made them pay.

One by one, I hunted them down like the animals they were. I could still hear the sounds of cracking bones, the wet choke of their final breaths, and the way my rage burned hot enough to blur out the grief.

At least, for a little while.

Killing them should’ve been enough.

It wasn’t.

It didn’t bring the laughter back. It didn’t warm the empty side of the bed or fill the house with her scent. And it sure as hell didn’t bring back his little fingers wrapped around mine.

I opened my hand again and stared down at the tiny bear he once held. I ran my fingers over it again, slower this time, chasing a memory that was just out of reach. I shook my head as the old anger rose deep within, dark and familiar, curling low in my gut. It had lived there for almost five years. Most days, I was able to keep it locked down.

I buried it under miles of asphalt and the steady rumble of my bike.

But tonight it resurfaced in full force, leaving me wondering what the hell to do with it. Damn. The cycle never seemed to end.

But who knows. Maybe tomorrow will be different.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll finally be able to take in a breath without feeling the ache of guilt rattling in my chest. Only time would tell.

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Her Forbidden Daddies (Daddies of Club Slade #1) Read Online Laylah Roberts http://www.lovenovels.net/her-forbidden-daddies-daddies-of-club-slade-1-read-online-laylah-roberts Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:52:55 +0000 https://www.lovenovels.net/her-forbidden-daddies-daddies-of-club-slade-1-read-online-laylah-roberts Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal Authors: Laylah Roberts Series: Daddies of Club Slade Series by Laylah Roberts
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Total pages in book: 180
Estimated words: 182075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >180

Indie fell in love with four boys who adored and protected her.
Only to have them shove her out of their lives ten years later.

Pregnant and hiding from an abusive ex-boyfriend, Indie is alone except for her best friend Maggie to help her.
Until her ex-boyfriend finds her, putting her and her baby in danger.

They thought that she’d betrayed them. However, when they learn the truth . . . well, no one will keep them from her anymore.

And they will do whatever they need to in order to make it up to her.

But trouble is brewing.
And it might just take all four men to keep Indie safe from the storm.

Can four dominant, overprotective men show one Little that they can be everything she needs?

Please This is a reverse harem book where our heroine doesn't have to choose!

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

PROLOGUE

Fifteen years old (nearly)

Indie stared up at the huge house in awe.

Wow.

Did her mum’s new man work here? Her mum constantly fell in and out of love. Sometimes, they’d move in with her latest boyfriend. Other times, the relationship would end before it got that far.

This time, things seemed almost different. Her mum was . . . happy?

Which was odd because Indie didn’t think that she’d ever seen her mum happy.

She’d known something was different about this guy when a dark car had pulled up in front of their dingy apartment building with an actual driver.

The car was so clean. It smelled amazing and the seats were really comfortable.

Where were they? They must have left London by now, it had been a long drive.

Hertfordshire? Oxford?

Shit. Maybe she actually should have asked her mum some questions this time.

“Mum? What are we doing here?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” her mum asked, a strangely serene look on her face.

Indie blinked at her. “I mean, does your new man work here or . . .”

“Work here?” her mum said with a scoff. “God, no, he doesn’t work here.”

Their driver parked and got out quietly.

“If he doesn’t work here, then what are we doing at this house?” Indie asked.

Could you call it a house? It was a freaking mansion.

Surely her boyfriend didn’t . . . didn’t own this house?

No, that was crazy.

Her mum laughed, making her wince. She had two sorts of laugh. One that was gleeful and one that was mean.

This was the gleeful one.

“We’ve hit the jackpot, darling. Work here? He owns this place. We’re rich.”

It was said with so much joy that Indie felt slightly ill.

If you were in love, it shouldn’t matter how much money the other person had, right?

Her mum’s feelings for someone seemed to be dependent on how much he had in his bank account.

Maybe that was why Indie had become a romantic.

Lord knew she didn’t want to be like her mother.

Her mother slid out of the car with a regal nod at the driver who had opened her door for her.

Bloody hell.

Indie wasn’t sure about this. Their current apartment was tiny and in a bad area of London. They were behind on the rent, the electricity was close to being cut off, and she hadn’t eaten since lunchtime yesterday because there was no food in the cupboards.

She’d been contemplating trying to sell some of her mum’s shoes and handbags. Mum would have been furious when she discovered them gone, but they needed to eat more than her mum needed to dress in designer wear.

Now she understood how she’d managed to buy all that stuff.

Indie got out of the car with a nervous smile at the driver. She felt so out of place. What was this guy going to be like?

“Miss? Are you all right?”

Indie startled and glanced around, suddenly realizing that her mum had disappeared.

Big shocker.

“Um, oh yes,” she managed to say.

Urgh, he was going to think she was an idiot.

“Sorry, I didn’t catch your name,” she said.

“It’s Andrew, miss,” he said in a kind voice.

“Please, call me Indie,” she said in a slightly desperate voice. It would be nice to have one friend here.

“All right, Miss Indie. Your stuff will arrive soon and I’ll have it sent up to your room. If you want to go inside, that is,” he added as she just stood there, staring at him.

Her stuff?

What did he mean, her stuff?

“Miss Indie? Are you all right?” he asked. “Were you expecting your things to be here already? I apologize for the inconvenience, this was the quickest we could arrange things.”

Great. Now he thought she was a spoiled brat.

“No, no, it’s not that. I just didn’t realize . . .”

Shoot. She couldn’t tell him that she’d had no idea she was moving here because her mother hadn’t bothered to tell her.

What did she know about living in a place like this? What was her mother’s new man going to think of her?

Her clothes all came from charity shops. Sure, she put her own Indie-spin on them but there was no mistaking them for what they were.

Hand-me-downs.

Worn items that had been washed countless times.

The soles of her shoes had holes in them, for God’s sake.

“Where . . . where did my mother go?” she finally managed to ask.

No use having a panic attack over any of this. It wasn’t like she could do anything to change her appearance.

Bloody hell.

Something flashed through Andrew’s face.

Pity? Anger? It was too quick for her to really tell.

“She’s gone inside, Miss Indie,” he explained gently.

Right. Of course she had.

“Sure, silly me. I saw her walk off,” she lied. “I guess I should . . . head inside.”

She walked up to the front door. This house had to be over a hundred years old. There was a wide circular driveway in front of it. The middle of the driveway held a fountain with a chubby cherub playing a harp. Water spurted out of its mouth.

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Her Grumpy Protector – A Halo City Protectors Read Online Logan Chance http://www.lovenovels.net/her-grumpy-protector-a-halo-city-protectors-read-online-logan-chance Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:52:49 +0000 https://www.lovenovels.net/her-grumpy-protector-a-halo-city-protectors-read-online-logan-chance Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Insta-Love, Suspense Authors: Logan Chance Advertisement

Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 34715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 139(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >38

Banks Hawthorne doesn’t lose.

Not in boardrooms. Not in backroom deals. And definitely not in Halo City—where money talks, secrets kill, and the underbelly has teeth.

But his brothers’ hunt for their missing father drags Banks straight into a blood-slick maze of power players, dirty cops, and men who smile like friends while they sharpen knives behind their backs.

Then she becomes the target.

She’s the one loose end no one saw coming—too brave, too stubborn, and suddenly standing between Banks and the truth. Protecting her should be lock it down, move her somewhere safe, burn anyone who gets close.

Except she doesn’t want saving… and Banks doesn’t know how to want anyone this much.

Halo City wants her silenced. Banks wants her in his arms.

And the moment he claims her, this stops being business.

Because in a city like this, love is leverage— and Banks Hawthorne is about to turn ruthless.

billionaire protector • forced proximity • touch-her-and-die • “who did this to you” • gritty city danger • found family brothers • high-stakes romance • mafia-esque vibes • HEA

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

ONE

BANKS

My brothers Nash and Sin are gone. Not “out of range.” Not “laying low.” Not “radio silent because the mission is hot.” Gone like a door slammed in our faces, like the world reached in and stole two Hawthorne brothers in the space between one heartbeat and the next.

We're all brothers—me, Nash, Sin, Crewe, Colt, Jace, and Mack—bound by blood and a shared history in the shadows of private security. Each of us carved out our own path in the industry after leaving the military: Nash with his expertise in high-risk extractions for corporate clients, Sin handling covert surveillance ops for elite firms, Crewe specializing in VIP protection details, Colt running tactical training for mercenaries, Jace doing close-quarters combat consulting, Mack coordinating logistics for international security contracts, and me, Banks, piecing together digital puzzles as a cyber-intel specialist. We've scattered across the globe over the years, taking jobs that pay well and keep us sharp, but this mission is different. It's personal. Our father was presumed dead years ago. Now it looks like he may still be alive. He was onto something big, something involving powerful players who don't like loose ends. So we came together, pooling our skills and resources, to find him. No contracts, no paychecks—just family hunting for the man who raised us to never back down.

The mountain air still smells like smoke and wet pine, a sharp reminder of the firefight that erupted just hours ago as we closed in on a lead tied to Dad's disappearance. Fog clings to the trees like it’s trying to hide what happened. It won’t. Nothing hides from me for long. Not data. Not patterns. Not the shape of a lie.

But right now, all I have is the aftermath.

A torn strip of black fabric snagged on a low-hanging branch, fluttering like a grim flag. Zip-tie ends scattered in the dirt, their plastic edges frayed from a hasty cut. A boot print that doesn’t match any of ours. A tire track that cuts off abruptly where the ground turns to jagged rock and the road dissolves into wilderness.

I kneel in the mud beside the track, the cold seeping through my knees, and drag my fingers through the groove, as if touch could translate into coordinates, IP addresses, or satellite pings. Like I can pull an answer out of the earth itself. The mud clings to my skin, gritty and unyielding, but it yields nothing.

Crewe stands a few yards away, phone pressed to his ear, his jaw clenched so tight I can see the muscle twitch. He's always been the steady one, the brother who plans VIP escorts with the precision of a surgeon, but even he looks rattled. Colt paces like a caged animal, his rifle still gripped in white-knuckled hands, though the targets vanished into the mist long ago. His tactical training gigs have made him a beast in the field, but right now, that energy has nowhere to go. Jace is up on the ridge line, binoculars scanning the tree line with a fury in every controlled breath—he's the close-combat expert, the one who teaches others how to end fights before they start, and I can tell he's itching to charge after them.

Mack’s voice crackles through my headset from his remote setup back at our makeshift base camp, sharp with panic he’s trying to bury under layers of logistical calm. He's the coordinator, the brother who juggles international ops like puzzle pieces, but family hits different. “Say it again. You’re sure they took them.”

Colt answers before I can, his voice gravelly from years of barking orders in training yards. “They took ‘em. Sin and Nash are fucking gone. Someone ambushed us during the recon, dragging them into a vehicle, and disappeared into the fog.”

A silence follows that feels like a punch to the gut. Then Mack swears, low and vicious, the kind of curse that echoes his frustration from coordinating failed extractions in the past. My stomach twists. Not fear. Not helplessness. Anger so cold it feels clean, surgical. This is the part where people make mistakes. This is where emotions get you killed.

Not mine. I've built my career on staying detached, hacking into systems for private security firms to expose vulnerabilities before the bad guys do. Emotions are just noise in the data.

I stand slowly, wiping the mud onto my jeans, the fabric already stained from the trek up here. I pull my tablet out of my pack. My hands are steady. They always are when the world is falling apart. It's how I can trace digital footprints for clients who pay top dollar to stay ahead.

“Banks,” Crewe says, turning toward me, his phone call ended. His VIP protection instincts kick in automatically. “We have to move. They could circle back, set up another ambush.”

“I know,” I reply, my voice even. I’m already working, fingers flying across the screen.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >38

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Keep Me Safe (Dangerous Obsession #2) Read Online Nikki Sloane http://www.lovenovels.net/keep-me-safe-dangerous-obsession-2-read-online-nikki-sloane Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:52:31 +0000 https://www.lovenovels.net/keep-me-safe-dangerous-obsession-2-read-online-nikki-sloane Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Billionaire, Contemporary, Dark, Suspense Authors: Nikki Sloane Series: Dangerous Obsession Series by Nikki Sloane
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Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >96

She’s the one woman he can’t have, and falling for her isn’t just reckless—it could be deadly.

Billionaire Shawn Dunn has it all. Command of a global empire. Women who crave him. Wealth that means nothing is beyond his reach.

Yet Kara Hayward refuses to fall under his spell. She’s fire and defiance wrapped in temptation, the only woman who looks him in the eye and says no. It only makes Shawn want her more.

Getting involved would be shockingly dangerous. Kara’s sister is hiding from a ruthless assassin, and it’s safer for everyone if Shawn keeps his distance.

But the tension between them is inescapable. Every touch ignites. Every kiss sears hotter. Their desire grows into something more, something deeper . . . until the night everything burns.

Because the man hunting Kara’s sister has come to collect his revenge, and the price isn’t Shawn’s money, power, or pride.

It’s Kara.

* Keep Me Safe was previously published in 2014 as Keep by Karyn Lawrence (Nikki’s alter ego). This completely rewritten version features new content, more spice, and a point-of-view switch

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

1

KARA

I sat motionless as all the color drained from my employee’s face.

“We have to terminate your employment, effective immediately,” I said. “I’m sorry. It was a difficult business decision that we’ve had to make. Your position has been eliminated.”

I knew I sounded robotic and unfeeling, but the truth was I felt like shit. Not just because of my jet lag, but because of the man who sat across from me in the glass conference room. Scott Rhodes’s jaw tightened until I was sure he was going to crack his teeth.

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” he hissed. “I expected nothing less from this company.”

Scott had been working at the Manhattan branch of Incentive Systems for the better part of twenty years, and he was the second person I’d had to let go this month.

I was a top-level project manager, the youngest at the company at only thirty years old, and I wasn’t experienced at laying people off. It’d be all right with me if I didn’t get any more practice at it.

Scott’s chaotic gaze went to my boss, who sat beside me. Jim had wanted this to happen for at least six months, but I’d fought a losing battle for my employee’s job. In Jim’s defense, Scott’s work had been declining. Plus, I’d heard rumors he was coming in late and leaving early, even after I’d put him on a performance improvement plan.

I still oversaw the New York implementation team from my office at the international headquarters in Maastricht, and rather than do it over a video call, I’d chosen to fly in from the Netherlands to relieve Scott. He was owed that for all his years, even if he’d been sliding.

“Human resources will be sending over a severance package,” Jim said. He looked, for lack of a better word, bored. Like he had no idea we’d sent the world crashing down on Scott.

This was just one of the many reasons why I’d left New York. My boss was kind of a dick.

Scott’s breathing was rushed, panicked. “What . . . happens now?”

“You’ll go to your desk,” Jim said, “and collect your items. Kara won’t hover, but we do need to make sure that’s done, and you leave immediately afterward.”

For a moment, I was concerned he wasn’t going to go quietly, and I held my breath.

But it left me in a relieved sweep when he rose from his chair, his glassy-eyed expression shifting away from me. He turned and plodded toward the door, leaving the conference room like a zombie.

“You still think flying in all the way from Europe was necessary?” Jim asked when the door swung shut.

“Yes.” I ignored his pointed question. It probably hadn’t made a shred of difference, but I wasn’t cold or unfeeling—and didn’t want anyone to view me that way either. If I hadn’t flown in, I was sure my ex-husband, who worked five floors up, would use it as an excuse to lobby for my dismissal. Paul had resented my climb through the company ranks from the moment I’d started here.

“The bright side is his wife will get less in alimony.”

I was able to disguise my personal feelings, but only barely. “He’s getting divorced?”

“Amber said the wife moved out last month. I thought you knew.”

“No, I didn’t. That explains why his work was suffering.”

Jim leaned back in his chair and stretched. “Yeah, maybe, but it’s not an excuse. People get divorced and keep doing their job all the time, you know. You did.”

I tore my gaze away from him so he couldn’t see my discomfort. The ink on my settlement papers had been dry for almost two years, but the word divorce was still a slap in the face.

“It wasn’t easy.” There was an understatement.

When he didn’t move, I stood on the high heels that hurt my feet. I was already tall at five-eleven, so the shoes were completely unnecessary. I loomed over people and made them uncomfortable. Really, I made men uncomfortable, and at this point in my life, that was a good thing. These shoes were a freedom now that I was single.

My ex-husband had been an inch shorter than me when I was flat-footed.

“I’ll go check on him,” I said.

I rounded the table and was halfway to the door when a woman darted down the hallway, sprinting past the conference room.

“What was that?” Jim asked.

It gave me pause. “Amber.”

“Was she running?”

Anxiety made the air in the room go thin. The offices beyond the glass were quiet. Too quiet.

I didn’t realize I was retreating until the table against my hip let me backpedal no farther. Even before I saw Scott and the small, silver handgun clutched at his side, I somehow knew.

Cold dread curled its fingers around me as he burst through the door and raised the gun toward Jim. His hand shook like he was completely out of control, which was exactly how I felt.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >96

Advertisement
Make Me – Play Me Read Online Adriana Locke http://www.lovenovels.net/make-me-play-me-read-online-adriana-locke Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:52:26 +0000 https://www.lovenovels.net/make-me-play-me-read-online-adriana-locke Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Contemporary Authors: Adriana Locke Advertisement

Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >82

I’ve always hated being told what to do.

Imagine my surprise when my grandmother calls me back to Sugar Creek and casually informs me that she’s leaving me the farmhouse I grew up in and a sizable inheritance.

There’s just one tiny little catch.

I must prove I understand our family’s legacy, and that I can stop chasing whims and put down roots … by marrying Hartley Adler

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

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Cast of Characters

Hartley Adler

Mira St. James

Audrey Van

Brooks Dempsey

Gianna Bardot

Drake Bennett

Gray Adler

Markie St. James

PLAYLIST

Playlist

“Just In Case” by Morgan Wallen

“Worst Way” by Riley Green

“Don’t Mind If I Do” by Riley Green and Ella Langley

“The Good Ones” by Gabby Barrett

“Love Somebody” by Morgan Wallen

“Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone

Go to Spotify for the full playlist.

CHAPTER

ONE

Mira

“Oh no. You will not bully me!”

My voice echoes through the empty car, loud enough for the red light glowing on my dashboard to hear. But it heeds me about as much as I heed it—which is to say, not at all.

“I need you to pull through for me one more time,” I say, patting the console. “Get me to Blackbird Ranch, and I promise I’ll start listening to you more.” I reach for the visor, tugging it down so I’m not blinded by the midmorning sun. “I mean, you know me, and the odds that you’re going to get regular oil changes aren’t great. But I’ll try my hardest to hit the gas station before you start screaming again if you can just hang in there for me. Okay?”

Bang!

“Ah!” I cringe as the passenger’s side of the car slams into a pothole that I didn’t notice until it was too late. Holding my breath, I listen closely for any sounds that would mean something broke. But after a solid minute of nothingness, I exhale. “I’m choosing to believe that isn’t an omen,” I mutter.

I glance down at my navigation screen and spot three little service bars. Finally. The service on the backroads surrounding Sugar Creek is hit or miss, and I always seem to forget that until it’s super inconvenient. But my elation over having contact with the rest of the world is diminished as soon as I glance at my phone.

No returned texts. No missed calls. No voicemails.

Dammit.

I bite my lip and press Hartley’s name for the twentieth time this morning. And for the twentieth time this morning, it rings until an automated voice tells me his mailbox is full.

“Come on, Hart,” I groan. “Answer your freaking phone.”

My fingers bite into the steering wheel as I glance at the clock. Practically speaking, I still have time. There’s not much wiggle room to spare, but I should be able to beat Oscar to Blackbird Ranch.

Chaos engulfs me—loud, urgent, and spiraling. Its tendrils wrap around every organ and nerve from head to toe. Because, yes, the delivery from Oscar will likely be … a situation. But the real situation wears a cowboy hat and mustache, and he probably won’t be smiling beneath it.

Before I can hit full-out panic mode, my phone rings. I accept the incoming call before I check the caller ID.

“Hey,” I say hurriedly, hoping like heck it’s Hartley’s voice on the other end.

“Why do you sound out of breath?”

I slump in my seat as I make a right onto Shoals Road. “Hey, Markie.”

My sister laughs. “Why do I feel like you’re on an epic side quest without me?”

“Because you know me. But trust me, this is one side quest you’re probably better off avoiding. Pleading ignorance will come in handy, I fear.”

“Oooh. Sounds juicy. Do tell.”

A smile slips across my lips until it splits my cheeks.

If anyone will understand this side quest, as she called it, it’s my sister. We’re alike in so many ways. We share thick, chestnut-colored hair, either big boobs or a short torso—it’s up for debate—and a propensity for finding ourselves in the middle of sticky situations that we should’ve seen coming. And this one is definitely sticky.

“I was headed to Patsy’s last night,” I say.

“Did you see Jasper there?”

I grin. “I thought you didn’t give a shit about Jasper anymore.”

She scoffs in disgust. I’m just not sure whether it’s at herself for asking about her ex-boyfriend, at me for calling her out, or at the failed relationship itself. Either way, a shit she does clearly give. “He can do whatever he wants. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not curious.”

I sigh, knowing all too well what she’s going through. It sucks to have broken up with a guy, regardless of the reason, and being desperate not to care. Yet you still find yourself wanting to know what he’s up to, even if it’s going to feel like a stab right to the heart.

Lucky for her, I have nothing to share. And that might be the only good thing about last night.

“Well, I don’t know what he was doing because I didn’t end up at Patsy’s,” I say. “I wound up at Oscar’s Auction House, where Patsy had an alcoholic pop-up, so I still got my beer—too many of them, it seems.” I pause to listen. Did the car just sputter? “After the auction, a bunch of us wound up convincing Oscar to let us hang out and play music. One thing led to another, and by the time I got back to your house, it was well after three this morning, and you were in bed.”

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >82

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Office Hours – Dangerous Desires Read Online S.E. Law http://www.lovenovels.net/office-hours-dangerous-desires-read-online-s-e-law Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:52:16 +0000 https://www.lovenovels.net/office-hours-dangerous-desires-read-online-s-e-law Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Erotic, Forbidden Authors: S.E. Law Advertisement

Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 104050 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 520(@200wpm)___ 416(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >110

He’s the dark, gorgeous temptation she should be running from.

Professor Liam Thomas is every girl’s dream in a bespoke suit—stern, dominant, and completely off-limits. He doesn't just teach; he commands the room with a precise, forbidding authority that makes every girl at Century College tremble.

Simone is a scholarship student one failing grade away from losing everything. Desperate and drowning, she makes a reckless a short skirt, a tight tee, and a private visit to Liam’s office.

She expected a lecture.

She didn't expect to be commanded to her knees.

Yet as the stacks of the library give way to the heat of his bedroom, the "tutoring" turns into a dark obsession. Liam isn't just grading Simone’s papers; he’s tracking her every move, her health, and her future.

The semester is ending, but her real education is just beginning because in Liam’s world … the only way to pass is to obey!

This steamy professor-student romance will make you squeal, sigh, and tear up with all the feels. This story is a follow-up to Cabin Fever, but like all of my books, can be read on its own. HEA guaranteed. 93k words

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

1

BAD GIRLS TAKE RISKS

SIMONE

I’m late to class—again—which means everyone’s already assembled when I slip in, and all heads are pointed at the front, watching Professor Thomas write MELVILLE in long, decisive strokes on the whiteboard. His broad back ripples beneath the blue button down, his ebony hair gleaming in the light. He caps the marker with a little pop, and I swear, the girl three rows down from me gasps audibly because Professor Thomas is that magnetic.

I drop into a seat in the back row, and immediately cross my legs. The pleated skirt creeps up; the hemline’s a little much, but I’m a scholarship kid and this is the best I could do at the Buffalo Exchange on 6th Street. The baby tee is tight enough to push my boobs up, which is exactly the point. Everyone here knows why you sign up for Thomas’s class, and it has nothing to do with 19th-century American literature.

It’s the professor himself—Liam Thomas, PhD, thirty-five, black hair swept back in waves, blue eyes like a North Sea murder mystery, and the kind of chest that makes you wonder if he played rugby professionally or if he just benches a lot of existential guilt. He paces, hands behind his back, reading off a thin stack of notecards while never really looking at them. I think: if I flunk this class, I lose my scholarship and get sent back to West Texas. But I also think: I want him to look at me the way he looks at that Melville book in his briefcase. Maybe it’s just a book, but I can feel the fire.

He sweeps the room with his eyes, speaking low and even, like the words are secret and he’s not sure who’s worthy of them. “Why is Moby Dick white?” he asks. Nobody says anything. The question hangs in the air, sticky and moist, the kind that makes people squirm in their seats. “McCall?” he asks with a pointed look my way.

I sit up straight, ponytail bouncing. “Um—” I realize I wasn’t listening, which is the story of my academic life. “Melville uses the color white as a symbol for ambiguity. Innocence, but also emptiness, blankness. It’s like a paradox. The whale is everything and nothing.”

Professor Thomas gives me a slow nod, just enough approval to keep me hooked. “Good. Melville’s ambiguity is part of the novel’s terror.” He walks down the aisle, voice growing softer as he nears the back row, where I sit alone. Everyone else is clustered up front. He stops right by my desk. I feel his presence like a hand around my throat, gentle but unyielding. “Do you agree, Miss McCall? Is terror a lack, or an abundance?”

My lips are dry. “Both, maybe.”

He stares at me for a second longer than necessary, and my cheeks catch fire. I swear he’s about to say something else, but then the girl in the front row—Victoria, or Veronica, or something with a V—leans over the table, her platinum extensions gleaming in the dusty sunlight, and raises her hand.

“Yes, Miss Vasquez?”

She blinks up at him, lashes like windshield wipers. “Isn’t Ahab’s obsession with the whale also a metaphor for sexual repression?”

The room titters. Thomas smiles—more with his eyes than his mouth—and perches on the edge of the desk, one arm braced on his knee. “That’s an interesting reading, Miss Vasquez. Melville’s language is famously charged, but whether it’s about sex is…debatable.”

Victoria/Veronica doesn’t blink; she’s in full attack mode. “But the language is so, like, penetrative. All the harpoons, the chase, the penetration of the whale’s body…”

He holds her gaze, then turns his face slowly back to me. “What do you think, McCall? Is the whale hunt about sex?”

My tongue tangles. For a second, the only thing I can think is: He’s talking to me. Only me. “I think it’s more about obsession. Like, the violence of wanting something you can never really have. The way it eats you up.”

Professor Thomas looks down at his notecards, but I catch the corner of his mouth curve upward. “Well put.”

I sink back in my seat, heart drilling. There’s a tremor in my hands as I doodle a sperm whale on the margin of my notes. The guy three rows in front of me, who smells faintly of bong water and deodorant even from afar, cranes his head and whispers, “You nailed it, Simone.”

I force a smile and twist my pencil between my fingers, resisting the urge to snap it in half. Why can’t I just pay attention for once? I should be absorbing every word, but all I can do is replay Professor Thomas’s voice in my head, the roughness in it, the way he savors certain syllables. I imagine him grading my essay, his big hands tearing the paper in two, and then my brain goes blank.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >110

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Ruthless Mogul Read Online Whitney G http://www.lovenovels.net/ruthless-mogul-read-online-whitney-g Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:52:05 +0000 https://www.lovenovels.net/ruthless-mogul-read-online-whitney-g Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Billionaire, Contemporary, Novella Authors: Whitney G. Advertisement

Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 32776 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >32

That moment when you show million-dollar apartments for a living—and quietly start sleeping in them because your place is the size of a shoebox…
I’ve been getting away with it for two years. No complaints, no close calls, nothing.
Until one afternoon a billionaire CEO walks in and finds me in his shower.
As much as I want to play it off, I’m completely naked and completely screwed.
This man’s heated stare is bad enough.
His name is worse.
Dante Hudson.
He’s the mogul behind Hudson International, which means he owns almost every building in this city, my job, and—at this point—my immediate future.
Within seconds, he’s threatening charges, termination, and making sure I never work in this city again.
So I do the only thing I can.
I run like hell and hope to never see him again.
It doesn’t work…
He knows where to find me, but to my surprise, he’s not interested in turning me in.
He has an offer instead.
A terrible, ‘you better not sign this’ deal, but I have no choice.
If I make it out of this without ruining my life, I swear I’m done breaking the rules.
…At least intentionally

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

THE CEO

DANTE

Being a “billionaire” was supposed to mean that I was entitled to buy whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

No price tag was too large, no budget was ever too much to consider, and the words “I want it” meant sold.

Period.

For years, I’d used my status to stamp my name all over this city. It sat on everything from the sleek skyscrapers that gleamed against the Hudson River’s waters, to the glittering glass condos that dotted Manhattan, and even the high-rise apartments that stood guard in Brooklyn and The Bronx.

And yet, the building I wanted the most—the one that I’d offered quadruple the asking price to buy—was being held hostage by protesters and city officials who hated me.

For no reason.

Well, no “good” reason.

“Mr. Hudson Is Too Damn Rich! He Can Eat a Bag of Dicks!” a deranged woman shouted into a megaphone as I stepped out of my car.

“Hey! Hey! Not Today!” her psycho colleague joined her. “The Holden Building Is Here to Stay!”

Usually, I would sip my coffee and stare at them while they screamed—letting them get a hint of satisfaction at me “listening” to them, but I didn’t have time today.

Moving past their signs, I strolled into my building and headed for the elevator.

“How long do you want to let them protest before we call the police today, Mr. Hudson?” my head security guard asked.

“You can give them five more minutes.”

“Are you pressing charges for trespassing?”

“Always.” I nodded. “Be sure to send the judge a gift in my name as well.”

“Very well, sir.”

The doors glided shut before the elevator carried me to my top floor.

I headed into the boardroom, anxious for this morning’s strategy meeting with my top assistants, highest-selling real estate agents, and the top person I trusted in my company: my executive broker, Anthony.

Taking a seat at the head of the table, I flipped open a brand-new folder titled “Ways to Make People Love Dante Hudson So He Can Buy The Holden.”

“Word of advice before we get started, Dante…” Anthony leaned closer. “Thank them for their hard work before storming off, and don’t threaten to fire them at the end.”

“If they give me some good ideas and suggestions, I won’t.” I adjusted my tie. “Making me look good is an easy job, trust me. I’ve looked in the mirror.”

“It would be easy if people in this city didn’t hate you,” he said. “They cannot stand you.”

“Lies.” I shook my head. “They admire me.”

“Your money, maybe, but that’s it. You are literally despised.”

“That won’t last long.” I waved a hand and cleared my throat. “I’m listening. Give me the ideas.”

“Well…” Alisha, the head of my luxury rental buildings, stood up from her seat. “We’ve all agreed that while your current persona may lean on the more ruthless and uh, evil billionaire side, we can correct that with some good ol’ community service from you.”

I arched a brow.

“We’re thinking that you could help the landscaping team plant some new flowers at all the parks you own.” She smiled. “Perhaps you can do that once a month.”

“No. Hell no.”

“It’s a good idea,” Anthony whispered. “It’ll make you look human.”

“I pay people to do my landscaping for a reason.” I rolled my eyes. “Next idea.”

“You could help clean up the lobby at one of the mid-tier complexes,” Alisha’s voice wavered. “We could make it a photo opportunity to show how much you care about everything in your portfolio.”

“I say ‘no’ to gardening, but you think I’ll say yes to scrubbing toilets?”

Her face paled and she looked around the room.

“What else?” I glared at her. “What are the other ideas that will make me come off less ruthless and more ‘let me buy The Holden?’”

“There’s also the idea of you giving all your tenants a few free months of rent?” Her voice was faint. “Everyone would run wild with how generous you are if you did that.”

“If I let people get away with not paying rent, how do I make money?”

“Well, you won’t…but just for like three months.”

“Then how about everyone in this room surrenders their paychecks instead?”

The room fell silent.

“These are the ideas you’ve been working on for weeks?” I felt my blood simmering. “This is it?”

“We’re working very hard, sir.”

“This meeting is over.” I stood up. “You all need to start looking for new jobs by the end of the week.”

I left the room and felt Anthony rushing after me.

“You literally did the exact opposite of what I suggested, Dante.” He groaned. “It’s not their fault you have a terrible reputation.”

“I just want to buy a goddamn building,” I said. “I shouldn’t have to do circus tricks to write a check.”

“I agree,” he said, sighing. “But if your heart is set on The Holden, you can start by being a bit nicer to everyone around you. You should also meet with the mayor again.”

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >32

Advertisement
Save a Horse Keep the Cowboy – Summer Lovin Read Online Jessica Peterson http://www.lovenovels.net/save-a-horse-keep-the-cowboy-summer-lovin-read-online-jessica-peterson Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:52:00 +0000 https://www.lovenovels.net/save-a-horse-keep-the-cowboy-summer-lovin-read-online-jessica-peterson Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Novella Authors: Jessica Peterson Advertisement

Total pages in book: 14
Estimated words: 13485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 67(@200wpm)___ 54(@250wpm)___ 45(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 >14

New York Times bestselling author Jessica Peterson’s short story of a ride through first love into forever follows a country music star who returns home for a family affair—and faces the cowboy who once watched her walk away.

Josie Reid abandoned her Texas hometown six years ago, when Weston Jessup chose his family’s ranch over her. Now a country music sensation, she’s back where it all started to officiate her brother’s wedding. Wes is the best man, and he’s determined to make things right. But can he convince Josie to give him another shot, or is their love song played out?

Jessica Peterson’s Save a Horse, Keep the Cowboy is part of Summer Lovin’, a sweet and sultry collection of short summer romances that turn up the heat—and the heart. Read or listen to each short story in one easy, breezy sitting

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

Chapter 1: Cowboy Country

Josie

He’s here.

My body knows it with a certainty that makes me short of breath.

I’ve always had this sixth sense, a kind of Weston Jessup internal radar system. It’s been that way since we met eight years ago, on a hot summer day just like this one.

Despite the fact that it’s a hundred degrees and I’m wearing the tiniest bikini I own, I’m still shaking like a leaf, my heart throbbing in the back of my throat.

I should’ve brought a road soda.

That’s all I can think as my best friend Quinn and I pick our way down a dirt path that winds through the Texas Hill Country brush. A hazy sun bears down on us through the dense canopy of leaves overhead. The humidity is so thick we’re practically swimming in it.

Sweat gathers on my temples and breaks out on my forearms when I hear voices rise and fall nearby. There’s a splash. Male laughter.

Yeah, I definitely should’ve pounded a beer or a shot or something on the drive over from Hartsville’s tiny airport. I landed ready to go, having changed into my swimsuit before our descent in the cushy bathroom on board the private jet my record company chartered for me.

Quinn, bless her, was waiting for me on the shimmering tarmac in my brother’s beat-up truck that’s about as old as I am. We found a bottle of tequila in his glove box, but it was empty.

Grady is nothing if not a good time.

One of the (many) perks of flying private is the ability to land directly in my teeny-tiny hometown, population one thousand. I wouldn’t say I was necessarily calm on the flight down from my last tour stop in Charlotte. But I had managed to convince myself I’d be just fine officiating Quinn and Grady’s wedding this weekend.

I may have performed in front of tens of thousands of people on a nightly basis over the past six months. But that never terrified me nearly as much as joining two of my favorite people in holy matrimony.

That probably has something to do with the fact that Grady chose Weston to be his best man.

Wes, the first guy I ever fell head over heels in love with.

The guy who dumped me out of the blue and broke my heart.

“Three things you should remember.” Quinn grabs onto a nearby tree to steady herself. “One, you look hot in that bikini. Does a Brazilian wax hurt? I can only imagine what it feels like to get your whole—”

“I went the laser route.” I slap my arm, squishing a mosquito. “And yes, it did hurt. But totally worth it.”

“Those costumes you wear do show a lot of leg. And butt.”

“Makes them easier to dance in,” I say with a grin.

“Of course it does. Two, you’re a literal rock star who’s crushing life. Whatever happens tonight, you win.”

Running a hand through my hair, I laugh. The humidity has turned it into a frizzy rat’s nest, despite the heinously expensive extensions I wear. “I’m so glamorous, I know. Even fame can’t win against the Texas heat.”

“And three”—she cuts me a look over her shoulder—“I love you. I can’t thank you enough for coming this weekend. We’re going to have a great time, yeah?”

I manage a grin, feeling ever so slightly better. Leave it to Quinn to soothe my nerves. “Absolutely. Best weekend ever starts now.”

Out of all my accomplishments, the fact that I’m surrounded and loved by excellent people is the one that makes me the most proud.

My pride, however, is apparently no match for Hartsville. When Quinn mentioned the rest of the wedding party was gathering at the river this afternoon, I wanted to vomit.

Back in the day, we used to spend our summers hanging at a glorious spot on the Colorado River just off Highway 71. The river winds its way through these hills. At this particular spot, the water is deliciously cold from its journey through the Rockies. Canyons rise steeply from its northern bank, and you can swing out over the water on a rope that’s been there for as long as anyone can remember.

As teenagers, we’d while away scorching afternoons at this spot. We were living large with our coolers of pilfered beer and playlists that were half George Strait, half Snoop Dogg.

At night, Wes would park his truck on top of a nearby canyon. The things that happened in that back seat? Scorching doesn’t begin to describe the way that man lit my body on fire.

When Wes was around his brothers or with his friends, he was all cowboy—gruff, businesslike. He’d talk about sports and the weather, just like his daddy. But when it was just the two of us, he’d open up and show me a side of himself no one else got to see. The vulnerable, tender side. The one that loved music, and the stars, and long, deep kisses.

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