Showing results by narrator "Chloe Ryan" in All Categories

Running away from home at 17 wasn't easy. Let's face it, though, nothing before or in the ten years since has ever been easy for me. And I'm doing okay—sorta. I just need to keep scraping by, living under the radar. Staying out of people's way, off people's minds. When a man walks through my open patio door, stepping boldly into my home and my life, I should be scared, frightened, terrified. I must be more broken than I realized because I'm none of those things. I'm intrigued—and I'm wondering if the way to take control of my life is by giving in to him.

For over a year, I've been hiding from my ruthless mob boss father and lying to everyone around me. Jordan is a sweet, protective biker who thinks we eloped in Vegas the night we met. The truth is, he was just supposed to be my ticket out of my gilded prison. I had nowhere to go, so when Jordan asked me to live with him after we got to his home in Rockland, I reluctantly agreed. After that, it was impossible to resist falling in love with him. But every second we're together is ruined thanks to the agonizing guilt eating away at me.

I'm a dangerous man. A man who has spent the last two decades removing so many souls from this earth that it's a miracle my hands aren't permanently stained red. I'm a man who belongs in the shadows. I certainly don't belong in my pretty little neighbor's bedroom when she's not home, touching her things and inhaling her scent. I shouldn't follow her. Shouldn't watch her. No number of cookies on my doorstep will change the fact that love isn't an option for me. The only option left for me is violence.

Okay, so my bad for assuming the guy I was going on a date with wasn't married. And my bad for taking him to a friend's house for dinner, only to find out my friend is also friends with his wife. Because, in fact, he is married. And she happens to be at my friend's house because her husband was "busy working." Confused? So am I. Unsurprisingly, my date's wife is super angry about finding out that her husband is a cheating asshole. Girl, I get it. Then to make matters more convoluted, there is the man sitting next to my date's wife. A man named King, who is apparently her brother.

When I was nine, I went to my first funeral. Along with accepting my father's death, I had to accept new and awful truths I wasn't prepared for. When I was nineteen, I went to my mother's funeral. We weren't close, but with her gone, I became more alone than ever before. Sure, I have a half-brother who runs The Alliance. And yeah, he's given me his protection—in the form of a bodyguard and chauffeur. But I don't have anyone that really knows me. No one to really love me. Until I meet him. The man in the airport.

Deceitful. Arrogant. Cold. Those are the three perfect words to sum up my husband to be. After little deliberation, my parents decide Isiah Darcy is the perfect suitor. He’s rich, British, and the perfect ally for the Benedetto family business. I can’t stand him, but they don’t care what I want. He’s stuck up and has little respect for women. Once we’re married, he makes it painfully clear I have no rights. I’m nothing more than a puppet. A way for him to get what he’s always wanted. Revenge on my family for something that happened years ago. My husband wants to tear my family apart.

I was born to be the queen of Sin City. I just have to prove it to my father, Italian mafia king Dante Salvato. He thinks that I'm a spoiled, weak little girl who could never be capable of taking over his empire. The only thing standing in the way of me proving myself is a cocky asshole who doesn't know a thing about our world. For some reason, my father's preferred heir is Cole Brooks, which means he's now my competition.

I've always heard there's a fine line between love and hate. No one told me that line could destroy me. Noah Fontaine. King of the school. My living nightmare. The object of my fantasies. My new stepbrother. I did whatever it took to survive him. Every day he took more of me. I just didn't expect him to take my heart. Because of the boy I once hated, I'd never be the same girl again.

The ruthless mafia king is no stranger to violence, but when he lays his eyes on my bruised and battered face, he's furious. I thought my makeup was thick enough to cover the beating I suffered until my inappropriately flirtatious boss noticed. As a cocktail waitress in his casino, I've always been on Mr. Salvato's radar, but now he's obsessed, demanding to know who hurt me and why, intent on making them suffer.

I live my life head over heart and never rock the boat, which is how I wound up engaged to Bryan Davenport—the biggest mistake I ever made. We were a power couple, but no one knew how cruel he could be behind closed doors. When I decide to leave, my fiancé shows just how ruthless he can be and sends me running to the last person I expect: his best man.

She's back. We were kids the last time I saw her, but my innocent crush from childhood is full-grown now. And it's not so innocent anymore. She's a breath of fresh air from the series of one-night stands since being drafted into the NHL. I've only got one shot with her, and I'm not taking it for granted. I may give her the passion she's been craving, but she's the intimacy I've waited for my whole life.

My older sister ran away from home to avoid being forced into an arranged marriage with the mafia family blamed for her mother's death. Now, that burden has fallen to me. Eighteen and sheltered, my life has only ever revolved around the familiar comfort of the tennis court. I've always been shielded from the brutal realities of my father's world, protected from his enemies. Enemies like Lochlan Dunne, who my father now wants as an ally.

Life has a sick sense of humor. One minute, I'm arguing with my mobster ex while dripping wet in nothing but a towel. The next, he's dead on the floor, and I'm naked, vulnerable, and at the sole mercy of the most dangerous man in New York City. I've heard the rumors that all the mafia families bow to Creed Ferraro, but I never expected him to drag me into their world. Creed blames me for his brother's death, and now, I'm also a witness to his violent crime. I know the rules. In the mafia, witnesses and enemies don't get to live.

Sold to the highest bidder? Check. Swept away by a dangerous silver fox? Check. Surprise pregnancy with a side of danger? Oh, honey, you bet. I thought I could fix our problems by giving up my most precious gift. Instead, I landed in a world of trouble, with a target on my back. Meet Valentino Barrone: tattooed kingpin, walking red flag, and now... my baby daddy. He says he's protecting me, but his eyes scream "mine" louder than any mob hit.

Teacher by day, stalker by night. Who ever thought college could be this interesting? I'm teaching a hundred students. But my eyes are only on one. She's my obsession—and I'll stop at nothing to make her mine.

Someone once told me that there's a fine line between love and hate. They forgot to mention how that line, once broken, can never be mended. Skylar Ames. My stepsister. The very embodiment of all I've ever desired. She'll forever hold my heart in her hands.

They took everything from me. Time to return the favor. A few months ago, I was just a regular nineteen-year-old girl. Now I'm trapped at a remote college and held at the mercy of three savage bullies. No one can see through the Serpents' Adonis-like disguises. Except me. I've never felt this alone before. This terrified. This...furious. These three murderers stole everything from me. They think the humiliation, the degradation, the suffering they've put me through has left me broken? Guess again, Serpents.

My father was once a powerful player in the Chicago underground, but six years ago, he left that life behind. We changed our names. Our identities. Our lives. The ghosts of the past never forgot him, though. They never forgot me. Dad promised me we were safe, but I should’ve known that was just another one of his lies. The past always finds you, and mine finds me on my wedding day when four brutal, dangerous men drag me from the altar in a hail of gunfire. Four men who used to be four boys. Four boys I cared about. Four boys I left behind.

What do you do when your worst enemies go down on their knees and invite you to the prom? I said yes because I'm still naïve enough to think that savages can be tamed. It's going to take a lot of groveling before I can forgive the Serpents for what they've done to me. I'm hoping this dance is their way of calling a truce. More likely, it's a trap. A school dance is the perfect place for them to orchestrate the ultimate public humiliation. Only one way to find out.

"You're mine now, Sofia. To protect. To cherish. To punish." His whispered words sent shivers down my spine. One day, I'm a struggling single mom designing suits. The next, I'm claimed by New York's most ruthless mafia don. Angelo Pirelli Jr. steps in when a rival threatens everything I love. But his protection comes with a price I'm not sure I can pay. I try to resist. God, do I try. But Angelo's touch sets my world on fire. One reckless night changes everything. Now there's blood on my hands and a secret in my belly.