NoahThe fact that Roni would believe such a thing about him spoke volumes. It was so like Kratz to make his past sound worse than it really was, but the kicker was that Roni was so ready to believe him."So, let me see if I got this straight. This asshole comes back out of nowhere after walking out on you when your mother was dying, knowing he'd be leaving you all alone. Supposedly you're not interested in his ass anymore, even though months after you and him were through, you still had those fucking pictures up?"The more he thought about it, the heavier his chest felt. He wasn't sure what hurt more—the fact that she'd lied or that she'd bought this crock from a guy who obviously hadn't given a shit about her."You tell me you want nothing to do with him, but the moment you decide you need to broaden your social life, he's the first one you fucking call?" He knew his words were harsher than he'd ever spoken to her, but he couldn't help it. It hurt like hell to find out she obviou
VeronicaAfraid to say the wrong thing, Veronica chose her words carefully. She'd hated seeing him so hurt, and she was not about to say something that would hurt him again. She started walking to him. "So you're a dad?"He shook his head. "Nope. When she first told me, it scared the hell out of me. But then the more I thought about it, the more it hit me. I was going to have a child, my own flesh and blood. She said she didn't wanna have it. She was too young. That's when I dropped out of school. I told her I was getting a job and I'd raise the kid myself. She's the one that disappeared, not me. Her parents set out looking for me, sure that it was me she'd run away with, but I had no idea where she was either. The next time I saw her, she'd already had the abortion, and then she and her family moved away."Veronica didn't think her heart could break for him anymore than it already had. "Were you in love with her?" she asked as she reached him, touching his face.He shook his head
Noah moved down, spreading her legs. Veronica brought her trembling hand to her mouth and fisted it, right before she felt it his hot mouth on her, sucking, his tongue teasing. The sensation was so amazing she could hardly stand it.Like that morning, he went slow now, driving her insane as the pleasure built quicker this time. She squirmed as his tongue went deeper, moving faster in such a perfect motion her entire body quivered in response. Her hips lifted of their own accord, and incredibly she felt his tongue go even deeper.What he did with his tongue so perfectly, driving her slowly then faster into a complete frenzy, was like nothing she could ever imagine. It was beyond pleasure. Her eyes rolled back as she swallowed hard, arching her back in response to his swirling tongue.His fingers spread her, and his mouth latched on to that perfect spot, making her moan loudly, shamelessly. She'd lost all sense of control, and she didn't even care. She panted riotously now as an explo
Even though last year they'd spent the holidays together and it had been wonderful, technically this was their first Christmas together. Noah told Veronica that made it extra special, but she had an even bigger reason why it was.Picking out the tree this year had been so much easier than all the other years. Somehow she knew no matter what tree she picked, it'd be wonderful because it was their tree.They spent the day decorating the house, singing along to Christmas carols like they had last year. They were finishing up with the last touches of the tree, and Veronica brought out the box with the special tree topper."Ah, the very final touch," Noah said with a smile. "I'll get the stool for you.""Nope, no need," Veronica said, pulling out the crystal star."Why?" Noah slipped his arm around her waist. "Should I just lift you?""No, because you get to do the honors this year." Noah's panicked expression made her laugh. "What?""Me?""Uh huh." She nodded. "Remember the traditi
GIO PrologueThe bloody mouthpiece flying through the air in slow motion as Trinidad's lifeless body hit the floor was just one of the things from that day that would forever be seared into Giovanni Bravo's memory. The screaming was the other. The ref jumped in front of Gio as if he'd even think of still going after Trinidad.Trinidad lay there completely out, and within minutes, it was chaos. He wasn't breathing. The buzzing in Gio's ears got louder as the medics jumped into the ring and began trying resuscitation. People in the audience stood in motionless silence, most holding their hands to their mouths, looking as stunned as Gio felt. He froze where he stood, not even noticing that Abel and Jack stood by his side.They started CPR on Trinidad, pounding forcefully on his chest. That's when the screaming started. The paramedics placed him on a stretcher, continuing to pound on his chest. Trinidad's pregnant wife's screams grew louder as a few people struggled to hold her back
BiancaNana and her mother stared at Bianca as she got off the phone. She hadn't been able to wipe the silly smile off her face fast enough."Was that who I think it was?" Nana asked.Bianca gave in, nodding. Ever since the past summer, she'd been seeing the Felix Sanchez, current middleweight boxing champion of the world. She didn't know a thing about boxing, but everyone, especially in her neighborhood, knew about Felix. She'd gone to high school with him, and he became the local hero when he started winning fight after fight. Then he'd won the championship over a year ago. He was now known worldwide and she was dating him.Although she admitted his being famous and insanely rich was part of the intrigue, she'd actually had a crush on the guy way back in high school. She hadn't seen him in person since she graduated, but last summer when she came up to Big Bear after her grandfather's death, she ran into him. She'd been surprised he remembered her. One thing led to another, and t
GioAbel had offered to give Gio a ride to Big Bear since Felix told him driving his bike in the snow would be a sure death sentence. But Felix insisted on sending a car for him. Some of his other trainers and a driver were already at his compound, getting things set up for his arrival. Gio wasn't sure what he meant by compound, but he sure as hell was surprised when he got there. The property was secluded and tucked away deep in the mountains. And there were several structures on the property. Everything was constructed of logs, but it was luxury beyond anything Gio had ever witnessed.He stood there for a good ten minutes, his still stunned eyes taking everything in. The spiral staircase that went up to the second floor was all made of logs as well. All the furnishings—the tables, lamps, even the full bar—were either made of wood or boasted some kind of wooden accent. The chandeliers throughout were made of antlers: deer or moose or maybe even elk since they were so huge.Gio walk
BiancaBianca struggled to hold it together, but the disappointment was too much. She'd looked forward to today all week—counted the days—the hours. God, she felt pathetic. She prayed her voice wouldn't give. The last thing she wanted was to sound needy. "When will you know?""All I know is they just announced we're snowed in for tonight." Felix spoke quickly. "I've been waiting for hours just to get confirmation of that.""Why did you take so long to get there?""Same reason—the weather. Traffic was horrendous. We still got here on time, but all flights were being grounded because of the blizzard."It was just as he said the word blizzard that she noticed his words were slightly slurred. Immediate thoughts of him actually partying instead of sitting at an airport as he was claiming assaulted her. "Have you been drinking?""I'm not gonna lie. I've been sitting here for hours with nothing else to do. So yeah, I've had a few."She exhaled, feeling a little guilty about immediate