Showing results by author "Willow Winters" in All Categories

His chiseled jaw and silver gaze haunts both my nightmares and my dreams, though I’ve only ever gotten a glimpse of either. There’s a treaty between us and them; mere mortals and the ones who terrify but keep us safe. The contract demands that every year there’s an offering, and this year I’ll walk across that stage presenting myself.

I saw her from across the bar. My bar. My city. Everything in that world belonged to me. She stood out from the crowd like she was looking for someone to blame for her pain. That night, I felt the depths of my mistakes. I felt my scars. With a single glance, I knew her touch would take it all away. I craved it more than anything. I knew she would be a tempting, beautiful mistake. One I would make again and again...even if it cost me everything.

I'm not a good man, but I've never claimed to be. I'm the muscle for the Valetti crime family, and I fit the part with my hard, ripped abs, broad shoulders and cocky attitude. I've never wanted for anything, until I met her. A woman I can never have. She's forbidden. Just being seen together would put a target on both our backs. I can't help imagining those lush, sassy lips wrapped around the one part of me that doesn't give a damn she's off-limits.

From Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author Willow Winters comes a highest bidder holiday short story.

Don't judge a book by its cover. You'll tell me you don't...but you already think you know what my story's about. You have no idea. Just like the people sitting in this courtroom. She asked for it. That's what they keep saying. And no, it's not because my skirt was too short or I was drunk at a party. It's nothing like that. It's because of what I like and how I like it. They're judging me as I sit in the front row, my eyes drawn to the man on trial. If I'd known it was going to end like this, I never would have gone home with him. But he's the type of man I just can't say no to.

I fell for someone I shouldn’t have. I’m not the only person to ever do such a thing. I know that. And I’m not an awful person for desiring his touch, his kiss, his everything...but I knew I shouldn’t have indulged. There’s something about knowing it’s wrong that tempts me that much more. The seduction became a game with higher stakes than any before him. In fact, it was only ever him. The thing is, I knew I shouldn’t. Now that the game is over and the pieces have fallen...I know I should have just walked away. There’s no way out of the wreckage.

Power and riches mean nothing if you have nothing to live for. A lifetime of wealth beyond imagine and a throne to rule have kept the pain at bay. With a tragic beginning I was prepared for a tragic end: the death of our kind and the final reign of the dragons.

Some love stories are a slow burn. Others are quick to ignite, scorching and branding your very soul before you’ve taken that first breath. You’re never given a chance to run from it. That’s how I’d describe what happened to us. Everything around me blurred and all that existed were his lips, his touch.... The chase and the heat between us became addictive. Our nights together were a distraction, one we craved to the point of letting the world crumble around us.

I'm used to getting what I want. But I've never wanted anyone like her. I'm the CEO. I dominate the boardroom with my presence. What I want, I get. I have the world at my beck and call. But that no longer excites me. Nothing does. Until she comes along. My Rose. Her deep blue eyes. Her tempting curves. They call to me, holding my attention like nothing has in years. I should walk away, but the soft sighs spilling from her plump lips are addictive.

It was never love with Daniel, and I never thought it would be. It was only lust from a distance. Unrequited love maybe. He's a man I could never have, for so many reasons. That didn't stop my heart from beating wildly when his eyes pierced through me. It only slowed back down when he'd look away, making me feel so damn unworthy and reminding me that he would never be mine.

One look, and panties drop. One night, and they're ready to marry me. Too bad I'm not interested in anything more than a taste. Until I'm tempted by Little Miss Goody-Two-Shoes. She's a good girl, the kind I want to possess, dominate, ruin. No one's ever told me no, and I'm not about to let it stop me now.

He holds a power over me like no one else ever could. Maybe it’s because my heart begs to beat in time with his. Maybe it’s because my body bows to his and his alone. Maybe it’s because he thought he loved me before he even laid eyes on me. He thought wrong. It wasn’t me he thought he loved, and nothing has made me suffer like that little secret has. He thought I belonged to him, but he was wrong. It was never supposed to be me.

Romantic. Addictive. Second chance wishes and first time kisses. Everything you need for a cozy story. You’ll devour each of these winter stories down to the last page.

We were never meant to be together. He’s a bartender with noncommittal tendencies. I’m looking for…the opposite. Commitment. Period. But drinks and a bet led to something it shouldn’t have: a fake relationship. Worse, a first date, a first kiss…and then more. He’s addictive and I can’t bring myself to accept the reality. That it’s all a lie and I’m fooling myself by thinking he could want more. That I could change him.

They thought I would do my job. They thought I would kill her. They thought wrong. I'm a dangerous man. It only takes one panty-dropping, mouth-watering look to know it. You may be fooled by my good looks and charm. But my eyes give it away. I'm the hitman for the Valetti familia. They want men to talk, and I make them talk. They want men gone - bang, it's done. It's as simple as that. Until her.

I was raised to be ruthless, and as muscle for the Petrov mafia, that's all I am.Then she got caught in the crossfire, and when it was over, she was mine - given as a temporary gift. Once a mafia princess, now just a bargaining chip, she wasn't a part of my plans. She's scared, alone, and has the most perfect, innocent baby blues that beg me to protect her. There's not an ounce of good in me. I don't deserve her, but I want her. I want her sweet submission and tempting curves, at any cost.

Nathan always had the most beautiful smile. Every time I caught a glimpse of it, I had to smile too. It didn’t matter that he grew up on the wrong side of the city, I saw the good in him…even when he didn’t.

That wasn’t enough to keep us together in high school though. One night ruined everything. A night I’ll never forget.

Years have passed and now he’s on the cover of magazines and the star of movies. The reformed bad boy with with a charming smile that makes women weak in the knees.

I should feel shame for not wanting this to end, but he doesn’t want it to end either. When the darkness sets in, the flames all flickered out, and the loud click of the locks signal it’s over, that’s when reality comes back. The war. The drugs. All of the lies that leave a tangled web for me to get lost in. I don’t want any of it. I only want him. Jase Cross. My enemy. And yet, the only person I trust...Jase Cross will be my downfall.

I should have known when I couldn’t keep my eyes off her that this would be a mistake. I was hired to protect her, this woman who’s lost everything, yet there’s an obvious fire that blazes behind her beautiful gaze. She stares back, daring and tempting me. It calls to a side of me that’s darker and longs to tame her. We both have secrets; we both have a past we’re not ready to face. More than that, we both want to get lost in each other.

I fell in love with a boy a long time ago. I was only a small girl. Scared and frightened, I was taken from my home and held against my will. His father hurt me, but he protected me and kept me safe as best he could. Until I left him. I ran the first chance I got, and even though I knew he wasn't behind me, I didn't stop. The branches lashed out at me, punishing me for leaving him in the hands of a monster. I've never felt such guilt in my life. Although I survived, the boy was never found. I prayed for him to be safe. I dreamed he'd be all right and come back to me.