Showing results by author "J.L. Beck" in All Categories

They say there is always a calm before the storm. A time when you think you’re safe, protected from the destruction that you know is going to eventually come. Harper was that calm. And I? I was the motherf--king storm. As kids, we were best friends. She was the light to my darkness. I used to protect her from her bullies. But now, I’ll become her most feared one. Seeing her for the first time after three years was like a bucket of ice water being poured on me. It chilled me to the bone, making me irrational, angry.

They say the truth will set you free. That’s a lie. The truth got me locked in an ivory tower, a victim of my new husband’s rage. If I’m going to survive, I’m going to have to make Enzo fall back in love with me.

He calls me prey. I call him a bully. Sebastian Arturo isn't just cruel, he's downright terrifying. With piercing green eyes, a body made for doing very bad things, and a charming demeanor, it's no wonder everyone thinks the world of him everyone except me. When I wake up with pieces of my memory missing, he's the only one who can give me answers. But he doesn't give me answers; instead, he tells me to stop asking questions, or else.

The moment Blair Jensen sneered jock at me, I was captivated. Then she poured a beer over my head and walked away like I was nothing. Nobody turned down Cage Wilder, nobody, and I knew then that I had to have her, no matter the consequences. She bruised my ego and embarrassed me in front of my football buddies, turning me into the laughing stock of the team, so I made a bet with them. They claimed there wasn’t any way I could melt the heart of Blair the Ice Queen; after all, she had shown her disgust for me.

I’m the shadows that reach out and take a bite. No one sees me coming, which is why I’m sent to do the things even our fearless leader won’t touch. After months of watching our enemies, it’s time to take them out. I’m ready to feel their blood on my hands, their worthless lives ground to dust. But I don’t get the chance when a dark haired beauty comes crashing into my plans, seeking sanctuary from our enemies. Now I’m stuck on guard duty, babysitting a mafia princess. As tensions rise, the flames of desire flicker between us. We shouldn’t cross that line.

Betrayal cuts the deepest. I would know better than anyone. They never suspected me to be the villain. That didn’t matter anymore, though, because I didn’t just want revenge, I needed it. Leaving my old life behind, I knew I could never return, but there was something … no, someone I had left behind. Scarlett. Kind. Innocent. Fragile. She was a light in the darkness of my life. Back then, she was always meant to be mine, even if having her meant breaking every single rule. Now, enemies or not, she would still be mine.

I made a vow to protect her when we were just kids. First, from the monsters hiding under the bed and then the ones roaming the world freely. My obsession with Dove wasn’t normal. It toed the line on psychotic, but my love for her overshadowed that. I’d killed, destroyed, and hurt those who had done her wrong. I’d watched her for years wanting to claim her but refusing to. I was both her guardian angel and a demon lurking in the shadows. She was mine, even though she didn’t know it yet.

She was a tiny little temptress of a woman that made my blood sing for vengeance. I should be punishing her, breaking her from the inside out after finding her in my father’s clutches. But when I discover the truth that she is just as much of a victim of my father’s wrongdoings as I am, I can’t follow through. I know then that I can’t break my little mouse. Not after she’s lured me in with her big blue doe eyes, strawberry blonde hair, and those pink painted lips that beg to be kissed again and again.

Elyse Silver was never mine to keep. The day I saved her life, I ensured we would forever be enemies. Hating her was easy. Bullying her, as simple as breathing. Stopping myself from falling for her… I had no idea how impossible that would become. The harder I fought, the deeper I fell. Love and happiness have never been part of my plan, but letting Elyse go isn’t an option, either. Unfortunately, the truth always finds a way of revealing itself, and by the time she realizes who the real predator is, it’ll be too late for her to escape the trap I’ve put her in.

He was more than a bully, he was what living nightmares were made of. It started as a childish game played between two friends, which ended in heartbreak. She knew him once. A long time ago they may have even called each other friends. That was before she moved away, before her mother married his father, and before an entire life fell apart. She lost friends, popularity, and a future. This was supposed to be a fresh start, but it was real life hell.

The bet was simple. You draw a name from the hat. That's the girl you have to seduce. The girl you have to make fall head over heels in love with you. It wasn't hard for him to do, in fact, it was something he did all the time. He was known for breaking hearts. Sex was just that, sex. And it didn't take him very long to get a woman on her back. And then he drew her name: Jules Peterson. His former best friend, first kiss, and first love. She shattered his heart into a million pieces three years ago. She left him right when he needed her most.

I knew running from Adrian wouldn't be easy. That there was a risk I would be caught, but I never anticipated he would go to such great lengths to find me. Now that he knows what I've done, I wonder if there will ever be love between us again, or if we were always meant to be enemies?

He promised me one night and I took it, never expecting anything in return. Then a few months later, I see something I shouldn’t have and fate brings us back together again. I didn’t mean to see it and I wasn’t snooping. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but that doesn’t matter to them. I’m a liability. Now Lex is everywhere I am. Following me, watching me, and making sure I don’t tell anyone what I saw that night.

They call me a monster. Murderous and hateful. Beautiful but broken. Nothing can calm the ever raging storm inside of me. As the ruthless leader of the Doubeck family, there is a certain standard of brutality, I have to uphold. Then I meet her. Beautiful, innocent, and so very afraid. Valentina is a rival family's daughter, and the little temptress has purposely tangled herself in my dark web. She seeks me out, needing my help, but the price for what she wants will be steep.

I went to a sex club to lose my virginity, but all I got was the attention of a man I should’ve stayed far away from. Nicholas is dark, dangerous, and charming. When he fails to sweep me off my feet, he finds another way to claim me. Now, locked away in his secluded mansion, I either give him what he wants or risk facing his wrath. This is a dark game, and if I’m not careful I could end up dead—if I don’t lose my soul to him first.

Golden boy. Party king. Trust fund brat. That's what they call me—Lee Sterling, Oakmount University's favorite disaster. Everyone thinks they know me, but they only see what I let them. I’m the guy who can charm his way out of anything and never takes life seriously. But it's all a ruse. They don't see the mask I wear or the cage of family expectations slowly threatening to suffocate me.

Aries: I kept my distance to protect her. My little stepsister with wide eyes and soft smiles—too innocent for a world like mine. But while I was locked away in darkness, he took my place. My name. My life. Her. Now I’m back. Lilian: I was never meant to matter this much. Not to one brother—let alone two. Aries was my almost. The stepbrother I shouldn’t have loved. Arson was the secret. The lie no one warned me about . . . until it was too late. They hate each other. Always have. Always will. But now I’m gone, and the only way to get me back is to work together. Two monsters. One obsession.

Money. It’s the root of all evil and I need it bad. You could call it the wrong place, wrong time. To me the day I met Enzo was the day the old me died. When he kidnaps me thinking I’m the daughter of his enemy, the only thing I can do is pretend to be something I’m not. But the more I pretend, the deeper I fall. Enzo is dark, cruel, and menacing, but he’s protective, fierce, and determined. Soon he wants to forge a contract between our families, making me his bride, but he has no idea I’m not whom he thinks I am and when he finds out … well, I know I’m as good as dead.

Madison is trying her best to escape a life of poverty. Young, innocent, and guarded. She’s finally getting ahead when she witnesses a murder outside the dance studio and finds herself in deep with a dark and dangerous criminal. Archer is smitten by Madison from the moment they meet. The protocol says to leave no witness behind but he can’t imagine hurting her. Against his best judgment he lets her go, but he can’t seem to get her out of his head. Like a stalker he follows her, making certain she doesn’t spill about what she’s seen.

Caught between duty and desire, which will I choose? I promised her father I'd keep her safe, and she is safe, safe from everyone except me.