Showing results by author "Kylie Kent" in All Categories

Lailani Out of all the jobs I’ve had over the years, this has to be the most mundane. It requires me to be someone completely different. A meek, quiet girl working to put herself through college. I really do deserve an Oscar. It’s easy money, though. And honestly, it almost feels like a vacation compared to the assignments I’m used to taking on. I’ve even managed to score myself a quick fling with a hot-as-sin bad boy. The problem is, he’s fallen for the act and has no idea who I really am.

Blood. Pain. Tears. Despair. Hate. All words I associate with those around me. But it’s true what they say. You can’t choose your family. And mine? Well, I don’t think anyone would choose them. I’m the daughter of a notorious Don. A daughter who is nothing more than a piece of meat to be used as a bargaining chip. Which is exactly what my father has done. I can either go along with his plan to marry me off to a stranger. Or I can refuse and pay for it with my life. Love. I always thought that one was made up. A fairy tale that had no place in the real world.

My mother taught me one valuable lesson that I’ve used to get to where I am today. And where am I? Las Vegas. Who am I? Well, that depends on who you are. To some, I’m the king. The judge, juror, and executioner. To others, I’m just another rich asshole who owns a few casinos. But I own more than that. I own the strip and the streets surrounding it. I own this city, and it’ll have to be wrenched from my cold, dead hands before I hand it over to anyone else.

My whole life was mapped out, designed for me, before I was even a twinkle in my old man’s eye. I am the heir to the Valentino throne. A kingdom built with blood and dirty money. But one I’ll rule all the same. My father was the youngest Don to ever be crowned king. However, with any luck, the controlling bastard will drop soon, allowing me to beat his record by a few years.

Work, sleep, and sometimes eat. Rinse and repeat. That’s been my life for the past two years. One struggle after another. Fighting to keep my sister alive. Fighting to maintain the strength to not give up. I had everything under control. I had a routine. Order. Until a certain Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Handsome turned my world on its axis. He’s relentless. No matter how much I shut him down, he keeps showing up.

Most men I date are scared away as soon as they meet my family. Travis isn’t most men. He’s stared down the barrel of my father’s gun without flinching. He should have run, though. If he had, he wouldn’t be lying in a hospital bed right now. I never wanted to believe my family would be capable of doing this. But that little voice in the back of my head likes to remind me of who I am. Who I’ll always be. Liliana Valentino, daughter of Theo Valentino, the current Don of the Valentino Crime Family.

Have you ever loved someone so much it physically hurts? That’s how much I love my best friend, Matteo Valentino. It’s also the reason I’ve done everything I can to make sure he’s firmly rooted in the friend zone. I’d rather keep him at a distance than ruin what we have by giving into the attraction constantly sparking between us. That is until I wake up next to him with no recollection of how I ended up in his bed.

A lie. Presenting a false impression. To be deceptive. That’s what I am. A lie. My family sees one version of me. The world sees another. Neither is real. I like it that way. Prefer it even. And then there’s her. She sees right through the lie. Through me. And no matter how much I try, there doesn’t seem to be a damn thing I can do to hide from her.

Being the eldest son has always been a blessing and a curse. I was raised to be one thing and one thing only. A monster. My father did everything in his power to make sure that’s exactly what I became too. He wasn’t expecting that the monster he created would be the one to take him out though. Now I’m in charge. Of the family, the empire. Everything. I’m learning real fast that being the boss isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The first order of business was finding a new place to live.

Everything we’ve built is crashing down around me. I’m consumed by the darkness, my blood boiling with the need for revenge. My wife is the only light in my life; she’s the very reason I keep on fighting. They’re coming after me. And worse yet, they’re coming after her. But let them come.... I’m waiting. We’re waiting. To send them all back to the hell they crawled out of. I just hope the city’s prepared. Because New York’s never seen a war like this one.

Every girl thinks they can tame the bad boy, right? They’re wrong. Bad boys can’t be tamed. And they really shouldn’t be. Because that’s part of their allure in the first place. Vin De Bellis is the definition of a broken heart waiting to happen. But when he touches me, my entire body lights up. The darkness that’s usually behind his eyes vanishes and a lightness shines through. It’s the return of that darkness that scares me. Like I said, some people can’t be saved.

Hockey has always been my sole focus, getting to the playoffs, winning the Stanley Cup—that’s my number one goal. I won’t let the fact that I’ve just been traded to a new team derail my future. Nor will the daughter of the so-called King of Canada, aka my new boss. Aliyah, the gorgeous, feisty brunette who’s just been assigned as my official “babysitter.” Although, when you're trapped in a room with a temptation like her, there’s only so much restraint one man can have.

Luca Would you risk it all—your career, your dream, your life—to save a stranger? I would. I did. Except, in saving her, I destroyed any chance at living out the future I was destined for. They say what I did was reckless. What they don’t know is that I’d do it all again if it meant meeting her. My bellezza.

I never thought I would be seeking shelter here of all places. I’m out of options though. I needed a place to hide out. Somewhere I could get my bearings and develop a plan to get myself out of the mess I’ve landed in. It was a fail-proof plan. Then he found me. I’ve escaped one monster, only to be captured by another. He’s determined to break me, to uncover the secrets I’m hiding. But this is one secret I can’t let him discover. Can I escape him before he ruins everything? Before he ruins me?

Five years ago, my life was turned upside down. I’ve avoided any kind of emotional connections with men. The walls I built up around my heart have a foundation no man has been able to crack. That is until Bray freaking Williamson came crashing down on me. On the outside, he’s the bad boy your mother warns you about. On the inside, he’s the prince charming your father always hoped you’d find. Just when I think I can let my guard down and let him into my heart, my whole world shatters when he’s taken away from me.

Emily came crashing back into my life, bringing with her everything I was missing. But she’s not the same girl I knew years ago. Gone is the girl who was always happy and eager to please everyone. The one who didn’t let life get her down. She’s conquered her demons, but they still haunt her whenever she closes her eyes. Her screams tear through the darkness night after night. She thinks she needs to get away, to keep running. To leave me behind. But I won’t lose her again. I will slay anything, anyone, who thinks they can get in the way of my keeping her.

Four years ago, I did the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I walked away from the love of my life. She was young; she needed to go and live her dreams without me dragging her into my darkness. She’s also the little sister of my best friend. Now, Ella is back, and she’s not 18 anymore. I’m not going to make the same mistake twice. She is mine. I will make sure everyone knows it, including her.

Everything was perfect until it wasn’t. Nobody warns you that it can all be taken away in the blink of an eye. Now my life revolves around working two part-time jobs to make ends meet while taking care of my daughter alone. Ensuring she doesn’t drown in my grief. When Graycee asks to play hockey, I scrape and save enough to sign her up for the local youth league. The smile on her face as she steps out onto the ice makes every sacrifice worth it.

A second chance at love isn’t in the cards for me. A second chance at love isn’t in the cards for me. Which is why when I meet Aria Swan in a bar one night and she offers up a solution to both of our problems, I actually consider her proposal. I mean, where’s the harm in playing house for a bit? It’s not like I’m going to fall in love with her. A fact that will make terminating this little arrangement at the end of the year easy. Even if her touch has this way of melting the icy coldness surrounding my heart....

Romeo: fictional, someone who can fall in love with his whole heart, without a shred of doubt. The thing about fictional characters is just that; they’re not real. That kind of love doesn’t exist outside of the pages of books. At least, that’s what I thought… Until I saw her. And it was like getting shot, like taking a led bullet straight to the heart. It hurt, burned deep in my soul. She isn’t the Juliet to my Romeo. Because she doesn’t simply come from an opposing house.