"It's a rough job for a rough girl"
The months that followed Abby's eighteenth birthday blurred into a rhythm. Her days were filled with brutal work, aching muscles, and ended most days with Luke.Winter consumed the Cairngorms. Snow piled against the caravan. Abby’s body changed. Her shoulders broadened,...
"The world outside of school is a hard and sweetly bitter place."
Morgana Hale left the churchyard with dirt under her nails and a hollow ache in her chest that no amount of tears could fill. The world outside Surrey felt vast and hostile, the moors whispering secrets she wasn’t ready to...
"More to learn at school than just education."
Blackmoor Academy, 1991–1998They met on the night the headmistress gave her annual speech about unity and division among the students. Two girls, trembling in identical ways, both trying very hard not to show it.Lilith came from a quiet Tudor cottage...
"Crossing boundaries at CrossFit"
Alex wiped the sweat from his brow, the Colorado sun beating down harder than anything he’d ever felt back in Surrey. At twenty-two, he’d left the misty fields of his family’s small farm in England for this vast ranch in...
"The sweetest desserts come with cream"
I’d known all day he was close to breaking — every glance, every brush of my body against his had wound him tighter. It was delicious, watching him try to maintain composure even as I chipped away at it piece...
"If you go down in the woods today, you'll surely be in for a surprise"
The snow had been falling since dawn, the kind of lazy, drifting flakes that looked pretty until you remembered you were driving up a mountain road with questionable tire tread. Ivy Hartley leaned forward over the steering wheel, her curly...
"All good things must end."
Evening fell over the farm in a golden hush. Candles flickered in their sconces along the hallways, casting warm light on the ancestral portraits that lined the walls. The scent of roasted duck with wild herbs drifted through the dining...
"Signing the agreement is ink, skin and sweat."
Thomas woke to sunlight slipping through the tall shutters, warm against his bare skin. The sheets around him were twisted and damp with sweat, clinging to his body with the evidence of his pleasure like a memory. His limbs felt...
"Caught Not Once, Twice But Three Times"
Samantha and Ethan had been married for five years. While their love for each other had never faded, the spark that had once made their relationship electric had dimmed under the weight of daily routines and responsibilities. During one quiet...
"How K made B finally hers."
K stood on the steps of her childhood home, staring down the driveway that led to the road. Her morning routine had changed little over the years, ever since she’d started jogging to clear her mind after starting university. It...