"Morning, love," Harry murmured, his voice thick with sleep as he nuzzled into the crook of Aria's neck. The early light painted the cabin's wooden walls with a soft, warm glow. Aria's eyes softly open, and she sat up slowly. "Morning," she mumbled, pushing a stray lock of hair out of her face. The gentle sway of the ship beneath them was a familiar lullaby, one that had rocked them both to sleep countless times before. T...

[B] I planned it all, and it worked to perfection. As soon as R told me G was coming to her wedding on his own, I decided. You can call it old time's sake or whatever you like. I call it lust. [G] R was an old school friend. She and B had been almost joined at the hip. She was the first of our group to marry. My girlfriend, younger than us, had just started university and wasn't coming along. I almost didn't go myself; it...

Mmmm, the smell of the coffee brewing in the kitchen and the perfume of my Pam from her pillow. A wonderful start to the day. Of course, not knowing what Pam will or will not be wearing is a wonderful tease. “Good morning, my Love. I hope you slept as well as I did,” Pam’s voice lilted through the air. She was wearing an oversized tee shirt. “This morning’s choices are coffee or coffee. No coochie. You have an important m...

The rain came down in relentless sheets, pooling in the cracked asphalt of the alleyways and reflecting the neon glow of the city’s flickering signs. Nothing washed away the grime here, not even the rain. It was a place where shadows had lives of their own, where secrets festered beneath the surface. Tonight, those secrets belonged to Vera Lux, and she was dead. I lit a cigarette, the smoke curling into the damp night air...

The next morning, I woke up to the smell of bacon and coffee. I sat up, rubbed my eyes and realized what occurred last night. Did that really happen? I rolled out of bed and found my clothes had been washed and neatly laid on a dresser nearby. After I freshened up and dressed, I found Beth in the kitchen, putting some dishes in the dishwasher. A plate with some bacon was near the stove, and the coffee pot close by. Beth w...

Mari slowly blinked her eyes open, the bright morning light filtering through the gap in the curtains. The room was unfamiliar, a cozy mess of tangled sheets and discarded clothes scattered across the floor. The faint smell of last night's intimacy hung in the air. He lay beside her, one arm draped possessively across her waist, his breathing steady and deep. Jack's face was peaceful in slumber, a stark contrast to the tu...

Mari's eyes scanned the worn pages of the book she had picked up from the small, local Bristol Cove bookstore earlier that day. It was a quiet afternoon in the cafe, the soft murmur of distant conversations and the waves of the nearby beach the only sounds to keep her company. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the faint scent of the sea wafted through the air, melding together to create a comforting ambiance that she...

I had to stay late for a staff meeting at work, and by the time I got home, the sun was beginning its steady descent in the sky. Letting myself into the apartment, I heard activity coming from our kitchen and knew Brandon was making dinner. When I appeared in the kitchen doorway, he looked up and offered me a big smile. "Hey, sweetheart. How was your day?" "Long," I said, returning his smile. "Thank you so much for cookin...

Aria Stormblade's eyes fluttered open, her gaze sharper than the blade of the dagger she kept beneath her pillow. The early morning sunlight tiptoed into the cabin, kissing her skin with a warm glow. She lay there, feeling the steady rhythm of Harry's breath on her neck, his arms wrapped protectively around her. His embrace was a comfort she hadn't known she needed until she had found it in the throes of passion and battl...

I had moved into this shared apartment since I needed a cheap place to stay as I was attending university. It's an old-fashioned apartment with beautiful, though crumbling, ceiling features. Wooden, hand-carved wall panels, that have been painted over more times than one can count. The apartment is as beautiful as it is a travesty. But it’s close to the university and with five other roommates, it’s also cheap. My roommat...

When I was in high school, my circle of friends was small, including a couple of guys and a few girls. My best friend Eric and his girlfriend, Bailey married after graduation. We knew this would occur, as they were a pair since middle school. When we became high school seniors, Eric had grown to six foot, three inches tall, roughly two hundred pounds, and played football and baseball, while Bailey was a cheerleader since...