Novels by Keoni

I never thought I’d be standing there in the dining hall, my heart pounding, staring at the back of some guy’s messy hair while my teammates laughed about something stupid. But here I was. Coach had been on my ass for weeks about my biology grade. Hawkins was a total hardass, and if I didn’t fix this mess by Friday, I’d be riding the bench for the rest of the season. No Nike posters, no starting spot, just me watching from the sidelines while everyone else played.I spotted him at the corner table with his nerd friends. Vincent. The TA for Hawkins’ class. Tall, lanky but with muscle in that quiet way, with those wired glasses and ruffled hair that always looked like he’d just rolled out of bed. He was wearing a black shirt and grey sweatpants, arguing about video games like it was life or death. To everyone else, he was invisible. But I’d noticed him during lectures. The way he explained stuff at the board, calm and sure, like the complicated shit actually made sense to him.My stoma

Marcus carried me up the stairs like I was his favorite prize. One strong arm held my ass, the other wrapped tight around my waist. My soaked panties rubbed against his hot, sweaty skin with every step. I felt his thick, rock-hard cock pressing against my thigh. Fear and excitement twisted tight in my belly as he pushed open the big doors to his bedroom.The room felt dark and rich. Soft silk sheets covered the huge bed. Big windows looked out over the pool. The air smelled like his cologne and warm leather. Mom’s things sat on the table, but he didn’t even look at them. His eyes stayed locked on me.He kicked the door shut and tossed me onto the bed. I bounced softly, my skirt flipping up. My heart pounded … anger at how easily he moved me, fear of what came next, and a deep, shameful thrill at being wanted so badly.“Strip,” he ordered, his voice low and rough. He pushed his shorts down. His cock sprang out.It was massive. Thick, veined, and long. The fat head already leaked clear

I never should have come home early.The big house was quiet because Mom was off in Paris again, lost in her shopping and secret flings. The marble floors gleamed under the lights, and the room smelled of leather and whiskey.This place belonged to Marcus. My stepdad. At forty-six, Marcus looked like pure sin in a suit. Tall, broad shoulders, strong jaw with a hint of dark stubble, and those sharp grey eyes that could pin you down with one look. He owned half the city and had powerful men eating from his hand. Me? I was just Lila, his nineteen-year-old stepdaughter. The girl dropped into his world when Mom married him three years ago.I told myself I hated him. The way he set rules, watched my spending, and filled every room with his heavy presence. But hate didn’t explain the hot ache between my legs every time he said my name in that deep, bossy voice.I dropped my bag by the door and kicked off my heels. My tiny denim skirt rode up my thighs as I walked barefoot toward the kitche

I spent most of the morning trying to act normal. Mom had me help her bake cookies for some neighborhood thing, and my step-dad was out running errands. Robb was supposed to be fixing something in the garage, but every time I looked up he was somewhere nearby,leaning in the doorway watching me, or walking past the kitchen with his shirt sticking to his back from the cold.Each glance felt heavier than the last. Like we had this secret now, and the air crackled every time our eyes met.Around noon Mom went upstairs for a nap. Step-dad still wasn’t back. The house got quiet again, that dangerous kind of quiet.I was wiping down the counter when Robb came in from the garage. His hands were a little dirty, sleeves pushed up, showing off the tattoos that ran down his forearms. He didn’t say anything at first. Just grabbed a glass of water and stood there drinking it, watching me over the rim.“You’ve been quiet today,” he said finally, setting the glass down.“Trying not to make it obvious

The movie ended but neither of us moved to change it. The TV just kept on playing some random trailer on low volume while the room got darker as the afternoon light faded outside. I was curled under the blanket, pulling my knees up, but my body felt too aware of everything,especially him.Robb had shifted closer at some point. Not obviously. Just enough that his arm along the back of the couch was now behind my shoulders, and every time I breathed I caught that warm, clean scent of him again. My heart hadn’t settled since breakfast.“You cold?” he asked, his voice low.“A little,” I lied. I wasn’t cold at all. I was burning up.He tugged the blanket higher over my lap, his fingers brushing my thigh through the fabric. His touch lingered for a second longer. As I swallowed hard.“Thanks.”He nodded, eyes back on the screen, but I could feel him watching me from the corner of his eye. The silence stretched again, comfortable but uncomfortable at the same time.“So,” he said after a min

I never thought I’d be back in Ohio this Christmas. Not willingly, anyway.My name’s Leslie. I’m twenty at NYU, crashing in a noisy hostel in the city. The last place I wanted to be was the quiet house in my boring hometown where my mom had just married some guy I barely knew. But when the phone rang at six in the morning and a calm male voice told me she’d had a “minor stroke” and I needed to come home, I threw my clothes into a bag and caught the first train out. My stomach was knotted the whole ride.When I finally dragged my suitcase up the front steps and knocked, the door swung open fast.He filled the doorway. Tall, broad-shouldered, maybe twenty-three or twenty-four, with messy dark hair and sharp green eyes that locked on mine like he already knew me. A plain black t-shirt stretched across his chest, and tattoos peeked from under the sleeves,nothing fancy, just real ink on real skin.“You must be Leslie,” he said, voice low and a little rough. “I’m Robb. Come on in.”Step-bro

Mike's POVI stood by the window after Bree left, my hands gripping the frame so hard my knuckles turned white.The nightmare was still fresh in my mind. Olivia's face. Her lies. The moment I'd found her copying files from my computer, smiling like nothing was wrong."It's just business, Mike. Nothing personal."That's what she'd said.Like destroying me was just another transaction.I pressed my forehead against the cool glass, trying to calm my racing heart.Bree's voice echoed in my head. "I hope you stop having nightmares. Nobody deserves to hurt like that."She'd sounded... genuine.But so had Olivia. So had every person who'd ever lied to me.I turned away from the window and sat on the edge of my bed, head in my hands.The look on Bree's face when she'd found me having that nightmare... it hadn't been calculating or manipulative. It had been concerned. Almost... sad."Because Juliet drugged me!"Her words kept replaying in my mind.What if she was telling the truth?What if I'd

Mike's POVI stood in the foyer long after Bree had gone upstairs, my hands shoved in my pockets.Marcus was still there, waiting for instructions."How bad was it?" I asked."One photographer. Persistent but not aggressive. I made sure he didn't follow us." Marcus paused. "She was shaken though."I nodded slowly. "Thanks for taking care of it.""That's my job." Marcus shifted his weight. "Sir, if I may... she seems genuinely scared. Not of the photographer. Of everything."I looked at him sharply. "What are you saying?""Nothing." Marcus raised his hands slightly. "Just an observation. I've worked security for a lot of families. I know the difference between someone playing a role and someone who's actually trapped."He left before I could respond.I stood there, his words echoing in my head.Someone who's actually trapped.Was that what Bree was?Or was Marcus just another person she'd fooled?I walked to the bottom of the stairs, looking up toward the second floor where Bree's room

Mike's POVI stood in my bedroom, staring out the window at the long driveway where Brianna's car had just disappeared.My hands were still clenched into fists.That woman. That cruel woman.I'd heard stories about toxic family members. Seen them in business deals, at social events. People who used guilt and manipulation like weapons.But seeing it in person... seeing the way Bree had shrunk in on herself, the way her voice had gotten so small and broken... it had made something twist in my chest.Something I didn't want to feel.I'd told myself Bree was like Olivia. A liar. A manipulator. Someone who'd trapped me for money or status or whatever game she was playing.But Olivia had never looked like that. Olivia had never trembled or whispered or looked like she wanted to disappear into the floor.Olivia had been confident. Smooth. Always in control.Bree was... different.I pressed my palms against the window frame, trying to push away the thoughts crowding my mind.The way Brianna h

Bree's POVI was still shaking from last night's break-in when the doorbell rang the next afternoon.I was in the library, trying to read but mostly just staring at the same page over and over. The USB drive was hidden in my room, tucked inside the lining of my suitcase. The photos were backed up on my phone.Evidence. Finally.But I still didn't know what to do with it.The doorbell rang again, longer this time. Insistent.I heard footsteps in the hallway... one of the staff answering it.Then a voice I recognized immediately made my blood run cold."I'm here to see my niece."No.No, no, no.I stood up so fast the book fell from my lap and hit the floor with a loud thud.Aunt Brianna.What was she doing here?I rushed to the library door just as I heard her heels clicking across the marble entryway."Miss, if you could just wait..." the staff member was saying."I don't need to wait," Aunt Brianna's sharp voice cut through. "I'm family."I stepped into the hallway and froze.There s

Bree's POV"What did you tell him?" Mike demanded again, his voice sharper this time.I stood up from the window seat. "Nothing.""Don't lie to me." He took another step closer. "I saw how he looked at you. What did you say?""I didn't say anything!" My voice cracked. "He asked if I was okay. That's all."Mike's eyes narrowed. "And what did you tell him?""I said I was fine.""You're lying.""I'm not...""You told him something," Mike accused, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "I know you did. That's why he looked at me like I'm some kind of monster."My heart pounded. "Maybe he looked at you like that because of how you've been treating me."The words came out before I could stop them.Mike's expression darkened. "How I've been treating you?""Yes." I forced myself to stand straighter, even though I was trembling. "You blame me for everything. You won't listen. You won't even look at me unless it's to tell me I'm doing something wrong.""Because you ruined my life," he said

Bree's POVI was in the kitchen the next morning, staring at a cup of coffee I didn't really want, when the doorbell rang.I froze.Nobody just showed up at the Kings estate. Everyone who came here was scheduled, announced, expected.I heard footsteps in the hallway... one of the staff, probably... and then voices. Male voices.One I recognized as Mike's. The other was unfamiliar but warm, almost friendly.Curiosity pulled me toward the doorway. I peeked around the corner just as Mike appeared with another man.The stranger was tall, maybe early thirties, with sandy brown hair and an easy smile. He wore a casual button-down and jeans... completely different from Mike's usual sharp suits."I told you to call first," Mike was saying, his tone irritated."And I told you I don't need an appointment to check on my business partner," the man replied, grinning. "Besides, I wanted to meet the famous Mrs. Kings."My stomach dropped.Mike's jaw tightened. "Nathan...""Is that her?" Nathan's ey