How Does This Sweet Sickness End And Why?

Giselle Stone has been with Jonathan Lawson for seven years, but that means nothing to him compared to the excitement and novelty of being with someone new. She's always considered herself someone who could protect other people's relationships, but Jonathan's heart is one that she can't keep. When she realizes it's over between them, she tells him she wants to call off the engagement. Jonathan's gaze is cold as he confidently says, "You'll regret this, Giselle." Everyone is waiting to see her make a fool of herself, but the man behind her wraps an arm around her waist. He rests his jaw on her shoulder as his warm breath fans over her. "Do you know what's the most vindicative thing to do when getting revenge on your ex? Marry me, Gigi. That way, you'll be Jonathan's aunt."

One reckless night. One forbidden crush. One playboy who sees her fire. She’s loved her best friend Frank in silence for six years—until the man from her drunken one-night stand turns out to be Eric, the rich, dangerous playboy brother of the woman Frank wants. Eric isn’t supposed to care. He’s the man every girl wants and the one she should stay away from. But when their paths cross again, his teasing turns possessive, his protection turns personal, and his kiss reminds her what it feels like to be seen. She’s tired of being the invisible girl. He’s the man who sees everything she hides. But falling for him could destroy everything she’s ever known.

Some moments you plan for while most of the good ones, you don’t. Sweet Surrender is a collection of stories about the moments right before everything changes. It’s a storm that leaves two strangers with nowhere to run, a work trip that blurs every line that was supposed to stay straight, a wedding where the wrong person says exactly the right thing. These aren’t stories about perfect people making perfect choices. They’re a little guarded, a little stubborn to the point that whoever finds themselves in situations that make resisting feel pointless and surrender feel like the smartest and easiest thing they’ve ever done. Come in and get comfortable. Don’t make plans for the rest of the evening.

The little boy I had saved when we were kids grew up to be a possessive, obsessive CEO. For ten years, he kept me by his side, using my grandmother's illness as a bargaining chip to force me into marrying him. He tried everything to win my heart, pulling every trick in the book, but no matter what he did, he could never make me love him. In a fit of rage, he found a woman who looked almost exactly like me to take my place. They flaunted their relationship for everyone to see, and people whispered that the CEO had finally found his true love. But that day, the woman, riding on his affection, barged into the villa with her entourage. She broke my fingers one by one, slashed my face with a utility knife, and removed my clothes to humiliate me. "Even though you had surgery to look like me, I'll let that slide. But you even learned to paint like me, too? You really did your homework. Let's see how you try to seduce men now!" Just as I was bleeding out and on the verge of death, the obsessive CEO finally showed up. The stand-in grabbed my hair and dragged me in front of him, smugly reporting, "Honey, this wench was hiding in the villa trying to seduce you. I've made sure she can't succeed!"

At the celebration where Lorenzo Alvarez is crowned the new mafia boss, his men arrange a few performances. A dancer in a backless top and short skirt twists around the pole under the lights. "Don't look," he murmurs, covering my eyes with his hand. "This kind of cheap entertainment isn't worthy of you." His men jump in immediately. "Lorenzo still spoils Ms. Valenti after all these years. That kind of devotion is rare. We're so jealous." "A man as loyal and single-minded as Lorenzo is hard to find." I rest a hand on my belly, planning to tell him tonight that I am pregnant. But when I return from the restroom, I see the same man who had just held me in his arms leaning back in his chair while the dancer straddles his lap. Lorenzo slips his business card and a thick fold of cash into the waistband of her skirt. He laughs, relaxed and unbothered. "Isabella is wonderful, sure, but life needs a little passion. This ragazza is just something new. A bit of fun. "Keep your mouths shut. Don't go running to Isabella and upset her. Otherwise, you'll have a problem." Cold rushes through me. I do not approach or confront Lorenzo. I simply take out my phone and answer the email I have been avoiding for days. "I agree to participate in the confidential experiment."

Not even in his wildest dreams did Ryan McCartney thought he would meet someone who could tame him as Valentina did. After getting married to her and divorcing her, he thought it would all end, but he found himself falling for her all over again.