Brief Bedford Reader Novels & Stories

"Before you get too excited, Mom, I turned him down. Forget the dress, and the dance," added Gwen. "You turned down a date with that hunk, Gwen? What on earth were you thinking?" asked a stunned Kate. "Girls will kill for a date with that guy. I know I would!" .......... No one had ever asked her out so soon after meeting her. In fact, only a couple of guys had ever even hinted that they would like to date her and she had quickly dashed their hopes. Gwen was very accomplished in her studies and was on track to graduate first in her class. She wanted to be a surgeon and she had long ago decided that fleeting emotional entanglements would not advance her career plans. She was also an avid reader and a born romantic. She was determined to not settle for some mundane romance. In fact, she would settle for nothing less than a love like Juliet had with Romeo. The boys that had shown any interest in her thus far had simply not measured up. She finally sees her path to redemption. Both of them will stop at nothing to change the world. But will the passion they discover in each other be enough to save the world?

A centuries old tale of a woman who grants wishes to lonely souls haunts the mind of the new generation. Charlie Peddington is a broke, aspiring writer who wishes to write and publish her very first novel that would blow the minds of every reader she could imagine. She spends her time struggling in between master classes and in being a ghost writer to any student needing her service. As part of her final project, she's tasked to write the most out of this world story she could ever come up, with the possibility of being introduced to a well-known publisher courtesy of her mentor. But how does she make her story excel amongst the new generation of creators? Until an unfortunate event brought her to the life of a mysterious woman who rescued her one night. Her curiosity got the best of her, that when she learned of her identity, she realizes she could no longer turn her back against the things that she is about to discover. How will she fare against a half jinni, half witch who has lived for hundreds of centuries filled with the most out of this world stories she can ever imagine?

WARNING: ADULT CONTENT It contains mature themes, explicit language, graphic violence, strong emotional content, and sexually suggestive situations that may not be suitable for younger audiences or sensitive readers. Reader discretion is advised. By continuing, you confirm that you are at least 18 years old and understand that this story contains dark and mature elements meant for adult readers only. In a world where desire knows no limits, Flames of Hot & Steamy Collections burns with forbidden passion and raw, unfiltered lust. From a young woman’s obsessive craving for her handsome stepdad, to a hockey captain begging his dominant coach to claim him, from rival basketball players surrendering to heated rivalry-fueled intimacy, to a poor student corrupted by her rich roommate’s wicked temptations, and powerful alphas locked in primal, possessive mating — this scorching anthology delivers five intensely spicy stories that push every boundary. Steamy age-gap taboo. Sweaty MM locker room secrets. Seductive FF enemies-to-lovers heat. And so much more. If you crave filthy, heart-pounding encounters that leave you dripping and desperate for more, step into the flames of Hot & Steamy Collections Where every taboo desire is set on fire.

"I brought you here because you're my mate." "mate?" I ask incredulously. "yes. And I plan to make sure that you remain here, Tammy. Even if you try to run away from this, I will keep bringing you back every single time." Tammy is a nurse living a normal life. That changes after an encounter with a mysterious man, as her world begins to turn upsidedown. Adam Grayson, the next-in-line alpha of the skyline pack has been searching for his mate for eight years. His search comes to an end after a brief meeting with her, but claiming her poses a problem for him, so he begins making plans to get her. With the time of witch's curse manifestation approaching, Adam uses that to his advantage and gets ignorant his mate, Tammy, to cater for the wolves of his pack. And with her stay in the pack house, new developments occur, which disrupts her past and threatens her future with Adam. Will they still come together after terrible secrets unfold? Or would their bond be shattered? A scream pierces the air, and I whirl around, my attention now on the crowd. The lady, Amanda, points a trembling finger at me. "A witch! We have a witch among us!" I shake my head. "What? No!" I cry. "I'm not a witch!" "Witch! Witch! Witch!" The chants rise from the crowd. I turn back to Adam. "Adam, tell them I'm not a witch. Adam please!"

The 99th time my fiancé, Draven, hung up on me, I dragged myself to the family's church, my diagnosis of end-stage renal disease clutched in my hand. "Father, I wish to renounce the Rocci family and break off my engagement to Draven Frost." The words had barely left my lips when my parents burst in with my adopted sister, Bianca. My father, the family's Consigliere, didn't hesitate. He slapped me across the face, right there in front of the priest. "Your fiancé is a respected Capo in our world, and you choose to insult him like this!" "You're dragging our family's name through the mud in front of the whole organization!" My mother snatched the diagnosis from my hand, sneering after a brief glance. "Playing sick for attention again, are you? What is it you want this time?" My adopted sister, Bianca, clung to our parents' arms, her voice choked with tears. "I'm so sorry, sister. You can have my place at the gala. Please, just stop making trouble for Mom and Dad!" I wiped the blood trickling from my nose and calmly repeated my words to the priest. "I am no longer a daughter of the Rocci family. I am not worthy of an alliance with the Frosts." "I will be dead in three days. I want this engagement broken before then."

I had taken leave from the sealed research institute where I'd been confined for six years, just so I could attend my daughter's kindergarten graduation. The moment I stepped through the gates, I froze. A woman holding a little boy by the hand was shoving my daughter, Amy, straight into the gutter. She slapped Amy across the face, then sneered for everyone to hear, spitting venom as she called my little girl a filthy wretch. Drenched in filthy water, Amy dropped to her knees before the woman, trembling in humiliation. Rage burned through me. I stormed forward and slapped the woman across the face. But instead of shame, she jabbed a finger at my nose and shouted, "Do you even know who I am? To offend me is to offend the entire Grant family!" Tears welled in Amy's eyes as she tugged at my sleeve, pleading in a choked voice, "Please leave… she's my dad's nanny. My dad will punish you if you hurt her." The woman planted herself in front of me, her arrogance towering. "The Grant family rules this city. You think you can run from us?" For a brief moment, I stood stunned, then calmly pulled out my phone and dialed my husband. "Your nanny says you run Bexley City. Well, I think that's about to change."

*COMPLETED*"Hold your head up and smile, you coward," Arfaat growled when Juwairiyyah hung back at the top of the steps leading to Sophie's imposing home where the wedding traditional party will take place. His hand gripped her waist so tightly she gasped, and she felt like jerking away and fleeing back down the steps to the waiting car. There was a long line of cars in the street outside Sophie's home; it was obvious the ton had gathered to see the grand wedding of Alhaji Abbas daughter to a poor mechanic.If not for the cold dread in the pit of her stomach, Juwairiyyah might enjoyed the sight of her _wedding day_. As it was, she felt only a shivering apprehension at Arfaat cold rage and implacable face. They'd ridden from her fathers house on GRA in stark silence. Except for a brief moment when she had balked at getting into the car, he had not spoken to her until now. "I don't advise you to try anything you may regret, my Lily."Meet Juwairyyah Abbas who is a spoiled brat whose heart is set at tarnishing and destroying the image of anyone below her. She sees herself as a Queen and someone who is above everyone.Being the only child to rich parents, Juwairiyyah was pampered and given everything she wants.But, what happens when she met someone hell bent on changing her idea that the poor are to be loved and respected not trampled on.The story is steamy, filled with love, hatred, and revenge.

Avina Drene-Graves spent her first life being loyal, obedient, and blind to the rot around her—until she was framed, tortured, and murdered by her husband, her sister, and the family who raised her. But fate gives her a second chance. Reborn five years earlier, Avina vows to destroy the people who orchestrated her downfall. Her plan begins with the one man powerful enough to topple the Graves dynasty from within: Ronan Graves—her ex-husband’s cold, feared, dangerously controlled uncle. Avina seduces him with lies. He ensnares her with obsession. Their marriage becomes a weapon, their chemistry a battlefield. As Avina dismantles her enemies one by one, buried secrets crawl back to life—illegal experiments, missing people, and a hidden order that once claimed her mother. But when the shadows of the past target Ronan’s daughters, Avina must confront the darkest truth of all: Some monsters weren’t meant to be escaped. They were meant to be killed. *A dark rebirth romance filled with power, obsession, revenge, and a love that destroys everything in its way.* ⚠️ Content Advisory This story contains dark and mature themes, including past sexual assault (non-graphic), cult abuse, psychological and emotional manipulation, medical trauma, forced pregnancy themes, violence, kidnapping, and morally gray characters. Reader discretion is advised.

CONTENT WARNING This story contains graphic sexual content and explicit scenarios intended for mature audiences 18 years and older. Reader discretion is strongly advised. Veronica Harper devoted five years of her life to a man who never loved her—because she was never more than a bet. Her devotion, vulnerability, and virginity were handed over… all for entertainment. She walked into her bedroom—and saw her best friend screaming her name from another man’s mouth. Her boyfriend’s mouth. Betrayed in her own bed, humiliated in public, and framed for a crime she didn’t commit. Then two lines on a pregnancy test changed everything. Pregnant, disowned, and hunted by lies she didn’t create, Veronica fled, carrying two secrets no one could ever touch—her unborn twins. Five years later, she returns for a funeral, keeping her children hidden and her heart locked away. She believes the past is buried. She’s wrong. Forced back into the orbit of the man she once gave herself to—and still loves—Veronica must protect the quiet life she built alone. But grief and betrayal are cruel guides, and the woman who destroyed her life now threatens everything she holds dear. The worst betrayal isn’t in the past. It’s happening now.

She loved him her whole life. But she never saw him coming. Indie has spent years secretly in love with Braxton Fallon—her childhood friend, her anchor, the boy with the sad blue eyes who once saved her after she lost everything. To the world, they’re inseparable. To her, he’s the love she’ll never confess. Then Brax announces his engagement—to Bianca, Indie’s high school tormentor—and asks Indie to plan the wedding. Heartbroken but determined, she agrees, vowing to finally let him go. But at the Fallon lake house, Indie’s plans are shattered when she meets Slade—Brax’s arrogant, magnetic twin brother she never knew existed. Slade is infuriating. He’s reckless. He’s temptation in its most dangerous form. And he wants her with a hunger that terrifies her… because part of her wants him too. Brax is everything she’s ever loved. Slade is everything she’s ever feared—and wanted. Now Indie must choose between the safe love she’s always dreamed of… or the reckless passion that threatens to set her ablaze. Explicit Content Warning: This book contains mature themes, sexual content, and scenes intended for readers 18+. Reader discretion is strongly advised.