Cool Lightning Mcqueen Novels & Stories

“No… we shouldn’t,” I whispered as my back hit the wall. The cold stone didn’t cool the heat in my body. “I’m your brother’s fiancée” He didn’t trap me. His hand rested near my hip, close enough that I could feel his warmth without him touching me. That made it worse. “And yet,” he said softly, his hand tracing a path down my thigh. “you didn’t push me back when I came near.” I bit my bottom lip hard, trying desperately to hold back a sound. From the other room, I could hear forks clinking and people laughing. Our family was right there, close enough to hear us. My heart was pounding. He leaned closer, “You’re shaking, Maisie,” he murmured. “And you’re not scared.” I swallowed, breath uneven. “Someone could see.” A dangerous smile curved his mouth. “ Then be as quiet as you can.” ***** Maisie’s world changed the moment she walked into that bar. She should never have let the alcohol numb her anger, her fear, her desperation to escape the life her parents had arranged for her— a life that felt like a trap. The perfect marriage. The perfect future. The perfect cage. She thought one reckless night would ruin everything… for them. She thought if she became someone they despised, they’d finally let her go. She didn’t know that one mistake would brand her instead. Now he wants her. Not gently. Not quietly. The more she runs, the closer he gets… until she can’t tell if she’s running from him… or being drawn to something far more dangerous. He is everything she wants. Everything she shouldn’t want. And when she turns to run for her life a second time…. She runs straight into him.

Maya Chen has one goal: survive university on her scholarship and build a better life for herself and her younger sister. She works two jobs, rides a beat up Kawasaki, and keeps her head down while wealthy classmates mock her thrift store clothes. Romance isn't on her radar, especially not with someone like Dominic Blackwood. Dominic is everything Maya despises. The son of a business mogul, president of the Iron Wolves Motorcycle Club, and a notorious playboy who goes through women like they're disposable. Their worlds should never collide. But when Maya's bike breaks down in dangerous territory and she's cornered by a rival gang, Dominic and his club arrive just in time. To protect her, he does the unthinkable: he claims her as his in front of everyone. In the world of motorcycle clubs, that claim means she's untouchable. It also means she's his. Maya insists their arrangement is fake, just protection until things cool down. Dominic agrees, but his actions say otherwise. He shows up at her job. Walks her to class. Makes her feel things she swore she'd never feel. The more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to remember this isn't real. Then the threats escalate. The rival gang wants revenge and Maya becomes their target. Dominic will do anything to keep her safe, even if it costs him everything. Maya realizes she's falling for the one person she promised herself she'd never trust. When violence erupts and lives hang in the balance, Maya must decide: keep running from love to protect her independence, or fight for the man who's been fighting for her all along. Sometimes the biggest risk leads to the greatest reward. Sometimes you have to crash before you can truly ride free.

On the third day of our cold war, my Alpha mate, Cain Beckett, purposefully takes his secretary, Vera Anderson, on a trip to Roseville. He thinks I'll kick up a fuss hysterically like before. But when he returns one month later, he realizes that I've completely changed. When Cain snatches away the territory negotiation task that I'm in charge of and passes it to Vera, I no longer fight back angrily. Instead, I take the initiative to arrange the documents and prepare the paperwork for her. In order to help Vera stand out on the night of the full moon, Cain rejects the project proposal I've spent three months working on in front of everyone. I no longer fight with him over it. Instead, I shoulder all the punishment quietly. Even when Cain decides to bend the rules by making Vera the Beta of the pack, I still remain cool and composed. Heck, I even smile and agree with his decision. Vera takes Cain's hand while saying coquettishly, "See? I told you that you can't fight fire with fire when it comes to people with Leah's personality. You need to neglect her for her to be more understanding. She must have been terrified of losing you because of the way you listen to me and no longer spoil her. That's why she's being so docile." Of course, Cain has complete trust in Vera. He praises her for being clever. In order to reassure me, he even promises me that he'll officially mark me during the next full moon. I just shake my head in return. Nah, I don't need it. I don't need Cain's mark anymore. After all, I'll be leaving the pack soon. From now on, I'm cutting all ties with Cain Beckett. We won't have anything to do with each other anymore.

I knock on the door, heart pounding like it always does when I’m about to see him. “Come in,” Justin’s voice calls—cool, smooth, and frustratingly calm. I take a deep breath and walk in, holding the folder tightly. “Here’s the report you requested, sir.” He doesn’t even glance at me. Just keeps typing, his expression unreadable. “You’re late,” he says without missing a beat. I clench my jaw. “There was a delay at the printer—” “No excuses, Joanna. Just do better next time.” Ouch. Professional and cold. As always. I nod, ignoring the sting in my chest. “Yes, sir.” I turn to leave, gripping the doorknob—just one more second and I’ll be out of this weird tension-filled office— “Wait.” I freeze. I turn around slowly. “Yes?” Justin stands now, walking toward me. In his hand, a familiar brown paper bag. He holds it out. “You didn’t have lunch.” I blink. “I’m fine.” “You skipped breakfast too. Eat.” I hesitate. “What is it?” “Chicken pesto. No onions.” My breath catches. He still remembers? “Why are you doing this?” I ask quietly. He shrugs, not meeting my eyes. “I just… remember things.” My fingers brush his as I take the bag. Warmth. Stupid warmth that shouldn’t still feel this familiar. Then, he looks at me—really looks at me. “You shouldn’t skip meals… wife.” Silence. My chest tightens. “Don’t call me that.” But my voice is too soft to sound convincing. I walk out before I say something I’ll regret. His words echo in my mind like a dangerous lullaby. Cold one second. Kilig the next. God… he’s still him. And that’s exactly the problem.

My name is Christian Thompson, and once upon a time, I was the best striker in European football. That was until he came along—Ashford Ryder, young and carefree, 10 years my junior and the new shining star. I hate him. At least that's what I tell myself. Not just because he's taken my spot, but because he's everything I've struggled all my life to be, and not to be. He's vibrant, he's happy, and the worst of all, he's openly gay. I'm not homophobic, quite the opposite—I've lived in the closet all my life. All my life, I've had to hide who I am to please the people around me. European football hasn't always been this accepting of gay men, and I'd squeezed myself into a box to fit in with what they wanted of me. It isn’t that hard when you think about my family who'd rather disown me than have an openly gay son. So imagine how I feel when the world decides to be more accommodating to people like Ashford Ryder when they shoved me in a box. It's not so easy to hate the happy-go-lucky striker, when he does everything to get close to me, despite my insistent hatred for him. He's like a thorn in my side—a hot, sexy, blonde, 5ft9 thorn I can't stop thinking about. But when one day I lose my cool around the popular striker and land myself in bad press, I end up needing his help. It's supposed to be easy. Spend some time with Ashford Ryder, and show our fans that we can work together—it's what I need to do to save my career. But no one tells you how hard it is to hate someone you spend every waking hour dreaming about.

During the freshman orientation, Fletcher Stone, the campus heartthrob, leads a protest in front of the orientation leader, Lindsey Quinn. As a result, Lindsey decides to make everyone run laps around the field. While Fletcher has volunteered to run everyone's laps on his own, the truth is, he has transferred the fatigue to me. He finishes his 30-mile run without a shift in his expression. After that, he tells Lindsey that he's willing to take on everyone's orientation training on his own. Because of that, everyone becomes Fletcher's fans. I, on the other hand, keep getting admitted into the infirmary because of exhaustion, which results in me being late to the orientation. My tardiness ends up affecting our class' chances of receiving a good rank. I get berated by the entire class as a result. When I try to explain my condition to everyone, they all look at me as though I were crazy. "You've barely attended the orientation for a few days, so how is it possible for you to be this exhausted? I think you're just pretending to be exhausted!" "Are you jealous of Fletcher because he's way fitter and more handsome than you? Now, he's even more popular than you!" Driven by despair, I demand answers from Fletcher. But he just changes into his uniform nonchalantly. "Please step out of my way. I need to go on a weighted cross-country run as the college's representative, so I have no time to fool around with you." Once Fletcher is done with the run in the 104-degree weather, his expression remains cool and collected. But I'm so exhausted that I suffer from organ failure, leading to my immediate death. When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the first day of the freshman orientation. This time, I decide to take the initiative to report to Lindsey. "I'll take on the punishment for the entire class."

Everyone had been poisoned. The toast for my party had just happened and now people were dropping like flies around me. And then I saw him. He entered the hall like an angel of death, his dark brown eyes two pools of malevolence that shone with sinister intent.Despite his twenty years of age, he definitely had more kills under his belt than years on his person. I was viciously yanked into the hard body of the man responsible for everything going on.One muscular arm went over my chest, pinning me to him. Fear lodged itself in my throat upon the sensation of cool dangerous metal at my temple. I bit back a whimper. He was going to kill me. “The name is Gabriel Rossi,” he murmured, his deep voice sending ripples of fear down my spine. “And your papa is going to watch me k*ll his precious princesa. He took my birthright from me. I’m gonna take something from him too.” I gathered my courage and with a surprising amount of strength fueled by the sheer terror pumping in my veins, I pulled myself out of Gabriel’s grasp. He tried to grab my arm, only for his hand to go over the protective bangle that suppressed my magic. I gave another fierce jerk of my body and the bangle broke away, left behind in his hand as I pulled free. I heard the cocking of his p*st0l. My eyes met the feral glowing yellow eyes of my killer, one hundred percent sure I was going to die. “Mate,” Gabriel Rossi said, staring straight at me. **** In a world where darkness and magic collide, Evelina finds herself entangled in a perilous dance with fate. You can run from Gabriel Rossi....but you can't hide. ***

I slide into the bath and let my muscles melt. My mind drifts—back to dinner, the city skyline glittering behind Tommy’s head. I close my eyes, biting my lip. One hand trails beneath the water, slow and lazy. I don’t mean to. But it’s all still so fresh—the way his hands felt on my skin, how deeply he— Except, it’s not Tommy I’m imagining anymore. It’s the doctor. Suddenly, it’s his fingers I’m imagining spreading me open. That cool composure cracking as he groans my name into my neck. “Oh, fuck,” I moan, breath catching as the orgasm rips through me like a shot of white lightning. My back arches against the porcelain. Water sloshes. “Dr. Cole,” I gasp before I can stop it. And then I freeze. What. The. Hell. **************************************************** He’s her gynecologist. Her client. And her boyfriend’s father. What could possibly go wrong? Beth thought dating Tommy was the start of something stable. Sure, he was cocky and impulsive—but charming, right? Until the red flags started piling up. The gambling. The secrets. The mood swings. The way he always blamed her when things went wrong. But then she meets his father. Dr. Stacy Cole. Silver fox. Calm. Collected. Everything Tommy wasn’t. And she already know him. He’s her OB/GYN. Her firm’s newest client. And the man who makes her body betray her every time he’s near. Beth knows she should stay away. But when Tommy starts spiraling and Stacy starts looking less like a boundary and more like a lifeline… she’s forced to face a terrifying truth: She might be falling for the one man who could destroy everything. Taboo. Addictive. Slow burning. Emotionally dangerous. This isn’t your average age-gap romance.

On Christmas Eve, I giddily wait for my husband, Hunter Gibson, to come home while nursing my eight-month pregnancy. Unexpectedly, Hunter bursts through the front door with his childhood friend, Winter Jones, in his arms. I attempt to help him out, only to get shoved to the floor instead. My belly bumps into a corner of the coffee table, causing pain to shoot up my nerves. Cold sweat soon beads on my forehead, and yet Hunter doesn't even spare me another glance. "Get out of my way! Someone drugged Winnie's drink at the bar! If I don't purge the poison out of her, she'll die!" As I shield my belly, I dig out my phone. "I'll call an ambulance for her—" But Hunter snatches my phone away before hurling it at the floor, breaking it into splinters. Then, he grabs me by the neck angrily. "Are you trying to ruin Winnie's reputation? If word gets out, how is she going to live with her head hung high?" In order to prevent me from "ruining his plan", Hunter decides to trap me on the balcony while disregarding my pleas and the fact that I'm only wearing thin pajamas. "You should take some time to cool off! Once you've finally learned your lesson, you're only permitted entry!" I can only slam my palms onto the glass door desperately with tears running down my face. There, I'm forced to watch as Hunter and Winter go at it like desperate rabbits on the carpet in the living room, with the Christmas songs serving as their ambiance. A heavy snowfall has occurred that night. At the crack of dawn the next morning, Hunter finally remembers that I exist. He calls my number, yet my phone was turned off. Furious, Hunter yells, "Where the hell did you go? Winnie's stomach is in discomfort! Get your ass back here right now and cook her some soup!" What he doesn't know is that I'm right outside the balcony door. The thing is, dead people are incapable of answering phone calls, not to mention Hunter has already broken my phone, to begin with.

The mafia coalition’s family banquet had reached its liveliest point. Someone started stirring things up and steered the conversation toward the youngest Don of the Fumagalli family, Dante Fumagalli. “Dante, before you came to power, all those old Dons from the major families were falling over themselves to push their daughters at you. Was there ever one you actually wanted?” I stood half a step behind him, and my knuckles turned white around my wine glass. Dante did not answer right away. His gaze swept over me, cool and indifferent, before he turned toward Viviana Lombardi, who still held the crowd’s attention. “I wanted her.” Viviana spun around so fast that wine splashed from her glass onto her wrist. “Then why did you not come when I gave you that hotel key card all those years ago?” The calm on Dante’s face finally cracked. He frowned. “Your key card? Was that not for Enzo Ricci?” “How could it have been for Enzo?” Viviana’s eyes reddened. “He is my first cousin.” One question led to another and the truth emerged. That hotel key card had been handed to the wrong person by a Soldato. Because of that mistake, they had missed each other. Viviana burst into tears on the spot. Regret shadowed Dante’s expression. Just then, someone laughed softly. “What a coincidence. Was the key card really delivered to the wrong person, or did someone make sure it ended up in the wrong hands?” In an instant, every eye in the room turned to me. Everyone remembered me. I was the woman who used to trail after Dante Fumagalli like a lovesick fool. I turned to look at Dante and hoped he would say something for me. I hoped he would tell them we had been secretly married for five years and that he had been the one who pursued me back then. He said nothing. He did not defend me. He did not deny anything. He stared ahead in silence as if none of this had anything to do with him. In that moment, I pulled off the wedding ring I had worn for five years.