Novels by Austino Gina

LiamAmber wasn’t herself today.I noticed it almost immediately after I picked her up from her mum’s. Something was wrong and it was evident in how her laughter didn’t quite reach her eyes and how often she got lost in thought. She was barely paying attention to the game, standing there as though she didn’t even care that she was losing. The competitive side she always had whenever we played, wasn’t there. After I knocked down all the pins on my turn, I glanced back at her, smirking. “Are you letting me win on purpose?”Amber stepped up to the line, grabbed her ball, and gave me a tired smile. “Maybe today’s just your lucky day.” She rolled the ball, and it veered to the side, knocking over only one pin.“That’s not like you,” I said, folding my arms as she turned back to me.She shrugged, brushing it off. “I’m just not feeling it, I guess.”“Something’s bothering you,” I pressed gently. “What is it?”“Nothing.”She said it quickly, too quickly, and I wasn’t buying it. But I also k

AmberLiam wouldn’t leave me alone no matter how hard I tried to push him away. The harder I pushed, the closer he got, and he never failed to make it known that he was going nowhere.I’ve stopped trying now because, deep down, I don’t want him to go. Even though part of me feels like I should be running the other way, I can’t seem to keep him at a distance.He insisted on driving me home after work every day, and I had to fight him off from trying to pick me up in the mornings too. We’re not technically dating, and the last thing I want is my colleagues thinking otherwise.Now we were seated in his car, parked in front of Mom’s house. It’s become a ritual of some sort, Liam drops me off, and we spend at least ten minutes in his car talking about anything and everything.“So what are your plans for the weekend?” He asked, turning to look at me.“It all depends,” I replied, my breath catching slightly at the intense way he looked at me.He had ditched his suit jacket earlier in the day

What the hell just happened?One minute, things were going well, so well I wanted to freeze time and live in that kiss forever. But, of course, the universe had other plans. The shrill ring of my phone shattered the moment like a bucket of ice water.My best friend had the worst timing in the history of mankind. Of all times, he chose that moment to call and for what? To remind me of our stupid plan to have drinks later tonight.And by the time I ended the call, Amber was gone. She bolted like the place was on fire. Why did she run? It was as if she couldn’t wait to get out of here quickly enough. Did I misread the signs?I let out a groan, pushing my fingers through my hair. Maybe I scared her away. Now I felt bad for kissing her, but the truth was I couldn’t help myself. I have wanted to do it since that night I ran into her at the gala.I know her divorce isn’t final yet, it’s the reason I have been keeping my distance even though I so badly want to kiss her every time she was clos

One of the things I hadn’t fully considered about working for Liam was how much the closeness would affect me. The way his presence stirred something in me, something I had been trying to push away whenever I was close to him. Something I wasn’t ready to face.It’s been a week since I took him up on his offer and became his assistant. And while I’d started to get a handle on his schedule thanks to his secretary’s patient guidance, there was one thing I couldn’t control: the magnetic pull I felt every time we were alone.Around him, I felt a strange mix of ease and tension. Liam was a good boss and a good friend too. But there was something about him that set my heart racing; those piercing eyes of his that seemed to see through me, the quiet authority in his voice that seemed to seep through my skin every time he spoke. His presence made me want things I had no business wanting.I’d been fighting it with everything I had. Not only was my divorce far from finalized, but I couldn’t imag

Hearing your parent in the act has to be one of the most awkward and mortifying things on the planet. It had been two days since I moved in with Mom, and every single night, I heard them. Loud. Really loud.Right now, the sound of the bed slamming against the wall and Mom’s exaggerated cries filled the air. For a moment, I debated running down the hall to check if she was okay because, honestly, it sounded more like she was sobbing than enjoying herself.“Oh, Roberto, you’re such a beast!” she cried out, her voice echoing through the walls. I grimaced, feeling the urge to throw up.I grabbed a pillow and pressed it over my head, hoping to muffle the noise, but it didn’t help. Mom’s shrill screams cut right through. “Oh, Roberto, just like that! Harder, harder…”I sat up, almost in tears. How was I supposed to get any sleep when they were at it every night? Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough money to check into a hotel, so I had to endure this nightmare until my lawyer made Dan pay wh

The weekend was a whirlwind of chaos and emotions. I spent most of it packing, shoving my life into suitcases and boxes without much of a plan. I just knew I couldn’t be there when Dan returned. Not another second under the same roof with him.Anna and Cheryl from the charity organization kept calling, their numbers flashing on my screen again and again, their texts piling up. They wanted to know why I hadn’t shown up for the charity organization meeting we’d planned for the weekend. But I couldn’t face them, not now, not until I figured out how to put my fractured life back together. So, I didn’t answer.When I finally made the call to my mom, I could feel the anxiety gnawing at the edges of my resolve. It rang twice before she picked up, her voice cheerful. “Amber, hi, sweetie. How are you?”“Mom…” My voice cracked, and I had to take a deep breath to steady myself. “I… I need to ask you something.”There was a pause on the other end. “What’s going on?”“Can I come stay with you for

LorenzoThe traffic is heavier than usual for this time of day. As we slowed to a stop at a red light, Lucia turned to me, her gaze dropping to my hand. She murmured something under her breath, too low for me to catch, but I caught the concern in her eyes.I leaned back, watching her rummage through her purse. When she pulled out the salve she placed in it earlier, I raised a brow, curious about what she planned to do.She took the ice she had earlier placed on my knuckles and set aside in the champagne bucket in the car without a word, took my hand gently, and squeezed some of the salve onto her fingers. Then, with a surprising tenderness, she began applying it to my busted knuckles.Her touch was careful, almost reverent, and it did something to me that I couldn’t quite explain. No one had ever taken care of me like this except they were getting paid to do it. It was just a busted knuckle, I had been through worse. Yet, here she tending to me like it was a bullet wound. A lump forme

LorenzoThe taste of her, the way she softened against me, was nothing short of addictive. I can’t get it out of my mind—how her breath hitched, how her lips parted for me, inviting me to take more. She has no idea what she’s doing to me, no idea how close I am to unraveling.I want her in ways I’ve never wanted anyone before. I want her wild beneath me, desperate and undone, so lost in pleasure that she forgets who she is, who I am. I want her to come apart in my arms, to lose every piece of that careful composure. But I have to be patient. I have to play this right, keep her wanting. I’ll pull every thread until there’s nothing left but raw need.As I leave her this morning, I can still feel her lingering presence, a phantom ache that follows me. It’s maddening. The self-control I pride myself on is slipping, and for the first time, I’m finding it hard to care.As I stepped out of my car and took in the sight of the old, secluded warehouse, I tried to push the image of my tempting w

As Lorenzo captured my lips with his, a soft gasp escaped me, but I didn’t pull away. I couldn’t. The kiss was possessive, and demanding, and I found myself responding in ways I didn’t think were possible. My hands gripped his shoulders as he deepened the kiss, his lips moving against mine with an intensity that made my knees weak.A soft moan escaped my lips, betraying me, and every ounce of reasoning I had disappeared as he slid his tongue past my lips and I granted him entrance, mimicking his action.Lorenzo lifted me as if I weighed nothing, my legs wrapping around his waist instinctively, my arms clutching him closer. His strength was intoxicating, his body solid beneath my hands as he pressed me against the cool wall, his mouth never leaving mine. My heart pounded wildly in my chest, my body betraying the hate I knew I should feel for him.He broke the kiss just long enough to trail his lips down the side of my neck, his beard grazing my skin, sending sparks of sensation through

LuciaI couldn’t spend much time with Elena at the cafe because she had to get back to her shift. I didn’t want to leave, but I would only distract her from working. I took an iced coffee to go and had Stan bring me back to the house.After putting away my things that I brought from John’s, it dawned on me that this was my reality, I was going to be my home, but this didn’t feel like home. Even though Lorenzo says I’m not a prisoner, I know I am.After putting away my things, I went to the library and spent the rest of the day reading, and by dinner time, when I got to the dinning table, I half-expected Lorenzo to be at the end of the table just like he was last night.“I see, I’m having dinner alone,” I muttered as Maria placed a plate of pasta in front of me. The disappointment in my voice leaked out despite my best efforts to hide it. Why did I care that he wasn’t here? I’m supposed to hate him, not miss him.“Yes, he rarely comes home at this time,” Maria said, completely unaware

I couldn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, the memory of Lorenzo’s lips grazing my ear played on repeat. I could still feel his breath, warm and infuriating, and the way my body betrayed me, responding in a way it had no right to.I was supposed to hate him. I did hate him. And yet, my body didn’t seem to understand that. It felt wrong, so deeply wrong, that I couldn’t stop thinking about him even now, lying in bed, my heart racing at the thought of his touch.After hours of tossing and turning, sleep finally came. But my dreams were filled with him—those dark eyes, that smug smile, his deep voice whispering into my ear, and his breath fanning against my skin. I woke up several times thinking he was in my room and every time I went back to sleep, the dream resumed.When I woke the next morning, groggy and restless, I forced myself to push those thoughts away. Lorenzo was my captor, not someone I should be dreaming about. I threw back the covers and headed to the bathroom, determin

It’s past midnight and I can’t sleep. Sleeping is hard when I know Lucia is just down the hall. Lately, I have been finding it hard to sleep, and it’s because of her. Now I’m wondering if forcing her to marry me was a wise decision.Marrying her was a calculated decision. It wasn’t just about saving her from her father or that mess of a family. No. It was also for the Trello deal.For the past year, I’ve been on a mission to clean up my business. I’ve been working to secure a merger with Trello Group—a heavyweight in oil and gas. They’re my key to legitimacy, a way to leave some of my past behind.But there's a problem, the president of Trello Group is an old-fashioned man who swears by family values. He’s convinced that a man who isn't married can't be trusted. Under any other circumstances, I’d tell him to go fuck himself. But I need this deal.I groan and sit up on the bed staring into the dark. Deep down I know the deal with Trello Group isn’t the only reason I married Lucia. It’s