Novels by Austino Gina

The next morning, my phone buzzed with a text from Liam. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and smiled as I read his message: "I'll be at the hospital for a while. Go into the office without me. One of the guys will take you. I'll join later."I sent a quick response letting him know I would reschedule his meetings. Stretching in bed, I felt a warmth I hadn’t felt in years. My thoughts drifted to last night, his voice, soothing and deep, a lullaby that carried me into sleep. I sighed, letting the moment linger before reluctantly slipping out of bed.As I brushed my teeth, my gaze caught my reflection in the mirror, a soft pink coloring my cheeks. I froze my toothbrush in midair. Blushing? Over Liam? I shook my head, muttering, “Get a grip, Amber,” but even as I rinsed my mouth, I couldn’t shake the image of his smile, the way he had looked at me last night, and the feel of his hands on me. I managed to get ready for work without spending the entire morning daydreaming about Liam. When

Dan was chasing me through a dark, empty alley, his voice echoing off the walls, low and menacing."You can’t escape me, Amber. I’m never letting you go," he growled, his tone dripping with venom. "If I can’t have you, no one will."His bitter laugh ricocheted in my ears, chilling and cruel, as I ran faster, my breath hitching with each frantic step. No matter how far I pushed, the alley seemed endless, his shadow looming closer and closer.I woke up with a start, gasping for air, my body drenched in sweat. My heart pounded wildly in my chest as I sat up, clutching the blanket like it could protect me from the lingering fear. It was just a nightmare, I reminded myself, glancing around the dark room to reassure myself that Dan wasn’t there. He couldn’t hurt me anymore.Curling into a ball, I reached for the bedside lamp and turned it on. I tried to calm the storm inside me, taking deep, shaky breaths. When that didn’t work, I forced myself out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom.Standi

LiamI drove to the hospital as fast as I could, my mind racing faster than the car. The call from my mom replayed over and over in my head, her shaky voice barely coherent as she told me about Dad. I gripped the wheel tighter, trying to keep myself calm as several thoughts ran through my mind. This wasn’t his first heart attack. Over the past few years, my dad’s health had steadily declined. And every time something like this happened, a gnawing question echoed in my mind: Is this the one?When I arrived, Mom was waiting in the lobby. The moment she saw me, she threw her arms around me, her body trembling. “Liam,” she said, her voice cracking. “Oh, thank God you’re here.”I held her close, trying to absorb some of her panic. “Mom, what’s going on? What happened?”She pulled back, tears brimming in her eyes. “I found him in his study. He was holding his chest, gasping for air. I should have gone in earlier to check on him. I shouldn’t have allowed him to be in his study alone…” Her v

Just then, Brian returned a wide grin on his face and a young woman hanging on his arm. “Hey, guys!” he said, his voice cheerful as ever. “Meet Julia.”I barely caught her name, my mind still hazy as I tried to come down from the high Liam had just sent me to. I managed a polite smile, but my attention was fractured, scattered, tethered to one person and one person only, Liam.Brian and Julia slid into the booth, and casual conversation flowed between them and Liam, but I couldn’t bring myself to participate. Instead, I let my eyes, or rather, they chose linger on Liam, trying to figure out what he was doing to me.What we’d just done brought back memories of how we used to be in high school, and later, sometimes, in college before we broke up. Young, wild, free. Back then, being with Liam felt like the most natural thing in the world, like we could conquer anything together.But after I met and married Dan, all of that felt like a distant dream. But I never got any of those things I

AmberI knew I should tell him to stop. I should push him away, walk away, and do something to regain control. But I couldn’t. It was like I’d lost the ability to speak, my body betraying me in ways I didn’t fully understand.Liam’s lips brushed against my ear, his deep voice a soft, deliberate murmur. “You want me to continue, don’t you?”The way he said it sent a wave of heat crashing through me, and I felt my arousal pooling between my legs. My breath hitched, and I could hear the erratic rhythm of my own heartbeat in my ears.He seemed to unravel me with ease, and his presence alone suddenly made me forget every reason why this might be a bad idea. I didn’t care because at that moment, none of those reasons mattered.His hand inched higher, skimming the edge of my thigh as he held my gaze, his eyes dark and full of promise. “Amber,” he drawled like he was trying to control himself.I opened my mouth to speak, but instead of words, a shaky breath escaped.“Tell me to stop.” His han

AmberBrian’s club was located in the bustling part of the city. The place was alive, the air buzzing with music and chatter as stylishly dressed people flocked inside. Liam pulled his sleek black SUV into the valet line and handed his keys to a young man in uniform.Before we could make our way inside, a tall, good-looking guy around Liam’s age approached us, his smile wide and warm. Liam immediately stepped forward, clasping his hand in a firm shake before pulling him in for one of those bro hugs.“Good to see you, man,” Liam said, his tone light.“Good to see you too,” the guy replied before turning to me. “And it’s good to see you again, Amber.”I blinked, my brows furrowing in confusion. See me again? I couldn’t place him, was this Brian? My confusion must’ve shown on my face because Liam stepped in.“This is Brian,” he said with a knowing grin.My jaw dropped. The Brian I remembered from high school looked nothing like this. The Brian I knew was Obese used to sit on the bleacher

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