Only I Am A Reader - Chapter 26: True Purpose

[Mature Content:]Alaric was too close to Nicolette.Her mouth was just inches away from his.He could smell the lavender on her skin, the heat radiating from within her.But he held back, refusing to be carried away by her charm…“Mr. Allens…” she purred, and he looked down at her.Her eyes widened with desire, and he knew, in that moment, that if he wanted to kiss her, she would let him.The last thing he wanted was commitment. He knew that Nicolette didn’t want that either.But why was she this tempting?So willing?It was that willingness that confused him.She blinked, then swallowed as she pulled the jacket off her shoulders. His eyes lingered on her exposed neck.God.He just wanted to bury his mouth in that hollow spot.“Here,” Nicolette said calmly, extending the jacket to him.He took the jacket, his hand brushing hers just a second. She flinched, her face turning pink as she clutched the towel against her chest.His stomach flipped at the sight.If only that towel would give way to…Before he could stop himself, Alaric pressed his arousal against her stomach, pushing her against the wall, cornering her.She gasped at the sudden movement and for a moment, he lost his mind.“Cole…” he breathed, crushing himself against her.Her eyes gleamed with desire and a vulnerability that rocked him to his core.He would be foolish not to give in to this feeling.But he would also be a fool if he did.She had chosen to marry him.Not her boyfriend.And definitely not Lucian Crawford.Yet, he couldn't help it.She was only his for a year.But still…***************When her business and the gallery she inherited from her mother burn to the ground, Nicolette Voss is determined to rebuild—and get revenge on her father.She turned to her father’s rival, Alaric Allens, for an alliance.Alaric is willing to help, but on one condition—she must be his wife for a year.They called him Ruthless Alaric after an infamous incident 6 years ago. Alaric is back in town, and so are the crumbs of his past. But he is determined to change everything with a wife.He has his hidden agenda.She needs her revenge.But will this marriage between storm and steel survive the heat? And what will they do when deep secrets threatens to destroy them both?

A Thousand Lifetimes, A Thousand Times A Cripple.Knox Falazar—as he’s now known—has always been a cripple. No matter how many reincarnations he experienced, that fact stood true.But in his 1314th Lifetime, something changed for Knox…*Ding!*[You have awakened with the Attribute Farming System! Are you prepared to do whatever it takes to escape your destiny!?]“Escape my destiny…?”[Time to acquire Attribute Orbs!]Join Knox Falazar on a blood-pumping journey as he maneuvers his way through a World of Cultivation! Battling demons, slaying monsters, playing with the hearts of Beauties, becoming the Villain—doing whatever it takes to obtain Attribute Orbs and alter his destined Fate as a despised Cripple!

Unite the Clans? Create an Empire?Atrox Soryu thought he was destined for greatness… until he wasn’t.Born into the smaller Soryu Clan, Atrox was a prodigy, praised for his unparalleled swordsmanship and relentless ambition. He vowed to become Emperor of the Eternal Skies, a title that hadn't been claimed in centuries. But on the day he was to manifest his Order Mark—the source of every knight’s power—everything went wrong.Instead of the revered Holy, Elemental, or Mystic Orders, Atrox was branded with a Forbidden Order: Something twisted and wrong. A death sentence in the eyes of the world. Branded a monster and exiled by his own father, Atrox was cast into a brutal labor camp where the weak are crushed, and the strong are barely tolerated.But exile isn’t the end—it’s the beginning. In the harshest of conditions, Atrox awakens the full potential of his forbidden powers, powers that could rival even the strongest Knights. He will forge alliances with the forgotten, turn his enemies into allies, and rise from the shadows to build an empire from nothing.Betrayed, exiled, and broken? No. Atrox Soryu is building an empire—and the Eternal Skies will bow to him.

Arriving in a fantasy Otherworld, Gauss obtains an Adventurer's Handbook that grows stronger the more monsters he slays and collects. Gauss originally thought he was embarking on a classic adventure to defeat the Giant Dragon, kill the Devil, and save the kingdom. Yet, seeing goblins breeding like pests and multiplying endlessly, along with the fast-growing kill count and rewards in the Monster Atlas, his face grows increasingly helpless...“You have slain 1000 goblins! Intelligence +1, Strength +1, Constitution +1.”“The title 'Goblin Slayer' has upgraded to 'Goblin Expert'. You are an expert on goblins; few know better than you how to kill them.”“...”“The title 'Goblin Expert' has upgraded to 'Goblin Star Destruction'.”