Showing results by narrator "J. Shani Michaels" in All Categories

I've worn hardships longer than I've worn football pads. Life hasn't given me much to celebrate except for my daughter and my God-given athleticism. Being a single father and the sole caregiver for my grandmother meant sacrifice. Football became my way to provide and keep my promises. I buried my needs beneath my responsibilities until I met her, Mia. She has guarded eyes and a beautiful soul. Mia made me believe there might be more than grind and grief. But life has taught me one thing: every blessing comes with a lesson.

You are cordially invited to the wedding of Amerie Cross and Arnold Hightower.

How long does someone have to be out of your life before your every waking thought doesn't revolve around them? Olivia Harding bulldozed her way into my life at twelve years old. She broke my heart at nineteen and I haven't seen her once in the thirteen years since. She chose her career over me. And now, because life is cruel, I'm praying that she gives me a chance to help her save it. The smart thing to do would be to keep my distance, to keep it strictly professional. But I've never been smart when it comes to her.

There was only one thing on my mind this football season: Revenge. Last season, my number one wide receiver had patted me on the back, then walked away with my fiancée. I'd become the laughingstock of the entire sports world, with my face being splashed across gossip sites. As I watched my ex, Shaunie, walk down the aisle to Vick, I vowed everybody was going to pay. The only person laughing this season would be me.

Kylo Harper hated everything about Teddy Shaw from the moment she met him. He was everything she didn't want in her life. For Teddy, it was a fight to keep his feelings in check since they were only supposed to be temporary. Both were in need of something, but didn't know what until they stopped running and realized it was each other.

I had my chance at a family and it was stolen from me. I was told I was a joke, so that's just what I'll be. But then she gives me news that turns my whole life upside down. Nina Williams is my second chance at a family, and she might just be the missing key to my heart. I just need to prove to her I'm not the joke I pretend to be.

Known playboy and award-winning R&B singer Wesley Johnson Jr. puts his dating rules to the side when he has a second chance encounter with the woman he can’t stop thinking about. Finding himself in unchartered territory, he realizes he can’t rely on his fame to earn the affection of this one special woman. Will his new ways be enough for her to let her guard down, or will someone from his past ruin their chances together?

After her latest ill-fated attempt to find a forever relationship of her own, Tori Kennedy is content with connecting the dots for others, bringing them together in pursuit of lifetime love. Fresh off of the demise of her marriage, she decides to take advantage of an opportunity to do something a little—okay, a lot—crazy, and heavily fueled by an overload of emotions.

Battle Mage or Magical Engineer? Like that was even a real question. Battle Mage...obviously. Magical Engineers live quiet, boring lives. I crave excitement. And as an agent for the Arcane Mage Intelligence Agency, that’s exactly what I get. It’s a pretty great life. I go on solo missions, kicking a-s and taking names, I hook up with men whenever I want to blow off some steam, and I hang out with my family if I’m ever after company. Everything changes when my psycho uncle fails in his attempt to kill my father. Now, I’m in charge of the manhunt against him.

Just when Legendary thought he had found peace, his happy ending was gone just as fast as it arrived. He can't seem to catch a break as his past continues to haunt him. For so long, Legendary felt guilty over the passing of his best friend, but he soon finds out that his best friend wasn't as loyal as Legendary thought he was. When the secret his best friend literally took to the grave is revealed, Legendary finds himself in the midst of chaos, confusion, and his future left hanging in the balance.

Every family has secrets. Even the families you least expect. Years ago, the leaders of two prominent families agreed on a treaty that would cloak the forbidden shadows of desire with darkness, hiding a romance that was never supposed to happen. An ultimate betrayal momentarily broke the organization apart. Now, the group has reformed with new rules, new values, and new ruthless ways of silencing their enemies.

Kendra Ames is a driven young producer in need of a bachelor for her reality show. When she meets Lee Sullivan, the retired captain of Lakes hockey team, they have an instant connection. After listening to Kendra’s pitch, Sully decides he would rather pursue her instead. However, when the show’s network makes him an offer for his dream job with a unique stipulation, he can’t refuse.

I had my chance at love and I threw it away. I don't deserve another. I've dedicated my entire life to my community. There's no time for anything else. But then I met her. Ciara Jeffries is everything I told myself I didn't want but she might be everything I need. If I can just hold on to her.

Michelle and Kelsie have never had it easy, but the one thing that has remained consistent in each of their lives are each other. Both in their early twenties and with the stress of the world on their shoulders, they both manage to still be there for each other through it all. Michelle's dream is to be a top stylist, well her dream was a reality until she was fired from Naomi's shop because of her boyfriend. Tasheem is all Michelle knows, and that's being physically and mentally abused by the man she has loved since she was younger.

There were a lot of things that I could live without. I had lived without freedom for the past fifteen years. My wife was someone that I couldn't live without, and I needed her. Alaia saved a lot of people with just a touch of her hand on my arm. She calmed the beast within me, reminded me what I had at home. Alaia was someone that I refused to live without, and now, they took her from me. They touched my wife and thought they would be able to live to talk about it. You didn't touch a Delgato and thought you would live. You didn't touch what was mine and think you could live.

I'm a protector, and my family is my responsibility. When it comes to my team, I'm the same way. They are family and the reason that me and Capone are able to do us in the streets, knowing they are tucked away safe. As a man, you sometimes fall short, and something—someone—falls through the cracks. I know one thing; I put that on my grandson that I'm going to crack his uncle's skull. He has hurt his own family, tossed them out to the wolves, and has hurt mine. I don't take too kindly to people hurting mine.

Lessyn Bradshaw had been taught very young that a man was only good for one thing: his money. If he couldn't provide security, then he wasn't the man for her. However, Lessyn didn't want that for herself. She wanted someone who could provide love, safety, fidelity, and multiple orgasms. After being engaged for three years and never truly being fulfilled in the bedroom or otherwise, Lessyn was unsure if being married to the rich designer was worth the risk of being unhappy—unsatisfied. When she meets Gabriel, his energy and vibe immediately have her intrigued.

After my Yaya passed away, I didn't have anyone that cared for me. I mean, not even a month after Yaya was in the ground, he sat me down in the living room and sold me to a thirty-year-old man. I was sixteen, and my big brother, the man who was supposed to protect me, sold me off like cattle on a farm. My entire life has been to please Zayne. I'm his fourth wife and the youngest wife. Nobody has ever protected or cared for me. I was tossed the cards that life handed me and had to make do with them. That is until Cappadonna Delgato and I cross paths—again.

I came home and ended up with two enemies because of the women I choose to love. Kendra was the one I thought I loved, but the feeling I felt when I looked into Alaia's eyes told me that I had never experienced love with Kendra. When I looked into my Joy's eyes, I wanted to give her the stars, moons, and the sky wrapped up with a big fat a-s bow. So, for her, I would go to war to make sure Tweety had no part in touching her ever again.

I knew how to love because I loved my Yaya more than life. I knew that I could love because of the baby I had grown within me and now held; I loved her more than I loved myself. As I watched this man sleep peacefully beside me, one arm around me, keeping me close, I knew that I loved him. I knew that I could see forever with him, and I knew that he would kill any and everything moving when it came to protecting me.