They didn’t talk about love in that house. Not out loud. But it was there — thick as perfume, clinging to everything and choking the air. Clarabelle always smelled sweet. She made sure of it. Lip gloss on the rim…

Mommy never wanted her. She made it clear in little ways. A too-tight braid. A sigh when Clarabelle spilled juice. The way she’d sneer at her in the hallway and say, “You’re going to be nothing, just like your mother…

In the depths of the forest, a rugged lumberjack named Jack was hard at work, his muscular body glistening with sweat. He paused to take a break, leaning against the massive trunk of a felled tree. As he caught his…

Nova sauntered up the pathway to the Robinsons’, her hips swaying seductively in the low-cut dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. She’d been lusting after Mr. Robinson for months now, ever since she started babysitting their…

Nova slid into her seat in the front row, situating herself directly in Mr. Hart’s line of vision as he stood at the front of the classroom writing equations on the chalkboard. She knew he couldn’t resist sneaking glances her…