It’s natural to want the one you can’t have. And for as long as I could remember, I’d secretly wanted my brother’s best friend, Jace. He was six years older and always treated me like the sister he never had. Fast forward a decade. We were all in our twenties now. Jace had moved in with my brother, Nathan, and me to help us make ends meet after our parents died. It was just the three of us—an odd family dynamic. Living under our roof, Jace was as bossy and protective as ever. But he certainly didn’t look at me like a sister anymore. That was what made things so complicated. I was pretty much hot and bothered twenty-four-seven. And he was torn. The signs were subtle, at first. Like on movie night, I’d casually rest my leg against his, and he wouldn’t exactly shift away. Still, I assumed he would never…go there. Nathan would kill us. The knowledge of that wasn’t enough to stop the inevitable, though. Eventually our slow burn exploded. But more than the physical attraction, we’d developed a strong connection. We just couldn’t get caught, right? That sounded simple. Until it wasn’t. This is a story of forbidden love, broken trust, and an unexpected second chance.
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Olivia Brent has one summer to save the dairy farm she just inherited. But there’s one problem, and it’s not her lactose intolerance. Jake Milovic. The brooding farmhand has inherited exactly fifty percent of Brent Farm, and he’s so convinced the city girl can’t work the land, he bets she can’t save it in a summer. Determined to prove him wrong, Olivia accepts what might be the dumbest wager of her life. His strategy to win seems simple: follow her around, shirtlessly distracting her between bouts of relentless taunting. And it’s effective—if his dark eyes and rare smiles aren’t enough to sidetrack her, the sweaty, rolling topography of the manbeast’s body would do the trick. What they don’t know: they’ll have to weather more than each other. Mysterious circumstances throw the farm into disarray, and with the dairy farm in danger, Olivia and Jake have to work together. But when they do, there’s more to fear than either of them imagined. Because now their hearts are on the line, and the farm won’t be the only casualty if they fail. At eighteen, I walked away from Willow Creek Valley for good. I was young, scared, and stupid, and it cost me the love of my life—Grayson Parkerson. Fourteen years later, a crash sends me back home to recover. Back to where we met, fell in love, and planned a future. The one he’s now living as a single dad to his daughter. Working at The Park Inn together gives us a chance to reconnect, and seeing him with his little girl makes me long for the days when he was mine. One look in his gorgeous blue-green eyes, and it’s like I never left. One kiss, and my world is upside down. One night together, and I know without a doubt, in his arms is where I belong. I’m not the girl I was—intimidated by his wealthy family and desperate to escape our small town. I can imagine a new life for us here. But he’s learned to guard his heart, and trust won’t come easily. How can I convince him to give first love a second chance? Lies ruin lives. Ignacio Torres, the translator for Blackbridge Security, has told his fair share and then some. He lied more than once to Tinley Holland when they were teens. Told her he didn’t love her. Told her he could live without her. Told her what they shared didn’t mean a thing. He’s lived with those lies, lived with the loss of her for over a decade. What he didn’t expect was going home to help with a family matter only to discover Tinley has told the biggest lie of all. I once met a man on a cold Halloween night. He dressed as a superhero, and I dressed in red. For one night, I was his break from reality, and he was the temporary fix for my broken heart. Two years later, I was given the opportunity of a lifetime to become a senior editor at one of the biggest magazine companies in the world. The only catch? Nail an exclusive interview with New York’s finest bachelor: Connor Roe. To the rest of the world he was becoming one of the wealthiest men in New York City. To me, he was simply my once upon a time superhero. My job was to get an exclusive interview with New York’s hottest bachelor. Never in my life did I expect him to want an exclusive with my heart, too. The only problem with my growing feelings for him? I was set to marry his new business partner. I’m in love with two men. But I can only marry one. And today is my wedding day. The bridesmaids button my wedding dress. They titter excitedly as the music begins. My groom is waiting for me. I walk down the aisle prepared to say I do. All according to plan. Except for the shout from the back of the room, “I object!” I should have known it couldn’t be that easy. After fourteen years of push and pull, neither of them is going to let me go. We’re a trio that should have never been. Me and Cole and Ash. One that I’m to marry and one that I’m to leave behind. Now, once and for all, I have to choose: my groom or the man objecting? But until then…hold the forevers. To be “just friends” with a guy, you’ve got to follow The Rules: Don’t touch him unnecessarily. Don’t share your intimate dreams with him (even if he asks). Don’t kiss him, and definitely don’t sleep with him. Scout Dunne and I have been “just friends” since childhood. He’s everything you could want—sexy, charming, confident—every girl’s wet dream. Until we broke The Rules. We broke them in the ocean, in my aunt’s bathroom, in my bed… It was the hottest week of my life. I’m one of the few people who knows the first-draft NFL star wants more than a life of sports. Because we’re friends, right? Not anymore. Now he’s gone, and I’m trying to get my career back on track. Mamma said a guy would never put your dreams ahead of his. But the twist of fate? It’s something you never see coming. Maggie Fitzgerald is the last girl I should think about taking to my bed. On the cusp of turning 21, she has her whole life waiting out ahead of her. Sexy AF while still radiating an innocence that I know better than to taint. And here I am, itching to reach out and touch a girl who is so forbidden that just thinking about her feels like committing a mortal sin. Thing is, I love playing with fire. Rhys Manning is everything I shouldn’t want. Country-rock’s newest superstar. Fun. Wild. Ready to show the world a good time. He’s so off-limits it isn’t even funny. So out of reach he might as well be a poster tacked on my wall. Too bad every time he looks at me, my heart races out of control. Now, I’m stuck living with him for the entire summer… We’re only supposed to be friends. Still, I should have known it was a terrible idea when I started sneaking into his room. Especially when it’s clear he’s keeping secrets. Secrets that might destroy us both. One touch, and I want more. One kiss, and I’m spiraling out of control. I know it’s reckless to start dancing in the flames. But in exchange for getting to spend one night with this brooding bad boy? I might be willing to get burned… Have you ever seen a fireman who’s so insanely sexy you’d actually consider DIY-ing a little at-home arson just so he’d show up at your front door? Dramatic, I know, but hear me out. Chiseled hot body, bright blue eyes, and the sexiest smile I’ve ever seen, the first time I saw Garrett Alexander in my exam room, it took everything inside me not to do something crazy like mount him during his yearly physical. Not only is he a total babe, but he’s charming, hilarious, and the kind of single dad that would make your ovaries explode--the total freaking package. I know you’re probably wondering, What in the heck are you waiting for, girl? Go get yourself a fireman! But, see, there’s one teeny-tiny (read: huge) problem--if we got together, we’d have to keep our relationship a secret. I know. Who even am I? Some heroine in a freaking forbidden romance novel? Let me guess, now you’re probably thinking...Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Don’t do it, girl. Don’t fall for the sexy, off-limits man. It’s not worth it. Well, too late. I already went and did it. And I have a feeling this fire of ours is going to go up in a big, mushroom-cloud-worthy, ball of figurative smoke. Just one night... I should have known that just one night would never have been enough. Not when Peyton Mckenna has been the only girl I’ve ever dreamed of. We were friends once, best friends but to me she was always the girl I couldn’t have. It didn’t stop me wanting though. But then everything changed, our worlds exploded and I pushed her away, too caught up in my grief and confusion of still wanting the girl that belonged to someone else. For three years I avoided her as if everything that happened that night was her fault, but the truth was, the guilt of seeing her, still wanting her was tearing me apart but I was becoming weak. Weak enough to let her back in. Weak enough to hold her. Weak enough to take that taste I’d always denied myself. It was a betrayal. But never a mistake. And now I want more. Our paths were too tangled, our lives forever on a collision course. This was my destruction and we had always been destined to fail. |
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June 2024
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