Five… minutes. That’s how long I was supposed to be there. Get in, get out. Job done. Four… guns pointed at my head. It wasn’t supposed to go down this way. Three… years old, and she clung to her mum as we sat huddled together on the floor, chained to the pipes on the wall. Two… choices, when my time finally came. To let it all play out or fight with everything I had. One… split second that changed the course of my life… forever. My name is Tyler Evans. They call me The Thief. But on that day, the last thing I expected to become was the hostage. The Thief is a dark, standalone romance set in the Soldiers of Anarchy world. You do not need to read the other books in the series to enjoy this story. Please read the trigger warnings at the beginning of the book before starting this journey.
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Some people would consider me an "F boy"…an "F girl?" "F woman?" The whole term is obviously sexist. Whatever, I’m a player I guess you could say. I like sex. I like having it, talking about it, anything. Growing up it was considered shameful, wrong, sinful. Now, as an adult I do whatever I want and don't care what others think. Which is what led me to camming. That led me to him. We have never met in real life. He doesn't even know my real name, but he's consumed my thoughts for years. When I'm forced to stay with the hockey player that once stood me up, I never expected him to be the man behind the screen. Or that finally getting to touch him would disrupt everything I ever thought about love and relationships, and that scares me more than anything. When a single dad moves to a small town and becomes obsessed with a potential client—a beautiful woman haunted by her tragic past. For years, tales of the Firefly Man were nothing more than elaborate rumors spread by residents of the Appalachian Mountains. Until the night Evelyn Vaughn stumbled upon a dead body in the woods. Fear gripped her, and silence stole her voice. All while she watched the boy she was with that night take the fall. Fourteen years later, Evelyn is nothing more than a shell of her former self. Her life moves like a clock from one moment to the next, never a surprise. Gone are the days of chasing fireflies through the woods. Until her therapist goes missing, and he’s replaced with someone new. Dr. Lincoln Reed, a devastatingly handsome single dad with an intensity behind his evergreen eyes that jolts her back to life. Or does it? Evelyn is quickly losing grip of the suppressed reality she’s worked so hard to maintain. With every new session on Dr. Reed’s couch comes a startling new revelation that has her past awakening like the sparkles of light she used to chase through the nighttime woods. The Firefly Man was supposed to be a rumor, a fable, a spooky tale. But Evelyn knows the truth. He’s her very own phantom. And he’s back. As a female coach, I've always lived by a simple mantra: throw hard, swing for the fences, and never, ever look back—especially when it comes to past flames. So when my ex-boyfriend somehow manages to land the job as my new assistant coach, my life is flipped upside down. The game I thought I'd mastered is now being played with a whole new set of rules. My ex is baseball's all-star Nathan Pierce. He's tall, dark, and undeniably handsome. He's also all too eager to spend extra hours working together while flashing that familiar devilish smirk of his that still sends my heart racing. Between playful teasing and lingering stares I discover that Nathan isn't just here to work. He's here to rewrite history. Our history. And when fate throws another curveball that involves me needing a place to stay, Nathan offers me his spare bedroom which sends me spiraling into emotions I believed had long since faded. Now I'm faced with the ultimate decision: keep it professional and continue fleeing from our past, or confront it head-on by playing the game he thinks we were meant to finish together. The moment I witness a murder, my quiet, careful existence goes up in smoke. I'm thrust into the world of Santiago Hernández, Central America’s most ruthless cartel leader. In exchange for my life, I’m placed under his watchful eye. Day in and day out, he waits for me to betray my promise of silence. The longer I stay in his world, the deeper I fall for the glimpses of the man beneath that handsome yet cunning exterior. The man whose possessive touch ignites a long-lost part of me. But I should know better than to open my heart to a cold-blooded criminal with a laundry list of deadly sins and secrets. Especially when he has no idea who I really am. Because when the lies unfold, he’ll discover I have a list of sins and secrets of my own. My new job is more than I bargain for. Four demanding, billionaire bosses. Four gorgeous men who make me feel more than I could ever imagine. If I sign on the dotted line, they say I’ll be theirs. Theirs to protect. Theirs to have. Theirs to dominate. New apartment. New wardrobe. Everything I could possibly need they take care of. Looking across the conference room table, my choice is already made for me. The ink isn’t even dry before I let myself fall. Watch Me is a Why Choose billionaire romance with heroes who will do anything to protect and pleasure their heroine, originally published as part of the #1 Private Listing series on Kindle Vella. Watch Me is the first book in the Private Listing series, an expanded edition. USA Today bestselling author Adriana Locke delivers a spicy, age gap, grumpy sunshine, workplace romance in the first book in the brand new Landry Security series. Troy Castelli acts like it’s my fault that we’re cooped up together in a room with one bed overlooking the ocean. I didn’t ask for a stalker to break into my house and then send me a threatening email detailing my demise. And I sure as heck didn’t request that my boss send Troy and his uber elite bodyguard skills to accompany me out of town—although I’m not mad about it. A paid tropical vacation with a grumpy, gray-eyed bad boy in a suit isn’t exactly a burden. But it is a giant test of my willpower. Troy’s alpha protector tendencies drive me wild. His arrogant smirk gets under my skin. But it’s his not-so-innocent touches, heated looks and touch-her-and-die vibes that are the final strike that ignite our explosive chemistry. The longer we’re together, the more his broody exterior slips, and I get a glimpse of the real man beneath the sculpted muscles. I’m determined not only to unearth his mysterious past but also to make him realize what we have is more than just a fling in paradise. That is, unless my stalker gets me first. Imagine this: an author with a raging case of writer’s block finds an unexpected source of inspiration in her grumpy, gorgeous new roommate. Sounds amazing, right? Except that new roommate is my childhood best friend. And Ian Wilder has been off-limits since I was five. It’s been over a decade since I’ve seen him, but when I return to my hometown after years away, Ian’s exactly the man I remembered. The same guy who gave me his coat on a playground when we were kids and promised he’d take care of me forever. I need a quiet place to work with this deadline looming. I need a place where my daughter can unwind. Enter Ian with an offer I can’t refuse: his spare bedroom. It’s an easy yes. Except now the problem is I can’t stop thinking about him, and these thoughts? They’re wandering out of the friend zone. I keep imagining very creative ways to rip off his clothes. And Ian starts giving me looks of his own, the kind that make my heart race. He’s a down-to-earth highland farmer. She’s the rebellious daughter of Hollywood royalty. They might seem like they’re from different worlds, but that won’t stop them from engaging in a marriage of convenience… It’s been five years since Jared McCulloch’s grandfather Collum passed away and he inherited his farm in the Scottish Highlands. After his grandad saved him from his past life, Jared is determined to honor Collum’s legacy. But not only has a series of bad luck put him in danger of losing the farm, his estranged father is disputing the will. In a desperate situation, Jared realizes he’ll do just about anything to save the land. Even marrying Allegra Howard, a woman he’s avoided at all costs. A woman who tempts him beyond reason. There’s only one place that makes Allegra Howard feel safe; one place that feeds her artist’s soul. Allegra wants to settle down in Scotland and expand her business. But there’s a hitch: immigration intends to return her to US soil. Panicked, Allegra finds the one person just as desperate as she is. The same person she’s lusted after for years. In exchange for marrying her, she’ll invest financially in Jared McCulloch’s farm. However, living together only forces them to acknowledge their searing mutual attraction. And with it comes an undeniable emotional connection Jared’s not sure he’s ready for. Yet, blurring the lines of their arrangement is the least of his concerns when someone begins terrorizing the farm. Allegra and Jared came together to save what matters most and now that might just be each other. And unless they can figure out which of their pasts has returned to torment them, they could lose their chance at a real future together... When inspiration becomes real life, will you fight for love? Willow Writing thrillers is the name of the game. Usually, the storylines come easily, but my latest book is uninspired. Needing a change of scenery, I do something I promised myself I wouldn’t; I go to Grind Time, perching myself in front of the hottest distraction in Bluebell Falls, the mononymous Oakley. When I overhear some juicy details about his mysterious past, I decide the distracting man may be the key to ending my writer’s block and finishing this book. To my surprise, my books have come to life, and I can’t help but wonder if this thrilling adventure is more than I bargained for. Oakley Leaving the only job I ever wanted wasn’t something I did lightly, but when you’ve seen what I have, it feels like the only choice. Now, I’m serving coffee and paninis to the residents of Bluebell Falls, with one in particular always on my mind. Ever since Grind Time’s opening week, Willow Hutton has avoided me, but all of that changes when she walks through the doors and overhears parts of my previous life that I wanted to keep hidden. When my past comes back with a vengeance, maybe this time, with a little help, I’ll finally slay my demons and my last case will be left behind for good. Can they survive the darkness together, or will their fresh start be over before it truly begins in Bluebell Falls? |
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June 2024
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