When I met my son's best friend, the attraction was instantaneous. Jesse Morgan is charming, witty, and hot as sin. He might be young, but he's wise beyond his years. Hard as I tried, I couldn't keep my greedy hands off him, and once I had a taste, I needed more. He awakens a fire within me unlike anything I've experienced with another guy. He stirs a hot lust that makes it difficult for me to spend time with him without tearing his clothes off and giving him the pleasure he deserves. It's more than that, though. He makes me believe in something I'd given up on: love.  

I always felt I wasn’t wired like my peers, but when my brother, Kellan, gave me three terms - ace, aromantic, and demi - I had possible names for it. Those three words have been on my mind ever since, as has my brother’s best friend, Josh Westbrook. It’s been cool getting to know him and spending time together, just us. He makes me feel something I never thought I’d be able to feel. When we end up alone in a cabin with only one bed, all my crossed wires finally connect and point toward being demi and wanting him. 

Parrish Partridge’s true facts: There’s nothing hotter than a tall, gruff, bewildered, tattooed mountain of a man cuddling a sweet, orphaned baby, so you can tell yourself that you’ll resist him...But that’s a lie. And when that man asks you to do him a favor and pretend to be his very temporary, very fake fiance to help him get custody of that adorable baby, you can pretend you know better than to say yes...But that’s a lie, too.

Pretty Thing - the moment Liam McKinney first uttered those words will be embedded in my mind forever. He's mysterious, intriguing...and off-limits since he's my father's friend. Easier said than done. The moment I laid eyes on the man with the dark eyes and intense stare, he awoke a primal hunger within me unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. For some time, I've been confused about my attraction toward men, but there's no confusion when I look at him - just pure, unfettered desire to feel his body against mine, taste his flesh, breathe in his scent. 

Julian was the boy next door. My brother's best friend, he fit with my family in ways I never could. While he and Rhett went on to play house, I left the only life I knew, desperate for a fresh start. Until everything changed. Heartache came along, and the aftermath of my brother's death was here to stay. I was now face to face with Julian more than I ever wanted to be. Being around him brought up all my insecurities, forced me to deal with hard truths, and conjured up feelings I had no business entertaining. He wasn't the man I thought I knew.

I’m a sniper. A trained operator. A bodyguard. A member of the elite private security force known as Vigilance. When my boss’s son acquires a stalker, of course I’m the one he calls to keep the guy safe. Mr. X’s one rule? Keep my hands to myself. Not a problem. At least, not until I meet Lane Porter. He’s gorgeous. Flamboyant. Fascinating. He makes me want things I can’t have. He stretches my self-control to the limit...and then breaks it.

Trouble. That's all I am to people in this town. They're always waiting for me to mess up to prove them right. But I'm happy to keep to myself and mind my own business to survive my senior year at Wyachet High. Then, one rainy Monday morning, I meet the dirty blond in glasses. A confusing first encounter turns awkward, but it's short-lived since James Warner has a way of setting me at ease. Mr. Warner, I should say. My teacher. A fumbling nerd with a tendency to slip Milton and Shakespeare into conversation, he's a peculiar mix of charm, wit, vulnerability, and protectiveness.

I didn’t mean to stow away on the yacht, I swear. My first mistake was going home with the jerk at the bar, but in my defense, Prescott said he owned the Worthington - 90 feet of sleek, yachty perfection - and if I could get the chief mate’s job, I’d have an excuse to stay on board and keep avoiding my family and my future. How was I supposed to know he was the owner’s cheating, gold-digging almost brother-in-law, or that I’d end up stuffed in a closet when the ship left the harbor?

When returning to Licking Thicket, TN, for the first time in 10 years to reunite with your nosy neighbors, heartbroken ex-girlfriend, and matchmaking mama who never quite believed you were gay, it’s best to bring a fake boyfriend as backup. Just don’t be surprised when your ex-girlfriend does the same. 

I've never messed around with a guy before. Not that I haven't been attracted to guys. The opportunity just never came up. I stand at the front door, naked. My bro's roomie, Scott, is pissed about how much noise I made with the girl I just escorted out of their apartment, but I figured we were alone, and I couldn't help that she liked to scream out to let me know she was enjoying herself.

Callum: A gay guy walks into a straight bar and notices the hottest man he’s ever seen...Why am I not surprised my life sounds like the beginning of a bad joke? First, my ex cheated on me, and I went running to Havenwood and the mom I have a complicated relationship with. Then, there’s Knox, the gorgeous lumberjack I don’t stand a chance with. To top it off, he’s more than just a pretty face, and I start to fall for him. Knox is kind, funny, honorable, quickly becoming my best friend, and unfortunately, straight with a capital S.

It’s a classic story: Boy meets girl, girl breaks boy’s heart, boy pretends to be gay to get back at girl, girl outs boy to everyone on Facebook. Okay, maybe it’s not that classic. But it’s what happened to me. When I bump into my cheating ex and catch sight of the moon-sized rock on her finger, there’s only one option to save face: pretend to be dating my gay best friend, Declan. And when she outs me on Facebook and everyone I know sees it, there’s still only one option: keep pretending to be dating Declan. 

A night on the town after a long workweek at my family's distillery should include shots and dancing - not a hot kiss with a handsome stranger. I'm straight. At least, that's what I figured until I find myself locking lips with a sexy city boy. Now, all my circuits are going haywire, and the spark that ignites between us makes me even more curious. Unfortunately, I kissed the one man who's off-limits: Cohen Mitchell - the sole surviving heir to the Mitchell Creek distillery, a rival neighbor my family has feuded with for nearly a 100 years. 

I wasn't supposed to fall for my older brother's best friend. Unfortunately, that ship sailed when I was a teenager, even though Chase Hawthorne always treated me like nothing more than a younger sibling. Things were worse after my parents died. Chase was sweet and supportive, which only strengthened my feelings for him. But then he'd act like I couldn't take care of myself, and that part didn't go over well with me. Yeah, I had a habit of screwing up. 

Conor: It starts with a drunken text pic. The kind I would normally never send. Only, instead of it going to the flirty hotel bartender, it goes to some random stranger who actually responds. Wells: The first thing I notice about Conor Newell when he sits down in my high-rise conference room is how delightfully nervous he is. Then I see his tie. The same geeky tie that’s held hostage on my phone. The one that belongs to my anonymous late-night texter. And it changes everything.