It was too hard to keep her. Kat was never supposed to be mine, not with my reputation. But the way her lips tasted, the way her curves felt under my hands...I couldn't let go. So I gave her everything - my life, my heart, my ring.

Mason Thatcher gave me chills when I first laid eyes on him. The good kind. The kind that makes your body ache and your heart hammer. What's better is that he looked at me the same way. There was a hunger in his eyes that wouldn't be sated and a confidence in his stride that told me I could never run from him. Back then I didn't want to. It's not fair that his touch eased my pain. That his lips on mine made my worries vanish. That his love gave me a reason to breathe again. With him I felt complete, as if fate had given me a second chance.

Fate brought us together, but the sins of my past threaten to rip us apart. In a city ruled by corruption and powerful men, only the ruthless survive. And that's just what I am. Like father, like son. The life I lead is riddled with black tie affairs and dark secrets. simple mistake destroyed a woman I knew nothing about. She was only a name and a beautiful face in a photograph. Her fairytale life was shattered, but I didn't give a damn. Or at least I thought I didn't care, until she stumbled into me.

Luna Rexroth is everyone’s favorite wallflower. Underneath the meek, tomboy exterior everyone loves (yet pities) is a girl who knows exactly what, and who, she wants - namely, the boy from the tree house who taught her how to curse in sign language. Who taught her how to laugh. To live. To love. Knight Cole is everyone’s favorite football hero. This daredevil hell-raiser could knock you up with his gaze alone, but he only has eyes for the girl across the street: Luna. But Luna is not who she used to be. She doesn’t need his protection anymore.

They say revenge is a dish best served cold. I’d had four years to stew on what Daria Followhill did to me...now my heart was completely iced. I took her first kiss. She took the only thing I loved. I was poor. She was rich. The good thing about circumstances? They can change. Fast. Now, I’m her parents’ latest shiny project. Her housemate. Her tormentor. The captain of the rival football team she hates so much. Yeah, baby girl, say it. I’m your foster brother. There’s a price to pay for ruining the only good thing in my life. She’s about to shell out some serious tears.

I should’ve known she would ruin me the moment I saw her. Women like her are made to destroy men like me. I couldn’t resist her though. Given to me to start a war; I was too eager to accept. But I didn’t know what she’d do to me. That she would change everything.

Some love stories are a slow burn. Others are quick to ignite, scorching and branding your very soul before you’ve taken that first breath. You’re never given a chance to run from it. That’s how I’d describe what happened to us. Everything around me blurred and all that existed were his lips, his touch.... The chase and the heat between us became addictive. Our nights together were a distraction, one we craved to the point of letting the world crumble around us.

It was never love with Daniel, and I never thought it would be. It was only lust from a distance. Unrequited love maybe. He's a man I could never have, for so many reasons. That didn't stop my heart from beating wildly when his eyes pierced through me. It only slowed back down when he'd look away, making me feel so damn unworthy and reminding me that he would never be mine.

I fell for someone I shouldn’t have. I’m not the only person to ever do such a thing. I know that. And I’m not an awful person for desiring his touch, his kiss, his everything...but I knew I shouldn’t have indulged. There’s something about knowing it’s wrong that tempts me that much more. The seduction became a game with higher stakes than any before him. In fact, it was only ever him. The thing is, I knew I shouldn’t. Now that the game is over and the pieces have fallen...I know I should have just walked away. There’s no way out of the wreckage.

With her I was always on the highest high. That's why it was so easy to fall. I never stood a chance without her. The two of us were made for one another. It's as simple as that. The world could try to rip us apart, but it would fail. Until this. She told me once, love isn't enough. I never would have believed it...until now. Neither of us could have prepared for this. I won't stop fighting. Not until the very end.

We were never meant to be together. He’s a bartender with noncommittal tendencies. I’m looking for…the opposite. Commitment. Period. But drinks and a bet led to something it shouldn’t have: a fake relationship. Worse, a first date, a first kiss…and then more. He’s addictive and I can’t bring myself to accept the reality. That it’s all a lie and I’m fooling myself by thinking he could want more. That I could change him. 

I should feel shame for not wanting this to end, but he doesn’t want it to end either. When the darkness sets in, the flames all flickered out, and the loud click of the locks signal it’s over, that’s when reality comes back. The war. The drugs. All of the lies that leave a tangled web for me to get lost in. I don’t want any of it. I only want him. Jase Cross. My enemy. And yet, the only person I trust...Jase Cross will be my downfall.

I ran from him, even though my heart knew better. Love was one thing, but survival another. He chose a life of crime. I never wanted any of it; I only wanted him. I left when the danger bled into my life, taking more than I was willing to sacrifice. Desperate to Touch is book 2 in a series. Hard to Love must be heard first. 

It started with a kiss. A single kiss that shook me to my core. A kiss to silence me, and a kiss to numb the pain. I took his hand and in turn, he took me away. I thought when we ran away, we’d never have to look back. I was wrong. I think Sebastian knew, and so did I, that he’d be pulled back into this life one day. There was no way we could have gotten our happily-ever-after. Scars don’t ever fully go away, and this sinful place is etched into our flesh.

I own this town. The deals, the cash flow, the corruption - I decide it all. Blood and violence taints everything I claim. She was a constant through it all, and she never knew how badly I needed her. Just a touch would singe and soothe. Just a look would tempt and torment. She was too good for this world. I was too much of a bastard to push her away. She became my escape and my addiction.