I'm not the kind of girl who has one-night stands. Except...I did. What can I say? After a few drinks with a gorgeous man who made me feel alive for the first time since losing my mom, I was powerless to say no. And I didn't regret it. Not one minute of our hot, mind-melting night together. But he wasn't a forever kind of guy. So I walked away. I wasn't supposed to ever see him again. Then I did. Turns out my sexy one-night stand is Dr. Jacob Mitchell - and he's the cardiothoracic surgeon who just saved my dad's life. 

Scott Sebastian is a liar. Fitting, since I'm a liar too. Yet there's no place for me in his glittering world of half truths. With all our secrets in the open, I should stop trying. What I've learned should send me running far away. I can’t keep pining for a man in love if I’m not the woman he’s in love with. But it's not that easy to escape the Sebastians. I already knew they owned this city. Now I'll find out if they also own their son.

The first time I met Hudson Rothschild was at a wedding. I’d received an unexpected invitation to one of the swankiest venues in the city. Hudson was a groomsman and quite possibly the most gorgeous man I’d ever laid eyes on. He asked me to dance, and our chemistry was off the charts. I knew it wasn’t a good idea to get involved with him, considering the wedding I was at. But our connection was intense, and I was having a great time. Though the fun came to a screeching halt when Hudson figured out I wasn’t who I’d said I was.

The Sebastians own this city. Hell, they own the whole world. All I want is one little piece of it, a corner that I can call my own. So when my boss runs away to “find herself”, I seize the opportunity and dive head first into the Sebastian’s glamorous universe. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted - fast paced and high stakes - and, even though I don’t fit in, I’m excellent at faking it. Until I come face-to-face with the man in charge, Scott Sebastian, the arrogant playboy heir with the mind of a devil and the body of a god and a mouth I can’t stop thinking about.

He’s my brother’s best friend, the hot single dad next door. And one accidental sext later, my massive crush on him is no longer a secret. It’s my own damn fault. I’m 30 years old, for heaven’s sake. I’m a kindergarten teacher and a (reasonably) responsible adult. I should know better than to get tipsy and draft a fake text listing all the dirty things I wish Officer Cole Mitchell would do to me.  I wasn’t supposed to hit send. And he wasn’t supposed to see it.

There were three things I knew about Capo Macchiavello: He was gorgeous. He was reclusive. He was considered one of New York's most savage animals. And he wanted me as his wife. A simple arrangement - you do for me, I do for you. Nothing owed, no expectations. Except for one: never leave. Life was never that simple, though. By the age of 21, I was parentless, jobless, and homeless, and I had come to learn the hard way that nothing was ever free. Even kindness comes with strings. 

Hollywood taught me everything I know about relationships - except how to be in one. As an actor, I became an expert at faking it. Faking that I wasn't affected by my childhood. Faking that I was okay. Faking that I knew how to save the day, the girl, the whole damn world. But I've always known the truth - I’m no one's hero. Until I’m forced to move back to Sugarloaf for six months, and Brenna Allen offers me a chance to prove otherwise. She’s everything I never knew I wanted, but can't have. Her broken heart, perfect face, and adorable children turn my world upside down. 

Lexington Dane was my brother’s best friend growing up. We did everything together. He taught me how to throw a punch, how to change a tire...and he taught me how to kiss. I fell hard and fast, and gave him all my firsts. I promised I’d wait for him.... But I’m done waiting, because he went off to college and never came back. He took his fancy business degree and moved to New York City, where he promptly became a real estate mogul - turning every penthouse and apartment project he touched into gold. 

What happened on that island didn’t break me. It twisted me. Corrupted me. Made me into a monster. Although, I guess, it’s true what she says. You can’t become something that wasn’t inside you all along. This was always going to happen. I was always going to take Amelia Willow. History and destiny sealed her fate. Sealed both of ours. For months, I’ve been waiting. Watching. Preparing.

Once upon a cold, dark night, a Russian killer stole me from an alley. I’m dangerous, but he is lethal. I escaped once. He won’t let me do it twice. The revenge is his. The betrayal is mine. But so are the lies to protect the ones I love. We’re cut from the same twisted cloth. Both merciless. Both damaged. In his embrace, I find hell and heaven, his cruelly tender touch destroying and uplifting me at once. They say a cat has nine lives, but an assassin has just one. And Yan Ivanov now owns mine.

Our marriage is a sham. I'm the first to admit it. Only privately, of course. Notorious playboy Luka Zoric needs a wife and the good PR it brings. I just need the career boost being his top model will give me. It's a win-win - on paper. But since when has real life been simple? His jealousy makes me crazy. The control he maintains over my body is unacceptable. I really shouldn't be so turned on by it. But there's more to both me and my husband than meets the eye.And it isn't long before I'm wondering - which of us has made the bigger mistake?

Taking her is my right. Breaking her, my duty. I was always going to choose Helena. I knew it the instant I saw her. She’s different than the others. There’s a darkness about her. Something wild inside her. And it calls to the beast inside me. But she isn’t what I expected. With every word and every touch, she pushes me, burrowing deep under my skin, challenging the rules, and upending history. And all the while, I see how my brother watches her. He wants her, and as the rules stand, she’ll become his in one year’s time. Except that I have no intention of giving her up.

My life is in ruins. Failed marriage, failed career - I'm a failure. My husband may have had a hand in it, but I can't help missing him. We made an agreement. I signed the contract, and so did he. Without our arrangement, everything falls apart. So we'll keep losing ourselves in each other's bodies. We'll keep pretending everything is fine. But maybe I'm getting sick of pretend. Maybe I want to find something real. And just maybe, Luka does too.

Mr. Santillian, Despite the fact I'm currently living out of your guest room and sleeping with you most nights, I am writing to announce my resignation, effective two weeks from today. In other words, I'll locate someone who is both obscenely overqualified and willing to devote their days to the handful of tasks you are able to wrench from your perfectionist, micromanaging grip.

We were 16 the night she was violently assaulted while I helplessly watched. I’ll never forget the sounds of her suffering. Or my inconsolable agony when she left Oklahoma. Years later, she returns to honor our teenage pact. Except the boy she loved is gone, replaced by a ruthless cattle rancher knotted with secrets. She doesn’t know my dark cravings or the trails of sin that lead to her. I don’t deserve her, but one truth remains: She’s mine.