Showing results for "never" in Literature & Fiction

Aaron Taylor-Ladner: As the head of a billion-dollar family empire, being a nice guy isn't part of my job. The only person who doesn't run for cover when I walk into a room is my new chief of sales, Harrison Ducker. He's outspoken, snarky, and a total pain. I'd fire him in a heartbeat—if I had one—if he didn't have an ironclad contract thanks to my father's meddling ways.

Three women, united by love and kinship, struggle to conform to the social norms of the times in which they live. In 1931 Katherine Henderson leaves behind her small town in Kansas and the marriage proposal of a local boy to live on her own and work at the Sears & Roebuck glove counter in Chicago. There she meets Annie - a bold, outspoken feminist who challenges Katherine's idea of who she thinks she is and what she thinks she wants in life.

"Oh my God, Briar! Where did you get that prosthetic leg?" Things as a parent Lane thought he'd never say for four hundred, Alex. But that's par for the course in Lane Ashbury's life considering everything is on the verge of falling apart. He not only has a toddler building her skills as a professional klepto, but he's also on the verge of divorce, and hoping desperately to save his business before it goes under. Luckily, the owner of the stolen leg might just be an angel in disguise when he offers to be Lane's new nanny instead of pressing charges.

Hagen Wylie has it all figured out. He's going to live in his hometown, be everybody's friend, explore new relationships, and rebuild his life after the horrors of war. No muss, no fuss is the plan. He's well on his way - until he finds out his first love has come home too. Hagen says it's no big deal, but a chance encounter with Mitch Thayer's two cute sons puts him directly in the path of the only guy he's never gotten out of his head.

The nomadic lifestyle of a wildlife photographer is perfect for Ren Stewart—he travels the world with no obligations, no place to call home. With time between assignments, he’s ready to leave the cold New York winter for sunny California. But twenty inches of snow on a layover means his flight’s canceled and he’s stranded. It’s going to be a long, lonely night at the airport waiting for the snow to melt.

Jax has been my best friend since the day we met. We not only share our passion for baseball, but we train together, play on the same team, hang out together, and even sleep in the same bed half the time. I feel safe with him, and he gets me like no one else. Yeah, he's gay, and I'm straight, but that doesn't matter. Until it does. Until one stupid dare to kiss each other leads to the most amazing, epic kiss of my life. Until I suddenly can't stop thinking about him, about what he awakens in me. Until all I want is him.

What happens when a single night of unexpected passion with a stranger leaves you wanting more? Twenty years later, Dr. Jamie Hammond thinks she's put that night far behind her. She's a successful chiropractor and is about to celebrate a 10-year anniversary with her partner. But instead of reaping the benefits of responsibility and hard work, she finds herself fighting to save her business and relationship as doubt, betrayal, and disappointment tear at the fabric of her life.

Pete is six months pregnant when he finds himself in the middle of a bank robbery gone bad. He’s sure he’s going to die, but a handsome alpha State Trooper bursts in to save him at the last possible moment. Pete is half in love with Ozzy before the week is out - but what kind of alpha wants a pregnant omega? Ozzy Morris is a cold case detective. He’s also a member of the SWAT team. When SWAT is called out to intervene in a bank robbery turned hostage situation, Ozzy meets the omega of his dreams.

After years of being ashamed of what my body wanted, I took a leap and signed up for a fantasy through Dark Desires with three masked men. What was only supposed to be one night of sexual freedom quickly turned into a whirlwind romance with two of my masked strangers. That is until the third man was revealed and it all came crashing down around me. I chose to walk away from the men who did unspeakable things to my mind, body, and soul. But they're not giving me up without a fight.

Wendell "Wen" Darling lives in a world of shoulds and musts. Left to care for his brother and sister by his dull drudge of a father and wacko irresponsible mother, he suppresses his creativity, slaving in an ad agency 70 hours a week, letting his no-talent supervisor take the credit. Then his bosses blow the campaign for their biggest client and Wen gets a chance to shine - but only if he can find the artist who painted a wild, glorious wall of graffiti in the subway. Hiding behind a pillar at 2:00 a.m., Wen comes face-to-face with the embodiment of his opposite - Peter Panachek.

Jumping to alternate realities sounds great, if you're in control. But what if you're not? What if you're propelled away from the people and places you love the most in the blink of an eye? And what if these involuntary journeys happen because your neurochemistry is different, and your brain works differently? Beautiful, compassionate, and resourceful as she is, this is Rea's problem. A latina trans woman and an academic, she is beloved by a tight circle of friends, who fully accept her without knowing the cause of her disappearances.

English professor Gavin Dozier hasn’t had much luck when it comes to love. When his last boyfriend cheated on him, he was driven to experiment with women. Sex with Marian, though, had its own dangers, and before he knew it, he was a father. Now estranged, the only thing Gavin and Marian have in common is their daughter Evie, a precocious seven-year-old who stays with Gavin every other weekend. While out with her daddy, Evie meets the heavily-tattooed Brody Phelps, a sketch artist with serious talent who still dresses like a brooding punk rocker, even though he’s in his thirties.

Cat shifter Simon refuses to jeopardize any of his nine lives, thank you very much. That saying "curiosity killed the cat" won't ever apply to him. No way, no how. Except . . . When he's out hunting for field mice one night, he finds the most wonderful whistle. It's magical and intriguing and so very, very pretty. He knows he should return it, but what's the worst that could happen if he blew on it first? Just once.

Georgiana - Georgie to everyone outside her family - figured out long ago that being in love with your straight best friend sucks. Turns out it's even worse when that friend, Madelyn, tells you she's not so straight after all. After it becomes clear to Georgie that she needs to get over Madelyn, Georgie moves cities and starts a new job. To grad student Madelyn, though, the sudden rift between the friends prompts painful introspection. A year later, she realizes her feelings for Georgie are romantic after all.

David Leavitt's second collection of stories further confirms a talent deep and wonderfully creative in its empathy. A Place I've Never Been explores family relationships, friendships, and romantic relationships, among characters whose sexuality is fluid or uncertain—a barrier or under threat. A real estate agent happily married to a woman finds himself in love with another man in "Houses". A man entering a bold new world of gay hookups feels sheltered from the most intimidating attentions by his more attractive, charismatic friend.

Charlie’s got plans for this summer: hanging out in the cemetery behind his house, doing as little assigned reading as possible, and volunteering at the old costume shop in the Victorian District. What he doesn’t anticipate is meeting William: a handsome, mysterious guy who just so happens to have been dead for about 100 years. As the weeks go by, Charlie and William discover that they have a lot to teach each other.

Nick Jones can't remember a time when he wasn't part of the in crowd. Everywhere he goes, he stands out as the best looking guy in the room, and women practically fall into bed with him. Then, after kissing Corey on a dare led to much more and on many occasions, Nick's "screw anything" reputation escalated, but he didn't care.

When your life falls apart and grief consumes you, what better way to forget than to take a winter mountaineering course in the Scottish Highlands? That was my thought when I booked myself on to it. Now I’m regretting ever signing up. Getting paired up with a grumpy stranger who thinks I’m a foolish amateur is only the tip of the iceberg. When an avalanche hits, we get separated from the group and have to find another way down the mountain.

Defense attorney Doug Morrison is very good at his job. After his father is convicted in a series of gruesome murders, Doug takes it upon himself to save the man who’s given him everything. When he finds evidence his father was someplace else for some of the crimes, he seeks out the detective who initially got his father convicted. Ray Langer is a laid-back sort of alpha, but he’s very good at his job. He knows the evidence was good when it came to the Morrison case - until Morrison’s gorgeous, confident omega son shows up with evidence that chips away at his case.

For Lori's senior thesis she has set out to answer the age-old question: Is there life after death? What she discovers is something beyond her wildest dreams. Unfortunately, without hard evidence, no one will believe her. So she delves even deeper into this unknown realm, only to find that being an uninvited guest has its consequences.