Showing results by publisher "Carina Press" in Contemporary

Casey Lord needs a break. Her great-on-paper boyfriend, Reed, is pressuring her to marry him but she’s not sure if he sees her merely as an asset to help his political career. A river-rafting trip in the remote wilderness provides the perfect opportunity to clear her head... until a flash flood sweeps Casey away from her group—and straight into the arms of Jack, a mysterious man also stranded by the flooding river.

Quinn Andrews has a lot to learn about the world of BDSM. Once America's sweetheart, she has an opportunity to revive her career by playing a sexual submissive in a highly anticipated new series. Quinn is ready to throw herself into the role, and her hometown's premier sex club, The Den, is the ideal place for a crash course. At first Marcus Reese is reluctant to take on Quinn's erotic education, despite his intense attraction to the stunning starlet.

Plastic surgeon Whitney Vidra knows all about getting over a cheating ex. Now she's focusing on her career and her friends, and using men just for single-serving, no-strings fun. Until she meets newly-single Matt Fuller, who is captivated by the vibrant Whitney - every way the opposite of his cheating ex-wife. When he confesses to Whitney that he hasn't had sex since his divorce, she volunteers to be his rebound girl. But Matt's not a no-commitment kind of guy - he's either all in, or all out.

Kelly Maxwell has finally landed her dream job as publicist for the San Francisco Blaze. But the team's newest member, handsome bad boy catcher Matt Scanlon, is refusing every interview. She's got to get him to open up before the season ends, or she may not be back next year. And after everything she overcame to achieve her dream, Kelly's not about to let that happen. Matt Scanlon just wants to be left alone to rebuild his life and his career. After a year of masking the pain of a recent loss with hard partying and fast women, he finally hit rock bottom and was traded to a team he's loathed his entire life - a team with little to no chance at the post-season.

Mitch Kowalski lives out of a suitcase - and he likes it that way. Traveling for work has the added bonus of scaring off women who might try to tie him down. But when he's called home to help with the family lodge, he's intrigued by the new girl in town and her insistence that she doesn't need a man. If there's one thing Mitch can't resist, it's a challenge. Paige Sullivan is finally putting down roots. Determined to stand on her own two feet, she lives by the motto "Men are a luxury, not a necessity". But when Mr. Tall, Dark and Hot pulls up a stool in her diner and offers her six weeks of naughty fun with a built-in expiration date, she's tempted to indulge....

Grace has taken care of her widowed father her entire adult life and the ornery old goat has finally died. She has no job, no skills and very little money, and has heard her father's prediction that no decent man would ever want her so often she accepts it as fact.

Bondage & Breakfast was a safe place for couples to explore BDSM - until an arsonist almost destroyed it. While the inn is closed for repairs, owner Gabe McConnell allows injured firefighter Olivia Watterson to stay and recover as a favor to a mutual friend. His attraction to her is unexpected and intense - but there's no way she's strong enough for the type of play he demands from a sub. When she arrives at the inn, Liv is shocked - and intrigued. Her unanticipated obsession with the sexy, skilled Dom makes her all the more impatient with her slow recuperation.

Ben will do anything to win Lindsey back, and when he sees her in her skimpy black vinyl convention getup, he realizes what she’s been craving all along. And he’s inspired to finally give in to his own dark desire to take complete sexual control.... Lindsey is surprised by her reaction to Ben’s kinky new seduction techniques, and suddenly sees the brilliant-but-boring code guru in a different light. After several erotic encounters in hotel rooms and stairwells, she’s falling for him all over again. And wondering if the intimate connection will last once they head home...

Jeret hasn't looked back since running away from life as a crown prince and joining the Crux Ansata's crew. Letting Jeret escape was the biggest black mark on bounty hunter Dagan Nu'aim's otherwise distinguished years as a royal guard. When he catches Jeret back in-system, Dagan seizes the chance to regain his lost honor and bring the wayward prince home. Jeret's not so sure he wants to go, but the reignition of his old crush on Dagan complicates the issue. As the two unravel a tangled plot against the crown, their old friendship lights up with a fiery desire.

It's beginning to look a lot like... Love! A man gives the gift of trust and receives a second chance at love in return. A woman helps to heal the wounded heart of a soldier. A couple finds that true love knows no distance. And a young widow learns that there can be two great loves in a lifetime. Love, romance and passion come together in this collection of four seasonal shorts.

Travis Yardley thought he had everything he needed, but one look at Andrea Patterson shows him he was wrong. After a bad breakup, Andie is looking to start over and determined to put her heart on hiatus. She's working on her self-esteem, and she is not ready for the likes of Travis. He comes on strong, with all the energy of a guy almost 10 years her junior, which is exactly what he is. Even as Travis' troubled past catches up with him, he pulls out all the stops to convince Andie he deserves a chance.

"Coming home from work to find my boyfriend banging our hairy, married landlord—in our bed—was bad enough. Discovering Jamie had also cleaned out my bank accounts made it officially the worst day of my life. I think I can be forgiven for wanting revenge, even if a few little laws (and possibly Jamie's nose) got bent in the process."

Metal Mouth. Queen Geek. Dr. Payton Pruitt heard it all growing up. But she's over it, and attending her ten-year high school reunion is the perfect way to prove it to herself. Even if there's only one person she's interested in seeing in Bitterthorn, Texas: Wiley Sharpe. Now a respected lawyer, Wiley didn't live down to the label Most Likely to Be Slapped with a Paternity Suit. But recent acts of vandalism suggest someone still sees him as a heartbreaker, and the reunion seems a likely place to find the culprit.

Four sexy stories with a military twist. "E Is for Entice": Petty Officer Evan knows it won't be easy proving to his ex-girlfriend that he's matured. "F Is for Fallout": When Spencer returns from Iraq, all he can think about is meeting the woman he's been corresponding with in the flesh. "G Is for Gun-Shy": Colonel Jack doesn't want to work with buttoned-up strategist Davina - even if she's the sexiest woman he's ever seen. "H Is for Hotshot": Smoke jumper Luke usually fights fires - when he's not fighting his sizzling attraction to pilot Tara.

Sadie Long has been lusting after her friend Paul for years, and when she visits him at Mavericks, the sex club where he works, she's suddenly fantasizing about being with Paul and his sexy boss Josh - at the same time. Paige Long can't help but be attracted to gorgeous firefighter Carter, especially once she learns he's a Dom. But can she trust in her own desires and submit to happiness?

They say you form your first impression of someone within 30 seconds of meeting them. Or, in Mira Parrish's case, within 30 minutes of not meeting them, when said person is supposed to pick you up from the airport and never shows. This is not a perfect start to her new life. Her friend Ivy is depending on her to run a new romance store, and Mira can't afford to let her down. Sam Lyons should probably apologize. But every time he sees Mira - which is often, since his family owns the bakery next to her shop - he can't resist antagonizing her. There's something about the sexy, straitlaced woman that drives him crazy.

Janey DeMarco would love to have a sex life – and she has a serious crush on the new guy in her office. As manager for her family's P.I. firm, she knows an office romance would end in disaster. Not only are her parents former spies, but her older brothers are tall, dark and overly protective. Still, a little sex would go a long way to reducing her stress levels, and the man is hot...

Roller derby girl Gretchen "Honey Badger" Badgerton lives in the moment, no apologies. Like every woman in Pleasant Park with a pulse, she finds Dr. Jared Fine irresistible, but she's taken by surprise when her unattainable new neighbor asks her out. When Gretchen stops to help him with a flat tire, he's intrigued by her feisty attitude - and her sexy body art. Though Gretchen is hesitant to shatter Jared's "bad girl" illusion of her, she has to face facts: she's fallen for the good doctor.

On leave for Thanksgiving, the last thing marine lieutenant Talia Barnett expects to find is Liam Brodie waiting for her at the airport. He's had a starring role in her fantasies for the past two years, and although she'd love to make them a reality, she has a dark secret that prevents her from taking things further. A former marine, Liam's specialty is planning tactical operations, and that's just what he plans to do to win Talia. The woman has kept him at arm's length for too long, and this time he's finally going to claim her - body and heart.

Sex therapist Allie Shelby has the professional credentials, but she could use a bit more practical experience. Finding the right man to bring out her inner bad girl is tough in a population-challenged Texas town. So when sinfully sexy Cameron Wright rolls back into Shelbyville, Allie wastes no time inviting him to join her in some hands-on research. Cameron has come home to fulfill his dream of restoring classic cars. Back in high school, he knew the town princess, Allie Shelby, was way out of his league. Today he has even less in common with Allie, so he's shocked as hell when she propositions him.