Showing results by narrator "Nick J. Russo" in All Categories

When I wrote the Dear John letter, I never imagined six years would pass before I laid eyes on my husband again. It takes my grandfather’s death to bring me back to Aqua Vista. And to John McCoy, the only man I ever loved. We parted ways on mutual terms to chase our dreams. John’s plan was to open his bar, and mine was to make it in Hollywood. I’m still waiting for my big break, but John’s business is a success, and I couldn’t be happier for him. Seeing him brings it all back—our love, attraction, and fondness for each other—and we couldn’t stay away even if we tried.

Thanks to Collin Montes, Theta Alpha Gamma now welcomes gay and bisexual students. Persuading his Uncle Monty, president of the TAG Alumni Association, that the open approach won't adversely affect TAG's reputation is Collin's own first step toward coming out. As long as there are no repercussions, he'll escape the closet by graduation.

Shay would never associate with Josiah. Not only is he his brother’s ex-best friend, but he’s arrogant, cocky, and rude. When Josiah claims they’re dating and that Shay forgave him for his past transgressions, Shay is convinced he’s lying. Except, since the accident that left him with no memory, Shay isn’t sure of anything.

In high school, Derek ruled the school with his fellow hockey players, while I fantasized from afar. He only knew me as his little brother’s shy friend who, thanks to one vicious rumor from a former flame, had garnered a reputation as the school freak. Twenty years later, I’m a successful real estate agent who’s put my embarrassing past behind me and smartly stayed away from love. I have things under control…until Derek suddenly returns to Sourwood sans wedding ring, and in dire need of a house for him and his daughter.

A year after his divorce, Shane Andrews isn’t interested in dating - not that he has time, between three kids and a demanding job as a grip. When a windstorm knocks a tree onto one of the Wolf’s Landing soundstages, Shane’s there to help with the mess...and so is firefighter Aaron Tucker. A former smoke jumper, Aaron’s an adrenaline junkie and way too restless and reckless to be relationship material. As far as he’s concerned, monogamy is for penguins, and he’d rather be alone than tied down. Signing up to be a stepparent? No, thank you.

Carter Embree has always hoped to be rescued from his productive, tragically boring, and (slightly) ethically compromised life. But when an urchin at a grocery store shoves a bundle of fluff into his hands, Carter goes from rescuee to rescuer - and he needs a little help. Sandy Corrigan, the vet tech who helps ease Carter into the world of dog ownership, first assumes that Carter is a crazy-pants client who just needs to relax.

Elliot McKenzie is the king of reinvention. Five years after losing his job, his lover, and almost going to prison, his self-help program, Charmed Life, is more successful than he'd ever dreamed. He thinks he's put his sordid past firmly behind him, until he starts receiving cryptic threats, and realizes it might not be as over as he'd hoped.

Nash is the reliable one in the Holly family, the guy everyone counts on to keep things going. His genius twin brother is off at university, so Nash runs the family's auto repair business and cares for his partially-paralyzed little sister while his crackpot father invents. His life seems mapped out for the foreseeable future, however much that might chafe.

Commitment, loyalty, and strength aren't enough to make Wesley Stone's birth pack accept an Alpha with a physical imperfection, even if it's a meaningless mark. Putting the safety of his pack above his own wellbeing, Wesley trades himself for another Alpha and agrees to mate with a stranger in a mysterious, insular pack. Alphas from Jobe Root's family have led the Red River pack from the first day shifters walked the earth. Now the time has come for Jobe to fulfill his destiny, but to do that, he needs his mate by his side.

Maybe asking my burly golden retriever contractor to be my fake fiancé was a bad idea. But as the saying goes, desperate times and all that. Listen, getting married again sounds about as fun as a shopping spree in a dumpster, so dating is definitely off the table. I've resisted Oakley's tempting presence, knowing it can only lead to trouble, and I don't need any more of that. Despite the obvious attraction, we've managed to keep a platonic and professional distance.

Childhood tragedy left Koa Burgard with many scars. Reclusive and still healing, he is sent to summer camp, where the other kids tease and bully. All except the outgoing, popular boy from his cabin. A boy who dreams about being a hockey star. A tentative friendship forms. Every summer, they reconnect for adventure. Every winter, they write letters back and forth.

I gave the rumor mill fodder for a lifetime the day I walked away from a lucrative music career without explanation. People can talk all they like; my record stores are my lifeblood now, and I'm devoted solely to keeping them afloat in the digital age. There's just one little thing distracting me: an Earth-dwelling sunbeam named Owen Harper. I don't know what I was thinking when I hired him. In fact, maybe, I wasn't thinking, at all.

Geeky Jason Miller has never really been with a man, and his bullying colleagues at NASA know it. But when an innocent white lie gets out of hand, Jason never would have guessed his gorgeous-but-straight childhood friend would leap to his rescue. Firefighter Channing Forster saves people every day, so when protecting his former next-door neighbor turns into faking a relationship for a work getaway, he doesn’t hesitate. As the weekend goes on, though, Channing starts to think that he doesn’t just see cute Jason Miller as a buddy anymore.

Senior Chief Will Curtis is as straitlaced as they come. While his fellow Sailors have partied their way through their enlistments, he’s had his eye on the prize—making master chief and retiring after thirty years of service. Lieutenant Brent Jameson is a Navy brat turned Annapolis grad. He’s lived and breathed the military his whole life, and he knows he’s destined for great things—once he’s done paying his dues at the bottom of the ladder.

Paul's been called many things - graduate student, humanities tutor, jock-hater, even broke - but "forgiving" isn't one of them. When the new women's softball coach at Calapooya College specifically requests Paul to tutor his athletes, Paul's forced to put aside his strict "no athletes" policy for the sake of his paycheck. Enter Trevor Gardiner, former Major League Baseball player and Paul's high school boyfriend. Yeah, that one - the guy who sacrificed Paul for the safety of his closet and his future career.

I don’t experience attraction the way most folks do, but as our friendship grows, I can’t deny I want him. It’s my first time with a man. Every brush of his skin against mine makes me feel things I hadn’t thought possible. I didn’t know intimacy could be like this. I could spend a lifetime kissing him, but for us to have any chance at a future, we’ll both have to face truths we’ve tried to ignore for too long.

Damian thinks it's just one night. Salem thinks Damian's just another customer. They're both wrong. Damien grew up so poor even dirt was richer. So when the government approached him with a devil's deal, he leaped at a chance to provide for his parents and the rest of his family. All he had to give up was everything - his history, his pack, even his name. In return, his family would get his military pension, paid out as if he'd served his 20. It had seemed like a good deal at the time. Now, nameless, packless, and essentially friendless, he's not so sure.

When you’re staring down the barrel of half a century’s existence on this planet, you tend to think about things… Like…maybe I should think about retiring? And I guess I could start crossing things off my bucket list? And should I get my colon checked? Something I wasn’t intending to start assessing too closely at this stage of my life—or ever, really—is my sporadic, complicated, and rather inconvenient attraction to men.

Our circumstances couldn’t be more different, and yet I’m drawn to Foster in ways I hadn’t expected. When our attraction skyrockets, Foster assures me that finding comfort in each other doesn’t hurt anyone. But when it becomes something deeper—meaningful conversations and mind-blowing intimacy—it occurs to me that I might’ve met the right man at the wrong time. Story of my life.

Life in another world isn't so bad. Evan has found true love, a group of knights who all like pestering him, a cat-boy best friend who loves cake, and even a job. Okay, so maybe there's still the demons in the dark forest to worry about... and the ultra-powerful demon lord. There also may be bandits sweeping through the surrounding lands, headed straight for the kingdom.