Showing results by author "Laura Pavlov" in All Categories

Savannah Abbott was my best friend growing up, and the reason I could be the best version of myself. But then, without warning, she was gone. And my life began unravelling the day she left. My guard went up, and my ability to trust people disappeared. But now, Savannah is back in Magnolia Falls, and she’s acting like I’m the enemy. That is, until she needs a favour. A temporary husband.

Lila James is my best friend’s little sister, and I’ve always looked out for her. She's five years younger than me, and when she left for college, she was just a kid. But now she’s home for the summer—and she’s definitely not a kid anymore.

I’ve known Gray Baldwin my entire life. He’s an arrogant frat boy with a red Solo cup permanently attached to his hand. And he’s my brother’s best friend. He’s made it his personal mission to annoy me, and when he sets his mind to something, he rarely fails. But when Gray and I end up at the same college, we can’t seem to stay away from one another. I’m supposed to hate him, but when I’m alone with Gray, everything changes. It turns out there is more to this boy than I ever knew. Our attraction is something that can’t be extinguished.

I flee for my life when I leave Chicago, escaping a lifetime of misery. From the moment my eyes land on Mya Whitfield—I'm done for. Don't even get me started on watching her play the cello. I've never envied anything like I envy that enormous piece of wood between her legs. Move over, cello… There's a new man in town.

He’s an actor in need of an image makeover. She’s determined to show her ex-fiancé that she’s moved on. A fake relationship between two best friends is the perfect solution. Or is it?

Saylor Woodson is my best friend's little sister, and she's completely off limits. We have a history, a connection – one that no one else knows about. I've kept my distance for years, it was easy when she was away at school. But now she's home, and she's everywhere I turn. And the way that I want her is unexplainable. So, I do everything in my power to keep my distance, because her brother is my best friend. My family. But the pull is too strong. I want to claim her and keep her and make her mine.

He’s hockey’s golden boy, my new client, and the man I’ve avoided for the last nine years. I was hired to fix him—but he’s not the only one who’s broken. Hawk Madden was my first love. I thought he would be my forever. But life wasn’t always fair. And grief could be a cruel beast. Fight or flight? I’d always run. But now he’s back in my life after all these years. Old feelings resurface, feelings that I thought I’d buried a long time ago. Hawk Madden was my first love…I just didn’t know that he’d be my last.

Winnie Smith is the perfect nanny. She’s reliable, warm, and my daughter adores her. She cooks like a pro, styles pigtails like a fairy godmother, and knows her way around a car engine better than most mechanics. She’s made life easier. The house feels full again. And maybe… so do I. But living under the same roof has its challenges. Like catching her in the kitchen after midnight… barefoot, in tiny sleep shorts, eating ice cream straight from the tub.

Wolf Wayburn is the devil in an Armani suit with the body of a Greek god. He thinks I’m just a small-town girl who he can intimidate—but I never back down from a fight. The first time we met, he cut me off at a gas station. So, I flashed him the bird and mocked his family jewels. The second time we met, he tried to get me fired. He took his shot—and he missed. At least for now. Wolf Wayburn was an ex-Navy SEAL with an attitude. But it would take a lot more than the big, bad Wolf to scare me off.

At her brother’s wedding, Goldie Jacobs brushes shoulders with Ace Bonetti, his childhood best friend turned Hollywood hotshot. Ace has been crushing on Goldie ever since high school, and seeing her again reminds him exactly why. They spend one toe-curling night together, then part ways, expecting nothing more. But when those moments under the mistletoe felt so right, how can they ever let each other go?

Demi Crawford is Magnolia Falls royalty. I'm the boxer from the wrong side of the tracks. We couldn't be more different. Her family is enemy number one, and it made her guilty by association. I despised her before I even knew her. It was easier that way. But now she's moved in next door to me, and she's everywhere I turn. She is beautiful and honest and sweet. Everything I know I shouldn't want. They say there's a fine line between love and hate, and I don't know when I crossed over.

I’ve loved her from the first moment I saw her. And I’ve loved her every day since. Whether we’re together or we’re apart—that hasn’t changed. Which is saying a lot considering I don’t like most people. But life has thrown us a slew of curveballs and we went our separate ways. Life, family, jealousy—we let it all get in the way. I’m a dad now, and my little girl is my world. And after years apart, Presley is back in Cottonwood Cove. I don’t believe in fairytales or second chances. My heart belongs to my daughter now, and there is no room for complications.

Ty Greene promised me forever and like a fool—I believed him. But he skipped town with a bag of broken promises and a piece of my heart. It’s taken time, but I've put myself back together and moved on. Now Ty’s a big country music star in Nashville and I curse his name every time his song plays on the radio. I don’t have time to dwell on the past. I’m too busy living my best life. I have the job of my dreams, a dating app that never disappoints, and the best friends in the world. Hashtag thriving. Life is good.

Emma Kingsley is the most infuriating woman I've ever known. Stubborn, arrogant, and sexy as sin. She drives me crazy. And she's determined to hate me. The funny thing is—I can't get enough. But the woman has more walls up than the royal palace. Lucky for her, I make a living tearing down walls. And I just found my favorite project.

Ford: I don't have time for distractions. I have a billion-dollar company to run. A father to grieve. A legacy to fulfill. Harley DeLuca is not my type. She's snarky. She's stubborn. And she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen-even in her ridiculous grungy tennis shoes. I can't get enough of her. Harley: I was a mistake from the moment of conception. The sins of my mother have followed me like a nightmare in a horror flick.

Roman Amato is perfect on paper; sexy and broody and arrogant. He’s a divorced single father, so he’s completely off-limits. I’m not looking for anything other than a hot date to take to my sister’s wedding. I have something he needs, and he has something I need. The fake dating gods have shined down on both of us. We write up a contract so everything is aboveboard. Signed, sealed and soon-to-be delivered. Rule number three is written in all caps: NO CATCHING FEELINGS.

I steer clear of relationships, especially the messy ones. I keep things simple, and it works for me. Until I agree to help out Cosette Dubois by pretending to date her. The most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Kind and sweet and smart and talented. Fake boyfriend… no problem. I'm a giver that way. Throw in a crazy ex, a Botox-injected mother who hates me, a snaggletoothed dog who can turn on a dime, and a woman I can't stop thinking about.

Having grown up the baby sister to four brothers and with a dude for a best friend, I know how to read men like the back of my hand. When I have a sexy make-out session with Beckham, my best friend, all my intuition about men goes out the window. We never thought we would cross that line, but OMG those lips, his scent, his taste—it's all I can think about. Seriously, he could bend me like Beckham, and I would so let him. So when he offers a solution to my sexual drought with S-E-X, I have to consider it. Right?

I loved Laney Landers before most people learned to read. Blonde hair, blue eyes that rivaled the ocean, and an invisible halo over her head. She stole my heart the same day she threw sand in my face. What started as a friendship grew into so much more. I thought she'd be my forever. But then life threw me a curveball and I changed course. Laney moved on and found a different happily ever after . . . while I wallowed in grief and regret. And now she's here, reminding me that I made the biggest mistake of my life.

Home is where the heart is this holiday season! Cozy up and unwrap the gift of romance with beloved bestselling authors. In these unforgettable short stories, second chances sparkle brighter than Christmas lights, and finding that special someone under the mistletoe feels like coming home at last.