Skweelee

My entire life has been one steady plan after another. Go to college. Get married. Have a successful career. More than a decade goes by, and my entire world is rocked in more ways than one. Everything I thought I knew is ripped from under me in one fell swoop. Then I meet him: the enticing man behind the camera with the boyish grin and charismatic energy who makes me question everything. He was only supposed to be a means to an end. But what I got was so much more.

Growing up, I was the problem child teachers didn't know what to do with. The troubled teen whose parents wished was never born. The system's made of cracks, and I fell through each and every one, all in a futile effort to protect the family legacy. They tried to fix me. Doctors… therapists… teachers… pastors... And they failed. Epically. Now, eighteen, and fresh out of Hell, I'm thrown into the last place I ever expected. Rehab. Enter Nolan Dresden. Newly divorced. A recovering alcoholic. Almost double my age.

Despite growing up in a family of villains, I’d rather curl up and read than commit crimes. When I get coerced by my brother into helping him rob a bank, I run into August, my childhood crush, also known as Chrono, the city’s greatest superhero. He’s sexy, sweet, and suddenly, he’s asking me to Thanksgiving with his parents.

Gideon Holiday is the perfect neighbor. Need a cup of sugar? Spare folding chair? Extra batteries? He's always ready to help. And he's waited years for his hot, grumpy, silver-fox neighbor, Paul, to need him. For anything. But right now, Gideon would be happy if he could just get the Scrooge-like Paul on board with the neighborhood holiday lights fundraiser.

Wolf shifter Nathan Kohl's pack is his whole life. Arrogant and handsome, he avoids commitment to anything or anyone outside of his pack. He works hard, plays hard, and pursues humans as lovers because there's little to no chance of him forming a permanent bond. However, when Jared Taylor comes into Nathan's life, every rule is broken. After a bad experience, Jared vowed to never get involved with another shifter, no matter how much they got under his skin. Despite being physically attracted to Nathan, who's all kinds of hot, Jared only sees an arrogant, domineering bastard.

I have a soul-destroying corporate job, I iron my underpants, and I was unceremoniously dumped for an influencer hippie a few years ago. Every day feels the same, and I don't know how much longer I can cope before I do something unhinged like rip off my shirt in the middle of my co-worker's office birthday party and smear lemon cake all over my chest. Then, a case of mistaken identity suddenly lands me in the middle of a covert professional wrestling league, which is apparently being run in the basement of my office building. Weird. Even weirder are the wrestlers.

I left behind my countryside hometown of Spruce, Texas and my teenage tormentor Chad Landry to start over, pursue a career, and make a new name for myself. Fast forward 10 years, and I'm back in Spruce for my high school reunion to confront my past and to face the boy who made my teen years hell. I'm no longer the vulnerable teenager I once was, and I'll guarantee you this: Chad won't have any power over me. But all the mental preparation in the world couldn't possibly prepare me for the sight of the hot, gorgeous, and hunky rancher that Chad has become.

No looking back. That's the motto of college senior Cameron Buckley, whether he's kicking his latest hookup out of bed or plotting out his future as a hit screenwriter. With only a few weeks until graduation, he's ready to put Browerton University in his rearview mirror and start the life he's been dreaming of ever since he was a kid. But a chance meeting with a sexy stranger in a bar throws a wrench into his Hollywood plans.

My new roommate has the worst taste in men. I mean, Murph's special. He's funny and flamboyant and full of life. While I'm straight, even I can tell these guys aren't good enough for him. I had to yell at one date, toss another one out the door, and throw a beer in another's face. Kind of embarrassing, really. I don't know what's gotten into me. I ask my sister what's wrong with me and she says I'm jealous. Jealous? Please. Me? Come on. Only thing is, I hate the thought of Murph kissing any guy. Ever. Except, maybe . . . me?

My new stepbrother is insufferable. You'd think it wouldn't matter since I won't be here for long, but this guy gets under my skin like no one ever has. All-American, baby-faced, blue-eyed band dork and star soccer player. Everything about him is the picture of perfection—unlike me. I don't think Do Gooder knows I'm starting senior year late. And he definitely doesn't know why. I've got secrets I'm taking with me to the grave.