AKTEXAN

Protecting him is my duty, but falling for him could be my undoing. I’ve spent five years burying my past, leaving behind the violence and bloodshed of my former life as a Bratva enforcer. Now, I’m just Luca—the quiet guy who keeps his head down, working security for a professional hockey team. I don’t get close to anyone, and I definitely don’t let anyone get close to me. But then I’m assigned to protect Max Ryan, the team’s star defenseman, and everything changes. He's my obsession. My crush.

Five months in, NHL forward Ryan Wesley is having a record-breaking rookie season. He's living his dream of playing pro hockey and coming home every night to the man he loves - Jamie Canning, his longtime best friend turned boyfriend. There's just one problem: the most important relationship of his life is one he needs to keep hidden, or else face a media storm that will eclipse his success on the ice.

Tiernan de Haas doesn’t care about anything anymore. The only child of a film producer and his starlet wife, she’s grown up with wealth and privilege but not love or guidance. And when they suddenly pass away, she knows she should be devastated. But has anything really changed? She’s always been alone, hasn’t she? Jake Van der Berg, her father’s stepbrother and her only living relative, assumes guardianship of Tiernan who is still two months shy of 18. She's sent to live with him and his two sons, Noah and Kaleb, in the mountains of Colorado.

Dallas Barnes is tall, dark, and handsome. He's also scarred, rough, and broken down by burdens. A single dad. A widower. A lost soul. We found each other in the back of a dark pub. He brought the whiskey. I brought the bad decisions. He called it a mistake. I vowed never to speak to him again. That vow is broken with one test. Two pink lines have turned my life upside down. One night can change everything.

It's all supposed to be pretend. Get fake married, have a kid, prove I can have a family, and I get a billion-dollar inheritance from the father I always hated. It's all pretend, until I say "I do". And suddenly, I don't want sweet, innocent, sassy little June "just for now". I want her forever. We're supposed to play the part for the cameras and the lawyers. I'm not supposed to fall for her. I'm not supposed to want her like this. I'm not supposed to totally lose myself in claiming her body, and possessing her, and just wanting more of her.

Eight months ago, I was a naive, small-town farm girl nursing a shattered heart. Then hotel billionaire Henry Wolf picked me up off the ground (literally), and my entire life changed. Now, I live in a luxurious Manhattan penthouse, and I'm starting my first company while planning a beautiful wedding to the man of my dreams. I knew these first months would bring plenty of drama. I expected the savage media attention surrounding our engagement, and I braced myself for Mama's theatrics about the wedding.

She's back. For the two years she's been away at boarding school, and there was no word from her. Back when we lived in the same house, she used to cut me down during the day and then leave her door open for me at night. I was stupid then, but now I'm ready to beat her at her own game. I'm back. Two years and I can tell he still wants me, even if he acts like he's better than me. But I won't be scared away. Or pushed down. I'll call his bluff and fight back. That's what he wants, right?

I've been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got worse as time wore on. I even went to Europe for a year, just to avoid him. But I'm done hiding from him now, and there's no way I'll allow him to ruin another year. He might not have changed, but I have. It's time to fight back.

As the President of The Kings of Retribution MC, Jake Delane has dedicated his life to his family and watched his Club flourish. Seeing his brothers find strong women to stand at their sides unearthed buried feelings of loss; making the idea of never finding love again more absolute. Until a beautiful and fierce redhead moved to town. Making Grace his became Jake's mission. Loving her became his reason to breathe.

Eva Van Buren. Ten years ago, I was this close to getting my hands on that tight little body. Now, she's my physical therapist. I've never forgotten her beauty: blonde hair, amazing sapphire eyes, toned legs..and the way she moves, every step turning me on. There's just one little problem with our unexpected reunion. She f--king hates me. I don't care. Life has given me another shot, and I'm not wasting it. While Eva works to get me back on my feet, I'll be doing everything possible to get her off of hers...and into my bed.