Even back when I was 'Fatty Maddie' to all my classmates, I had eyes for the quarterback of our football team. Not like I was the only one.Mauro Bianco may fight fires for a living, but he still sets my heart ablaze. One look at the rugged, muscular man he's turned into and I want to slide down his pole. One date. That's all I'm committed to. A few hours and I can tuck him back into that tattered old shoebox in my closet.As always, the universe has other plans. I never would've predicted that in a matter of days he'd turn from my dream guy into my business partner — and that's when things got interesting.

    As a result, he mostly keeps to himself—makes it easier not to notice that no matter how he tries, people think he’s a know-it-all and a snob. Freewheeling urban gardener Milo Rios has worked hard to get where he is, and he’s passionate about his job at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. He can get along with almost anyone, but no one has ever made him care enough to stick around. When Stefan and Milo meet on Milo’s tour of the Botanic Garden, it’s hatred at first clash. But hatred quickly turns to lust as Milo shows Stefan how exquisite it can feel to lose the control he’s clung to for so long. As Stefan’s mask begins to slip, Milo sees a deep vulnerability in the prim academic. Once he’s experienced Milo’s world, Stefan can admit that he wants more from life than professional success. If they can work together, Stefan and Milo just might be able to cultivate the future they both yearn for.This novella was previously published in the Exposed collection.

    He could have any woman on the planet, but to his family’s dismay, he remains stubbornly single. They've tried to set him up and, when that doesn’t work, they’ve even resorted to trickery. Nothing is effective because Jonas has only loved one woman his entire life but she died years ago and he’ll never get over her. With the help of strangers who grew into friends, Darby started a new life for herself and her child. For the most part, she’s content but there are times every day that she feels she’s missing an important piece of her life. Since she can’t remember the past, though, it remains a mystery. One day a man shows up, announces that she belongs to him, and drags her away. Darby’s scared—not only for her son but also for her heart.

    That is until her actress sister brings the CEO of Charles Industries to the family Christmas, as yet another potential fiancé. Marilyn can't believe the instant raw magnetism between Brett Charles and herself - but her sister seems oblivious. Is the attraction mutual? Marilyn would never hurt her sister, and couldn't possibly have a relationship with a cheat - or could she...?

    Twelve years, three cities, and too many pairs of stilettos later, Shaelyn Lawrence is back in the one place she vowed never to return: New Orleans.Thankfully, her hometown stint is temporary. Better yet, she has a plan guaranteed to get her out ASAP: Return her aging-but-still-crazy grandmother back to health;Help her cousin with her boutique;Evade Brady Taylor, her high school sweetheart, a.k.a the reason she fled Louisiana in the first place.Brady isn't even a footnote... until one unexpected run-in with him changes everything. She shouldn't be tempted by his drawl, she shouldn't be tempted by the promise of his kiss, she shouldn't want him.But she does.Oh, boy, this was so not the plan.----------Twelve years, one city, and too many issued traffic tickets later, Homicide Detective Brady Taylor is all geared up for being promoted to sergeant within the New Orleans Police Department. Or, he would be — if he wasn't sitting in third place.Thankfully, he's cut out every possible distraction:Hanging out with his buddies;Women;And, God help him, football.His life should be distraction-free... but then Shaelyn Lawrence waltzes back into it, with her sexy red lips, curvy body, and her f***-me heels. Brady should run in the opposite direction. He definitely shouldn't spend time pursuing her, kissing her, or landing her in his bed.But he does.Shaelyn may have left once, but Brady is determined to prove that Shaelyn belongs in New Orleans. She belongs with him. For fans of Jill Shalvis and Lauren Layne, Maria Luis’ new sexy contemporary romance will leave you laughing and desperate for more! SAY YOU'LL BE MINE is the first full-length novel in the NOLA Heart series, but can be read as a standalone.

    You can't judge a carny by its cover. At a town fair on the coast of Oregon, handsome Native American carny, Vincent Youngblood, bestows an unforgettable kiss on shy, awkward teenager, Charlotte Davenport. Then disappears without another word, leaving her baffled and enamored. Ten years later, Charlotte is still living in the small fishing town of Astoria, while being trained to--reluctantly--take over for her philandering hotelier father when he retires. After all, who else will do it? Her two perfect sisters are busy being married to their flawless husbands and having cookie cutter children, while Charlotte remains single, childless, and every bit as mousy as she was a decade ago. As Charlotte struggles to climb out from underneath her judgmental parents thumb, the carnival rolls back into town, and Charlotte finds herself face to face with Vin again. He's back to run his father's carnival, walking away from a promising career in medicine he started in Chicago. Will her biased and judgmental family accept her relationship with a man who is not only a Native American, but works as a carny for a living? And what unsavory secrets bind the well-educated and seemingly superlative Vin to that ramshackle carnival? After all, you can't judge a carny by its cover.

    When she’s six she meets her new neighbor Noah Sinclair. The pair quickly become best friends. He looks after her and when they're teenagers their relationship turns romantic. They didn’t account for Jules’ malicious mother stepping in and tearing them apart. Leaving Jules broken hearted. Present Day:Jules is going for her master's degree and working as exotic dancer at a high-end gentleman’s club to pay for it. She lives with her best friend from boarding school Ellie, who’s also a dancer. When her boss informs them that the club has been rented out for a bachelor party she thinks it will be just like any other night until she walks out on stage and sees Noah Sinclair. The boy that broke his promises and her heart. To make things worse he’s the bachelor. He tries to get her to talk to him but she’s stronger now and blows him off. But he wants answers too. Throw in a crazy fiancé, a couple of hilarious best friends and enjoy the ride. Will Noah and Jules get their second chance or will the past decide the future?

    I ended up with a virus that kept me out of school for an entire week.In twelfth grade I faked an injury to avoid going to prom by myself. He took pity on me, dumped his original date and escorted me to the dance where the spurned girl dumped an entire pitcher of red punch over my head.In college, I faked being in a relationship with him to get him out of a bind with a classmate. Most recently, I faked a proposal, an engagement, and wedding date.Between the ring on my finger and the home cooked meals every night, I fell for him. So I left, because Cory York is a good friend, but a terrible boyfriend. I had to leave before he broke my heart.We went from best friends to silent strangers. Now that I’m back in town, he wants me to be his plus one for his cousin’s wedding. This time I’ll have to fake not loving him.

    Intriguing. Easy. Sometimes the past is better left behind you…Lena Turner has spent her life as the outsider. Thanks to her extraordinary gifts, she’s learned to be independent—especially when it comes to men. She’s content to live her life in New Orleans as a schoolteacher, dating casually and dedicated to her small family. Long term is not part of her plan.Sometimes the past catches up with you…Leaving Lena behind to pursue his career was the most difficult thing Mason Coulter ever did. He told himself that it was for the best, had even convinced himself that he had only Lena’s best interests in mind. But now, after six long years, he’s back in New Orleans to settle his late eccentric aunt’s estate. All he has to do is get in and out of the city without submitting to the need to see Lena. But to Mason’s dismay, his aunt made other plans.And sometimes the future and the past collide…Having Mason walk back into her life is something Lena never saw coming. She could refuse to help him, but she’s never been good at telling Mason no. So she’ll do what she can to get the estate settled and Mason out of her life for good.At least, that’s the plan. But Mason has plans of his own…

    Now 10 years later, Lena's dreams are haunted by x-rated fantasies starring the sexy hunk who has since become lead guitarist for the wildly popular band, Cold Fusion.Alex's world is turned upside down...When Lena reenters his life, she rocks his whole world. He'll do whatever it takes to hold onto her.Together...Their passions explode beyond their most wicked imaginings. But is that enough to overcome the many obstacles standing in their way?Warning: This book is for mature audiences only! It contains very explicit descriptions of sex and sexual acts.

    But the virtuous Sheriff Hale has never told anyone about his shocking desires. Will he give in to the surprising temptation of the young widow?Meet bestselling erotica author Holly Summers in Victoria Dahl's contemporary romances, TALK ME DOWN (January 2009) and START ME UP (July 2009).

    Pleasure giver. Fantasy creator. I can blow your mind in five seconds flat — but trust me, you’ll want this to last all night.There’s not a woman in the city who can resist me. Except one.Now she’s got a proposition: Seven days. Every position. No strings attached.She wants to know what she’s been missing.Who am I to say no?

    Phoebe St. Claire, a put together, in control socialite-turned-CEO has been drifting through life searching for something she thought she'd never find again—the right man to share her future. Our passion was boundless. Our lust untamed. And our desire endless. He was the only man who ever made me feel alive. Then, I betrayed him. When he reappeared, I didn’t question it. Trust rarely survives the wrecking ball, so when he let me in back in—I didn’t hesitate. Maybe I should have. What began as a bid to save my family business, turned into a second chance at love. It felt so romantic. Working together, side by side, with the man I loved. My dream come true. Nothing is as good as it seems. We had our issues, but then again, every couple does. It wasn’t jealousy, or our too-hot sex life that I should have been worried about. It was his darkside. I never saw the end coming, until it slammed me in the face. The question is—did he? Was revenge his plan all along?****Sometimes you have to wonder if your life is too good to be true.Is it real or just an illusion?Does the man lying beside you really love you like he says he does?If the answer is yes, you’re meant to live happily ever after.If the answer is no, you’re living my life, and nothing will ever be the same.What you do about it—that’s up to you.Me, I’m in too deep and there’s no getting out.I’ll take whatever I can get for as long as I can because I know when it’s over…I’ll never find another man like him.Ever!

    She hates romance, hates commercialism, and definitely hates her school’s annual charity date auction. She never expects her pre- auction night of drinking to land a sexy Brit in her bed. Or for that Brit to show up at the auction, bid thousands just to talk to her again, and get down on one knee in front of everyone and ask her to marry him.Viscount Damon Hayes has never met anyone like Johanna. She’s neurotic, fascinating, and fun. She also doesn’t care about his title and doesn’t want his money, which makes Johanna perfect to fulfill a surprise clause in his father’s will: marry within three months and remain married for a year, or lose his fortune. A relationship is out of the question, but when passions ignite and the two fall in love, their marriage of convenience becomes anything but.Previously released on Entangled’s Ever After imprint in February 2012

    But time is money, and when the owner of a farm refuses to sell the land crucial to making his latest project a success, he’ll do what it takes to convince the sultry, stubborn woman to sign on the dotted line. Kayla Phillips is holding on by a thread, on the verge of losing the farm she inherited from her grandfather. It’s only a matter of time before she’s forced into foreclosure, but there’s no way she’s selling to Falco. His good looks and sex appeal might work on some women—okay, it works on her too—but she’s not about to sell to a man intent on bulldozing her family’s legacy. A war of words turns into a wager—and Kayla’s only chance to save the farm. All she has to do is prove to the billionaire that he can’t handle two weeks of living the life of a farmer. She never expected the burning desire she feels whenever Mason’s around. But are his feelings for her genuine, or just a ploy to get what he wants? With her heart and the family business on the line, will she risk it all for love?