But here I was, on the last day of the year, staring into the eyes of a man who held all my nerves hostage.This was wrong.But I wasn’t looking to be right. Especially not to a husband who doesn’t deserve my loyalty.Still, I should be miles away from here on a yacht circling the Potomac river. My body should’ve been pressed into my husband’s hard chest while his arms held me close as we counted down the last ten seconds of the year. It should’ve been him staring at me like a snack, his eyes slowly undressing me. But it wasn’t my husband, Keith, staring at me.It was this stranger.How could I be so reckless?If anyone saw me walking hand in hand with a man who was not my husband, I could lose more than just a husband. I could lose my opportunity to enact change to New York City’s criminal justice system as a district attorney. Yet, I swatted the red flags away and continued following this stranger into the penthouse suite.Why was I willing to risk it all for a man I didn’t even know?>b>Nicolai:I had one rule. One rule only. Never bring a woman near my home. Yet, here I was, breaking another rule tonight all in the name of the beautiful woman sitting all alone in the grand room of Camilla’s Cuisine.Sixty million dollars was riding on this meeting; yet, my eyes kept roaming over to her. I was supposed to be studying the man sitting across from me—calculating his every move, screening for any deception. Yet, my eyes remained on her, following every graceful move she made.She hadn’t noticed me at first. Hell, I hadn’t realized how long I’d been staring at her until her dark brown eyes rose from her plate to stare into mine. Unlike most women I encountered, she wasn’t intimidated by me openly staring at her. She stared back; yet offered no flirty smile or invitation for me to come over to her. The more I stared at her, the more intrigued I became.Why was she staring back at me?As the acting boss of the Balducci crime family, I’ve spent the past two years restoring order from the chaos left behind when the former Don walked away from the life and family we’d been born and bred into.La Cosa Nostra, this thing of ours, was a matrimony that could never be intercepted or broken. Everything was second to the La Cosa Nostra. It was an oath that my father prepared me to take. It was an oath that authored all decisions that I made.Organizing crime to become a multi-billion-dollar corporate industry, I played every move with careful configurations. Nothing stood in the way. Not a pretty face, friend, foe, or family. Yet, tonight, I ended my meeting before it even started, just so that I could stop her from leaving Camilla’s Cuisine.What was it about her?AUTHOR’S NOTE: This novel is part of the Balducci Family Saga. There are events and characters mentioned in this novel that appeared in previous installments.Please follow the sequence of the Balducci Family Saga listed below:BOOK ONE - Dipping Into SinBOOK TWO- Dipping Deeper Into SinBOOK THREE- Loving Her In The Shadows - Sovereignty

    Carson, Virginia, may be where she was born, but it’s not where she sees her future. An inbound freshman at Howard University, she has her eyes on a bright, new life in the nation’s capital where, she will truly blossom into the woman she is destined to be. She can’t wait to start her journey. On her way home one night, her car runs out of gas. Stranded, she walks the short distance to a local filling station. En route, she encounters Billy Weston, a local boy who has admired her from afar for a while. Just sixteen and still in high school, Billy lacked the courage to talk to Paris before. But now that he has a chance to be her hero, he digs deep to find his bravery. For Billy, it is love at first sight and he realizes that a romance between two people of different races presents a complication. In 1965, interracial romance is a dangerous dream to pursue and Paris is resistant to becoming involved with him. Determined to win her heart, no matter the cost or peril, Billy romances her with a single-minded pursuit. Despite their differences in age and race, her future and his present, and the crippling intolerance and racism their relationship faces, they will fight for their love…together.

    This is where humans live in the Wastelands, mermaids live in the waters, and Vampires rule the seven kingdoms. But these aren't just your average bloodsuckers; these vampires use magic and have Pires; inner beings that crave sex. Princess Vallessa Aurellia is the middle daughter of King Luaruss Aurellia; ruler of the largest of the seven kingdoms in the Kratius, and the kingdom that affects speech. She's been living in Angara for the past sixty years, but her dad's just called her home to break the news of her arranged marriage. She’s been promised to Prince Scarva Caro, from the kingdom of Caro; the second largest kingdom, and the kingdom of lust and sex. Scarva killed her uncle, and she's defensive right from the get-go, but Vallessa is fiercely loyal to her father, so she accepts his request of her. Vallessa wants to hate Scarva but their Pires have other ideas, and as they leave Aurellia for Caro, things between them go from hostile to worse and sex becomes a weapon. The conformed speech is left behind, being replaced with a vulgar one that’s heavy with insults. Get ready to be taken into a world where two minds battle inside one body because they don't always agree... Reader note: This book is written in an Urban slang. It also contains explicit descriptions of sex and scenes that some readers may find offensive.

    

    She lives for the thrill of being the deadliest hitwoman walking the streets, as she gets to work side by side with her two best friends. Plus, working for the most dangerous and powerful woman in the city has its perks...as long as you follow the rules, and Dagger does just that... Until Luca. When Luca steps into Dag’s life, everything is turned upside down. Life, as she's always known it, is abruptly disrupted and has her questioning everything. The once untouchable assassin finds herself vulnerable, in the worst way. Meanwhile, in the streets around her, a powerful danger lurks and threatens to rip apart the town she fights to protect it. Suddenly, the deadliest woman in the city has more to fear, and so much more to lose.

    She exudes confidence and is the most vibrant woman you would ever meet. Except it’s all a farce. Elyse is hiding in plain sight. She has secrets. Deep, dark, dangerous secrets. And there is only one person in the world that can see through her façade, and he is busy playing games with her heart. Harper Price is a traveling, fun-loving playboy. He’s mischievous and sometimes arrogant. Except it’s all a cover. Harper knows how to blend in. He lets people see what they need to see. He has secrets. Deep, dark, dangerous secrets. And the one person that needs to know his secrets, he has been playing games with to keep her safe. When their secrets collide, and their past comes back to haunt them, there will be nowhere to hide. Love will be made, lives will be lost, and games will be played. Be advised this BWWM book is full of suspense, betrayal, steamy sex, love, and very strong language.

     She leaves her crazy family and heads off to college with dreams of becoming an architect. However, as her mother Dana always says, "Love has a way of changing your plans."   Handsome Caucasian student teacher Tucker Bradley walks into Leila's life and turns it upside down.  He is exactly what Leila needs but not at all what she's looking for.  Leila has to deal with a steady stream of Tucker's ex-girlfriends.  She struggles to hold on to her dreams without letting go of her first love. (Edited 07/04/2012)

    

    Everything is either right or wrong in his view, so it’s no surprise that he reprimands his younger brother for fighting over one of the saloon ladies. He is incensed that his sibling would do something so stupid—until he sees the beautiful Celeste Lebeau for himself. He’s instantly smitten with dislike tempered with a lot of lust. He wants her out of town and fast. Most of all, he wants to make sure she stays away from his brother. His jealousy makes no sense, especially since he’s an engaged man, but he feels what he feels and soon becomes involved with the woman bold enough to challenge him in front of the whole town. How in the world is he going to get his life back on track when he’s promised to one woman but falling fast and hard for another?

    He traveled the world, earned a fortune, and made a lifetime of memories, but now he longs to put down roots. Time hasn’t been kind to his hometown, and Dax wants to help—if only he can convince everyone he’s not the same petulant boy he used to be. Especially the one woman who has every reason not to trust him.Librarian Callie Colton cherished summers with her grandparents, in the town her ancestors helped build, in spite of the boy who called her names. Now that Colton is her home, life is quiet until Dax returns…and, along with him, threatening letters on her doorstep. He may still have the power to hurt her, but she’s not the same scared little girl she used to be.But as the danger escalates, Dax will have to face his past to find a way forward for the relationship they were cheated of once before.

    Gerard left home, years ago, after relinquishing his title as Alpha due to personal demons. He’s looking into the spike of deaths and deceit in his small town but in the center of it all is the dangerous and alluring Teegan Dean. He’ll do anything to keep her safe. Teegan guards dark secrets and doesn’t believe she’s worthy of Gerard’s protection. While one wolf wants to save her another ruthless Alpha, Kano Hok’ee, has laid claim to her. For centuries these two clans have been enemies; the Brandt’s - known for their unscrupulous manipulation and the Hok’ees - notorious for murder, lies and deception. Now a power struggle has finally erupted. As past secrets come to haunt the town of Silverton, the Heads of each clan must meet in order to cease this impending war. Teegan is the key to one pack's destruction, as she is, strength to the other.

    A vivid portrayal of small town life, True Cross is a new novel from one of the South's shrewdest satirists (The New York Times Book Review).

    Ladies love him and men envy him. A wealthy rock star, he is known for his magical fingers on his guitar strings and his melodious voice. Linked to several sex scandals, Chad has sworn several times on TV never to settle down even ‘til his last breath. He has said it so many times, his life as a single man is as much as one of his trademarks as his guitar. Tiana Hendricks, Chad’s best friend, is the only woman he ever loved. She walked away with his heart after graduation. She, however, had a reason, a secret. Her father is one of the most hated men in the USA. Getting involved with Chad would only bring her past back into the tabloids, and she dreads the exposure. But when Chad walks into their class reunion, just one look and she knows she can’t resist their connection. Chad and Tiana secretly want to be together. However, Tiana is not willing to let all he has worked for go down the drain. They can be together, but no one can know. Once a nosy journalist exposes their new love affair, and Chad reverts to his old media tactics, their world is turned upside down, once again. Will Tiana walk out of his life for good this time? Or will their love prove stronger than any obstacle they may face?

    Now a widow at the age of thirty-seven she must either re-create her life or continue existing in the safety of her loneliness. It takes a man that she has never set eyes on and so different from any she’d ever experienced to show her the way. But is this man who he says he is?

    With my parents on an international cruise, I’m the guardian of my nephew, Noah. I love the kid. I mean, I’m his godfather, but I know next to nothing about caring for a baby. Shell-shocked and at my wit’s end with a colicky babe who seems to be allergic to sleep, I’m about to cry with him when an angel, in the form of my sexy neighbor, knocks on the door and begins to show me how empty my life was before now.When cries, unlike the usual moans of pleasure, come through the walls of my single neighbor’s apartment, I leave the comfort of my bed to investigate. The sight of the distraught man with a chunky baby in his arms melts me on the spot. Assessing the situation, I offer aid. I swore off dating after a disastrous run of unsatisfying relationships and hook-ups, but this new role-playing house caught me off guard. I’m falling for more than the baby as we work together to care for the tot. Forgetting this is temporary could prove detrimental to my heart.A playboy doesn’t go cold turkey on partying and the single life ... or does he?