What better chance to make her move on him than when he’s sacrificing himself on an auction block for a squealing mass of fans at a charity event? Too bad she’d rather hide in the bathroom than raise her paddel; what girl actually bids on a guy who doesn’t know she exists? Not. Piper. But that's what friends are for... One meddling best friend, and an overpriced bid later, and Ryder Willams is Piper's for the taking. Too bad that she has no intention of collecting on his debt. Too bad Ryder is determined to find out why. NOTE:: Switch Bidder is a SHORT #JockHard Novella, at 10,000 words. Aka: Short Novella.

    But Ian secretly longs for more. Luckily, 'tis the season for giving love a chance . . .Kristen Ashley, Every Year: Holidays don't come easy for Shy and his brother, Landon. But with the magic of Christmas, along with a little help from Tabby and her family, the Cage brothers are about to get the gift of a lifetime . . .Hope Ramsay, Silent Night: Down on her luck and evicted from her apartment, single mother Maryanne hopes to start over in Last Chance. When the snow begins to fall, it looks like her baby might literally spend Christmas Eve in a manger. And Maryanne might celebrate the holiday with a handsome stranger.Molly Cannon, Have Yourself a Messy Little Christmas: Lincoln is a bachelor who's set in his ways-until a professional organizer dressed up as Mrs. Claus changes his life, one tip at a time. . .Marilyn Pappano, A Family for Christmas: War widow Ilena doesn't mind spending Christmas alone. But when a new doctor blows into town with the winter wind, will she get her secret Christmas wish?Plus: Excerpts from upcoming novels!(40,000 words)

    But she always knew his future was in New York, while hers was tied to the auto shop that was her close-knit family's livelihood. Pushing him away nearly broke her, but when he took her heart with him, he left something precious behind.Now he's back, demanding her body, her desire, her very soul as retribution for the pain he still carries. He won't settle for anything less than everything she’s got, but she still can't leave with him and he still can't stay, and their past has secrets too explosive to share.

    She thinks she’s ready for this homecoming. She’s spent years escaping her perpetual shyness and being Katie Michaels’ tag-along friend, but being back in her hometown brings back a lot of old memories, especially when she is faced with the cowboy she never forgot — Katie’s older brother, Maddox. Twelve years ago, Maddox Michaels was supposed to be somebody. He had everything. A football scholarship. A Division I team scouting him. Maybe even a chance at the pros. Now, he’s a burned-out cowboy working day and night to stay ahead of his brother’s medical bills and keep their family farm from going bankrupt. And trying to be a father-figure for his niece, Olivia. When Haley and Olivia start spending time together, Maddox can’t help remembering those dreams that died alongside his sister. Will being with Haley open his heart to new dreams?

    He's not sure how the voluptuous redhead managed to fool his grandmother into leaving her part-ownership of the family home, but he vows not to be taken in by Tara's seeming helplessness. He's already been burned by one gold-digging female; he refuses to be be influenced by yet another, no matter how strongly he is attracted to her. Tara Bartlett has lost everything in the wake of a devastating car accident. Inheriting a beach house on the shore of Lake Michigan seems like a dream come true -- even if it means sharing the house with the recently-divorced Ethan Davis. She doesn't trust him any more than he trusts her, and she has no intention of jeopardizing her one chance at home ownership by getting involved with him. But they are forced to share more than just living quarters when they have to work together to fight off the greedy developer who wants to make their home part of a modern-day resort. Can Ethan and Tara keep their living arrangement strictly business, or will they give in to their desire for each other?

    He’s met— and had— many a man. None of whom he’d want to share five hundred kisses with. If you don’t like someone, you just don’t like them. End of story. No amount of kissing will change that. Dylan Halsworth doesn’t believe it either. But Chris and his arrogant, always right, dare I be wrong attitude has Dylan challenging him to try it. And who knows, maybe watching his most loathed neighbor suffer through five hundred kisses with the same man is worth it. He’d sit back, crack open a Mountain Dew, and have a good laugh . . . But . . . shit . . . there is one slight snag in his plan. Chris has chosen Dylan with whom to prove his point . . . * * * This story was originally written as part of the Goodreads “Love’s Landscapes” anthology, 2014. This second edition has new scenes, scene expansions, scene alterations, a revised ending, reformatting, and--thanks, Natasha!--a new cover. Big thanks to all those involved in both its original and second edition developments.

    Years later, he's still haunted by Kayla, holding every woman to her standard. And Brandon's secretary, Amberlin Evans, knows she can’t measure up.Amberlin would do anything to make her boss notice her. But when one phone call from Kayla sends Brandon running after her, she knows it's time to stop waiting for him to see her and move on. Funny how her resignation gets Brandon's attention in a way short skirts didn't.When Brandon confronts Amberlin, he realizes that he's been blind to his feelings for her—and that the way she always calls him Sir and says "please" has his thoughts turning wicked…

    This is not a snippet from Walking Disaster, or even a deleted scene from Beautiful Disaster. It’s something completely new.

    To celebrate their accomplishments, bestselling authors have honored the winners by writing short stories inspired by their lives and work.This special eBook is yours at no charge because Harlequin is committed to celebrating women's efforts and supporting the causes that are meaningful to them. By sharing Rhonda Clemons' story, we hope to turn awareness into action and mobilize others to make a difference.To find out more or to nominate a woman you know, please visit HarlequinMoreThanWords.com.

    Carter is overwhelmed by issues at home as he struggles to support his mother. Meanwhile, next door neighbor Sophie is left to care for her three younger siblings in place of their absent and troubled mother. All that holds these two best friends together is each other, and knowing that each night they'll sit together on Sophie's front porch swing and escape from reality, if just for awhile. But as their relationship reaches a turning point and high school graduation nears, will their friendship become something more?

    Now three bestselling Harlequin authors honor these remarkable women with stories inspired by their extraordinary contributions.Everyone thinks brilliant designer Chris Kessler is the playboy of the architectural world. Truth is, he's strictly a one-woman man. But how can he reveal his feelings when Ali Montalvo's his fiercest rival for junior partner? And now they've been teamed up to volunteer at one of Pittsburgh's most popular charities.In addition to helping underprivileged kids celebrate their special day, there's something else at the top of Ali's wish list. If only she and Chris didn't clash on just about everything! Now he's planning a circus outing—this from a man who never had a birthday party. That's when Ali comes up with a surprise of her own. Because it's never too late to give the gift of love…Look for Never Too Late by Christi Barth, along with two more free ebooks inspired by real-life heroines: A Wing & A Prayer by Andrea Laurence and A Place in Her Heart by Trish Milburn. Visit the Harlequin More Than Words website at www.harlequinmorethanwords.com, or your favorite ebook retailer, to download these free novellas today.164 KB

    But when her brother’s police detective partner is injured in the line of duty and needs help during recovery, she makes an exception. Violet lost her father to the job seven years ago, and worries for her brother’s safety every day. The last thing she wants is to get up-close with her brother’s career-cop partner…again.For Noah Blackwell, being a detective isn’t just a lifestyle, it’s a legacy. So when he’s forced to take mandatory leave and deal with the trauma amnesia keeping him from identifying his shooter, it’s a literal case of adding insult to injury— and now he’s got to deal with an unwanted culinary caregiver on top of it. Never mind that he and Violet shared a steamy, secret kiss last New Year’s Eve. She rejects everything related to the job, and Noah’s not about to be distracted from recovering his memory and getting back to what he does best. No matter how pretty Violet is.Despite their differences, Violet and Noah share a surprising bond in the kitchen that grows into something neither of them expect. But as Noah heals and their feelings for each other extend from the kitchen to the bedroom, Violet knows she must make an impossible choice. She may wear her heart on her sleeve when it comes to food, but can she risk it all to put love on the line?

    Now Lily is happily single, and she's turned it all around. She knows she's a good mom, a homeowner, and a businesswoman, all wrapped up in one good-looking package.A package that police officer Tucker Matthews is dying to unwrap. This ex-military man sure doesn't need another woman in his life. His last girlfriend left him with nothing but memories and a cat named Pinky! But living next door to Lily has been driving him nuts. He dreams about her long blonde hair and even longer legs. And maybe it's time to go a little crazy . . . and fall in love.

    But, as Derek never hesitates to point out, Wiley is straight.When Wiley has a falling out with his roommate and winds up crashing on David and Derek's couch for a month, he's a 24/7 reminder of what David wants but fears he'll never have. Until one afternoon when David has a major art project to finish and a model who's a no-show. Wiley offers to pose for him---and it sure feels like the heat between them is mutual.Could Derek have been wrong about his best friend for all these years? Would David's dreams about Wiley finally come true? The only thing David knows is that one way or another he'll find out for sure...tonight. This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is an Open Road" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story. Here is the letter and a description of the photo that accompanied this prompt:Dear Author,See the hot jock sitting on top of me? He’s my older brother’s team mate and I’ve lusted after him— and loved him— since forever. I never thought I’d have a chance though. That dumbass brother of mine always said he was straight. But look at the way he’s giving the phrase “He takes my breath away” a whole new meaning! My brother must be wrong. Please, dear author, let him be wrong and make my dream come true.Photo Description: Two sexy, shirtless, dark-haired young men are making out on a couch. The muscular, tattooed man on top is holding the other guy’s wrists above his head with one strong hand as they kiss.This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.

    He needs to get a job and find a sense of normalcy if he’s going to keep his own demons at bay. The job that falls into his lap, though, is anything but normal. Bodyguard (and baby-sitter) to spoiled-rich-girl Kelsey Summers isn’t exactly what he’d been looking for, but it’s a chance to travel, to get away from the home that has felt stifling ever since his return. It would be a pretty sweet gig if it weren’t for the fact that Kelsey’s father doesn’t want Kelsey to know she’s being followed. Hunt feels guilty (and a little bit creepy) as he watches her from afar. She’s vibrant and infuriating, exciting and reckless, mysterious and familiar. When he sees her falling into the same patterns that he suffered years ago, he decides it’s time to stop watching and help her instead. But getting to know her is more difficult than he thought, especially because the more he knows her, the more he wants her.