The work means nothing to her, it’s only a way to stay fed and sheltered…until Bill Donnelly begins to visit and awakens something inside her she’s never felt before. Desire. She starts to view him as a man instead of a client, and his visits become more than transactions...for both of them. BUT HER HEART REMAINS UNTOUCHED After years of looking out for herself, Melisande is stunned to find that someone else might care for her. Men have never offered anything but pain, and she never even dreamed of more. So when Bill proposes a new path for both of them, can she find the courage to trust him with her body and her heart?

    Skye Reynolds has no clue why she was summoned to the will reading, but it turned out that dreams come true. She was marrying the man she who she'd secretly fallen in love with. Claiming, breeding and owning is what Grayson has in mind for his new sexy wife. After all, it was in the contract. What neither of them expected was for him to fall madly in love with her.

    Now he's back with only one goal in mind. To win the woman he left behind, the woman he never forgot. This time, not even her wealthy, overprotective uncle will stop him. Because everything he's done, he's done for love of Charley. After Cole made passionate love to her one night, he vanished without a word, so Charley doesn't trust him worth a damn when he reappears. Especially when she discovers it's his company that bought half of her business, the Red Dog Saloon. But Cole has big plans for the town that once shunned him, and as Charley finds herself working with him daily, the love she's tried so hard to suppress blooms again. Only one thing stands in their way; Cole's refusal to tell her why he left so abruptly. While they fight their way back to each other, outside influences work to keep them apart at any cost...even death.

    So why didn't he know he had a child? His Woman Spunky Matty Lang has been hopelessly, secretly, in love with Sebastian for years. Now, thanks to little Elizabeth, it's not a secret any longer... His Baby...? Matty can't believe it--Sebastian's found a baby on his doorstep! And worse, now Sebastian thinks the little buckaroo is his. He's even thinking about marrying the child's absentee mother! There's only one thing to do--seduce Sebastian absolutely senseless! Because no baby girl is going to stop Matty from getting her man...

    Worse, he's sold her--sight unseen--to a complete stranger. As she travels to Nebraska, she doesn't know whether to be angry with her brother or scared about the uncertain future looming before her. Pete Kelly never thought he'd marry. Then one day his brother brings him a woman to marry, and the loneliness that plagued him for years in his quiet world is finally at an end. But the gift he was given might be quickly taken away if he doesn't act in time to keep it. * * * * *Janet Syas Nitsick's story She Came by Train: She Came by Train to a desolate land in the spring of 1876. With mixed feelings, Opal Preston steps onto the platform to meet her employer, Alexander Boyer. She accepts his hand and climbs into his wagon to begin her role as the governess of his two children. As she executes her duties, she wonders how she'll cope without the finery she left behind. Soon two men are vying for her affections. Alex cannot imagine his life without her and looks for a way to convince her to stay in Nebraska. But a preacher from Virginia also is smitten with her and offers to take her back to Virginia. She Came by Train, but only her heart can determine if she'll return that way.

     Holly Bliss has one item on her Christmas list: a very special package from an anonymous donor. But when the sample turns out to be an internet ripoff, her dreams of having her own baby in a manger are dashed. Or are they? Matthew Hudson is the world’s broodiest delivery man. He wants nothing to do with the last delivery of the night. But with his job on the line, he has no choice but to make sure she gets what the doctor ordered…even if he loses his heart in the process.

    Finding a stranger crying in her backyard was a new one. Little did he know that rescuing Elijah out of the rain was going to change his life. Elijah is too young, too good looking, and too bruised for Mitch to consider falling in love with. But Elijah is soon in his house, in his bed, and in his heart. At thirty-eight, Mitch has a lot of experience with life. Elijah is only twenty-three and just starting out. Mitch’s bedroom skills enrapture Elijah. Mitch just hopes it will be enough to make Elijah want to stay.

    In her solitary life she eats alone and daydreams about having a handsome boyfriend who could accept all of her. Daily she finds herself running to catch her bus and knowing that she is the laughing stock of the other commuters. And then one day she literally finds herself ‘falling’ into the lap of one of the commuters; an exotically handsome white man. Tory finds that she is unable to stop thinking about him and daydreaming about the life he must live. But Mr. Gorgeous must be either married or gay because she sees him dismissing the attention of gorgeous women left and right. Never in a million years would she ever guess that hers was the only attention he was interested in…In this multicultural romance, Pepper Pace weaves a story that takes her readers through the ups and downs of personal insecurities, cultural differences, and of course a lesson to be learned; that love is totally and completely blind.

    . . a wounded beast. Can the curse threatening their happiness be broken?There is absolutely nothing improper about Hannah Foster, the vicar of Hartley's eldest and least pretty daughter, nursing the badly wounded Viscount Blackthorn back to health-that's if the returned officer can be saved. At twenty-seven, she is two years the man's senior, a confirmed spinster, and far too sensible to develop feelings for her patient. The fact he was once her childhood friend and has grown into a fine specimen of a man-his terrible scars notwithstanding-has no bearing on the matter. The viscount is unlikely to see past her plain exterior and recognise the caring, intelligent, passionate woman beneath. Even if he does, he's determined to break the curse that has plagued his family for generations by letting his bloodline die out. Her best friend Grace's warnings are moot; a man of Lord Blackthorn's wealth and position would never be interested in a woman like Hannah . . . would he? Returning to his childhood home, a place he'd vowed never to set foot in again, William doesn't expect to survive the terrible wounds he received while fighting the French at Arapiles-certainly not with all his limbs intact. Bullied into making what can only be described as a miraculous recovery, William can't decide if his nurse, the hazel-eyed woman with the lovely voice, is an angel or a devilish imp. She torments him, both with the foul-tasting concoctions she insists on coaxing down his throat, and by showing him a taste of heaven . . . of what might have been . . . if he were not cursed by the sins of his forefathers.

    It’s been two years and he’s doing his best to come to terms with things, including the fact that he dumped his lover to free the man up from being stuck with a gimp for the rest of his life. Luckily, Lane inherited his Gramps’ cottage—it just needs some renovations to make it wheelchair friendly. He’s determined to make the best of what he’s got.Hammer was one of the men Lane saved…and his lover while they were in the Army together. He let Lane drive him away back when the man first got hurt, but now he’s hunting Lane, determined to make Lane the one who almost got away. Will Lane be able to see past his injuries far enough to realise Hammer’s in it for the long haul?Publisher's Note: This story has been previously released as part of the Stand to Attention anthology by Totally Bound Publishing.

    All they do is work and argue and they haven't had sex in almost a month. Kate is so desperate to win back Mason's love and attention that she's willing to try anything -- even if it means flirting with his cousin.Mason has been patient and understanding for long enough. He has loved Kate all his life and he'll never share her with anyone else. When his control finally breaks, he'll show Kate a dominant side of himself she has never imagined. And he'll forever claim Kate as his.

    Maybe because as a child growing up in foster care, she never experienced the true meaning of the season. That’s why the charity she began with her best friend to help make under privileged kids’ Christmas wishes come true is so near and dear to her heart. But this year, those wishes may be derailed when a clerical mistake sends all the gifts to the wrong address. Hoping to locate the gifts before Christmas, Joy tracks down the delivery to the nearby home of a…holiday scrooge! Who cares that he’s the most attractive man she’s ever met? It’s his blustery mood that has her Ho-Ho-Ho turning into No-No-No.Gabriel Frost has no time for annoying interruptions. He’s already burning the midnight oil with a crazy case load, on top of caring for his ailing grandfather. So, when the delivery company claims he can’t return the hundred packages delivered in error, Gabriel is anything but full of holiday cheer.But there’s something about the idyllic town of Snowdon, Massachusetts that brings holiday magic into lives of even the biggest bah-humbuggers. Can the sweet smile of this all-kinds-of-adorable do-gooder melt the ice off Frost’s heart and save Christmas for everyone?

    I can never forgive him for keeping me up all night.Except maybe there’s another way he can keep me up all night that I’d be totally, completely okay with.*** Steamy Contemporary Romance Short Story ***

     All Grayson wanted was a good woman. Luckily, they were both on Santa's "Nice" list. But if they don't quit ignoring the obvious and let Santa's magic work, they might never get together. Looks like Santa will have to dig deep into his bag to pull off this very special Christmas gift. This holiday season sweet-and-steamy short story will make you believe in Santa Claus—and true love.

    Puberty brought a distressing attraction to other boys, and an abnormal growth spurt that drove Dave further into his shell. Adulthood granted him the freedom to stand on his own two feet, but cloistered him in a plastic bubble of his own making. At seven and a half feet tall, Dave has no problem finding men for anonymous sex through sleazy backroom romps, but the experiences leave him feeling cold and unsatisfied. He dreams of love and commitment, but finding someone interested in a relationship seems like a pipe dream.Desperate for companionship, Dave signs up for an online matchmaking service. To his utter embarrassment, his first date never shows, but his luck improves when he runs into a former foster brother, Micah Black. Dave and Micah quickly rebuild their friendship, but with it comes the resurrection of the forbidden crush Dave harbored for Micah when they were teens. Micah is off limits to Dave, but that doesn’t stop Dave’s imagination from spinning torrid scenarios involving his straight friend.When Micah’s life is threatened, Dave’s inhibitions melt away. Unfortunately, the price of one chaste kiss could mean the end of the friendship Dave wants so badly.