Book picks similar to
High Stakes by Cheryl Douglas


romance
contemporary-romance
contemporary
older-man-younger-woman

Witness Protection


Bec Botefuhr - 2012
    She witnessed a murder and now everything in her life is being upended. She is put into Witness Protection with two males, who are beyond the image of perfection. They are gorgeous.Ryder and Nate are best friends, and both so very different. Nate is gay and the sweetest man Maya has ever met, Ryder is a hard ass and a complete dominant. When she finds out about his sexual fantasies, her world begins to change.On the run from a killer and trapped with a man who is awakening all her sexual desires. She wants Ryder, and he wants her but he has a persistant ex who keeps popping up where she isn't wanted and a killer insistent on driving her to insanity.Join Maya's journey as she discovers a world of passion with Ryder, befriends the charming Nate and discovers a whole new side to herself, she didn't know she had.

Breaking Braydon


M.K. Harkins - 2015
    Scarred and humiliated as a teenager, he pledged long ago to never trust a beautiful woman again. But then he never imagined meeting one quite like Jain Parker. Jain, a dedicated medical research scientist, learned early in college that her good looks were a hindrance and she’d have to tone down her beauty to be taken seriously, thus, Plain Jain was born, and men were no longer an issue. Of course, she didn’t count on running into Braydon Decker. A successful venture capitalist, Braydon holds the key to whether Jain’s research company sinks or swims. When the two are forced to work together on a fundraising campaign, they’re instantly drawn to one another, despite their individual vows to remain unattached. As they navigate unchartered waters, their inability to trust wages war with their desire to love. Hearts are broken and trust is shattered when betrayal and lies are revealed. Will the truth bring them healing and forgiveness, or will it be too late? Breaking Braydon offers readers an emotional, compelling story filled with heartwarming humor, romance, heartbreak and love.

Nightfall


L.H. Cosway - 2012
    None of them, however, have anything on the handsome stranger who comes in one night and helps her fend off an armed robber. He looks the thief directly in the eye and without confrontation convinces him to turn around and walk out the door.Tegan has never seen anything like it, nor does she understand why he then lays those mesmerising eyes on her and tells her to forget they ever met. She shrugs it off as just another weird night shift encounter, until the following evening when her best friend produces free passes to a new club in the city. Tegan agrees to go and is pleasantly surprised by the tasteful, classy décor and oddly beautiful, intensely ethereal clientele. To her surprise, her mysterious stranger is sitting smack dab in the VIP section. What are the chances?!Tegan is struck by the coincidence of bumping into him again so soon, while he is furious that she remembers him when he insisted she forget their meeting. Tegan has no idea that she’s taken a misstep into a whole new world inhabited by vampires, slayers, dhampirs, witches and warlocks. All of whom display a wholly disconcerting interest in what makes her unique from the rest of the clueless humans who populate the city. On top of this, her handsome stranger keeps turning up at her work and seems intent on getting to know her a whole lot better.Nightfall is book one in L.H. Cosway’s Blood Magic Series. A previous, unedited version of this story was published under the title Tegan’s Blood.

The Trouble with Goodbye


Sarra Cannon - 2013
    She’s always been the girl who does what she’s told. Except that time two years ago when she shocked everyone in the small town of Fairhope by breaking up with the richest guy in town and heading off to Boston to follow her dreams.It was the single most exciting thing she’s ever done for herself, and it felt like the start of something big…Until one terrifying night ripped it all away.With no place else to go, Leigh Anne heads home to reclaim what’s left of her old life. On the outside, she seems like the same reliable girl everyone knows and loves. But deep inside, she’s hiding a terrible secret.That’s when she meets Knox Warner, a troubled newcomer to Fairhope. His eyes have the same haunted look she sees every day in the mirror, and when she’s near him, the rest of the world fades away. But being with Knox would mean disappointing everyone all over again.If she wants to step back into that old life, she has no choice but to say goodbye to him forever.Only, the Trouble with Goodbye is that sometimes it’s about courage and sometimes it’s about fear. And sometimes you’re too broken to know the difference until it’s too late.

The Weekend Proposition


Ella Jade - 2013
    On Sunday afternoon it all ends, or does it?No-nonsense businessman Spencer Cannon has a dilemma. He's headed to Connecticut for the weekend to attend his cousin's elaborate wedding. His whole family will be there in addition to his obsessed ex-girlfriend Ava. According to Spencer's brother, Ava has been telling her friends she's planning a magical reunion with her favorite ex-boyfriend. Spencer's not in the mood to deal with her, but he can't miss the wedding. He needs a plan.Struggling Brooklyn waitress and aspiring graphic designer Dakota Vercelli has fallen on hard times. College debts, pending eviction, and her sick mother are taking a toll on her. A chance encounter with Mr. Cannon, CEO of Cannon and Carrington Advertising, leads to a proposition that may be just the thing to solve both of their problems. Spencer's offer—spend four days with him during the wedding festivities and keep his ex off his trail. In return, he'll compensate her generously for her time. He needs a weekend girlfriend, and Dakota needs the cash.It was just supposed to be a business deal, but after sharing a room, kissing under the stars, and attending a wedding, their attraction is undeniable. Will the illusion end when the weekend is over or is the proposition just the beginning?Content Warning: contains mature language and graphic sexual content

Ice


Chelsea Camaron - 2014
    Her life has been dedicated to making something of her career, so she wouldn’t know what to do with a man even if you gave her an instruction manual.Brett 'Ice' Grady spends his days trying to keep up with his teenage daughter, his nights consumed in Regulators’ MC business. He has no time for anything more than a casual hookup. Two worlds collide when the dangers of his life crash into the calm of hers. Can she go beyond her own boundaries and chip her way through to the man known to be as cold as ice?Loosely attached to Chelsea Camaron's Hellions series and Jessie Lane's Ex Ops series.

Layers


Sigal Ehrlich - 2013
    According to Hayley love is a subject of ridicule, a myth created by hopeless romantics.When Hayley makes a resolution to declare her loose lifestyle era R.I.P, it’s all good in theory…That is until she meets Daniel Stark, a well-respected, mid-thirties business man who is known for his short temper, lack of steady relationships as well as his strict preserve of his private life.Opinionated, sharp tongued Hayley accidently steps into his office leaving Daniel resolved to put Hayley in her place and have her in his bed.Both Hayley and Daniel can’t avoid the immediate instigation of the attraction between them.In a unanimously agreed upon verdict by Hayley and her two best friends, Ian the gay self-absorbed, aspiring model and Natasha the witty, borderline neurotic soul mate, Daniel Stark is to be Hayley’s pure physical attraction, emotions aside era closure.Will it indeed be a closure, or a beginning to something neither Hayley nor Daniel ever bargained for…

Knocking Boots


Willow Winters - 2017
    He’s a bartender with noncommittal tendencies. I’m looking for … the opposite. Commitment. Period.But drinks and a bet led to something it shouldn’t have: a fake relationship. Worse, a first date, a first kiss… and then more. He’s addictive and I can’t bring myself to accept the reality. That it’s all a lie and I’m fooling myself by thinking he could want more. That I could change him.He’s mine for as long as I keep on pretending like this is just for fun. As if I don’t want more… Like when he whispers my name, I pretend it doesn’t make my heart flip. Like when he holds me at night, I pretend I don’t want to lay in his bed every night.It's just a bet; just a lie... until it isn't.

Guarding Suzannah


Norah Wilson - 2010
    She is currently being stalked, but is reluctant to report it to the police, whom she half suspects of being the perpetrators of the low-level harassment.Detective John (Quigg) Quigley has always had a bit of a thing for Suzannah Phelps. When he learns of the harassment, it gives him the perfect opportunity to interact with her. They've struck sparks off each other in the courtroom, and he's determined to find out if the chemistry is just as combustible outside of work. But when the stalker ups his game, Quigg knows it's not a case of disgruntled cops razzing her. It's deadly serious, and he's determined to protect her. To do that, he must pose as her boyfriend, but the closer they get, the more the lines between pretense and reality blur.Norah Wilson is a USA Today bestselling author, a three-time finalist in Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart contest, and winner of the New Voice in Romance award (2003).Book Junkie says: Explosively sexy, the chemistry between the two is hot, sensual and sweet all at the same time!

Mr. Fake Fiance


Aubrey Wright - 2019
    Did McHottie just ask me to fake an engagement? You would think I would say no. You would think I wouldn't move in with a complete stranger. You would think I wouldn't give that stranger my virginity. Most days I'm a pillar of restraint.But some gravitational pull made both of us complete idiots for each other.Now we're knee deep in scandal.And this arrangement is getting more dangerous by the minute.60 days to convince myself it's only fake.Two months before I never feel his touch again.One chance to tell him about my secret.

A Pinch of Salt


Bethany Lopez - 2017
    It isn't until Jackson walks through their door that she realizes something may be missing in the recipe of her life. For the past year, Jackson has been dealing with the fallout of his wife's abandonment. He's had to learn how to be a single father to their eight-year-old daughter, and will do anything to fill the void her mother left. It isn't until he commissions Millie for his daughter's birthday party that he realizes he's forgotten that he's not only a father, but a man. They both think they're content in their lives, but sometimes the right amount of spice can turn an okay dish into a magnificent one. A Pinch of Salt may be all that's needed to bring Millie and Jackson the flavor they've been missing.

Beneath This Mask


Meghan March - 2014
    Son of a congressman. Successful businessman in my own right. With a résumé like mine, women have never been a challenge.Until I met her. This sexy, tatted-up bad girl wasn’t part of my plans, but that punch to my gut every time I see her tells me I have to know more.She’s a mystery. An enigma. A challenge. I’m going to figure her out — and then I’m going to make her mine. We’ll find out what she’s hiding... beneath this mask.

Tank


M. Malone - 2014
    Malone's gritty new romance series: BLUE-COLLAR BILLIONAIRES. Money changes everything...Years ago, Tank Marshall swore off fighting. He exercises iron control to keep his anger in check. But his mother was just diagnosed with cancer and the deadbeat dad he hasn’t seen in years is back offering an inheritance and a chance at redemption. There’s only one person that keeps him anchored in the midst of the chaos. One person untouched by violence and money and lies. Emma Shaw. But the one thing that Tank hasn’t learned yet is that when billions are at stake, there’s no such thing as innocent. Money. Changes. Everything.

Wild Irish Rose


Ava Miles - 2019
    In fact, Becca O’Neill loathes him so much that she won’t even serve him the award-winning scones her famed Wild Irish Rose Bed and Breakfast is known for. Even worse than that (and not getting scones is bad in Trevor’s book): Becca has an ornery cat, a mischievous Irish setter, and a famous ghost all intent on making sure he fails. Then there’s the woman herself. If she weren’t so indignant about his business offer, they might have a good romance budding. Worst of all: his Uncle Arthur and Aunt Clara Hale show up from Dare Valley hoping to help him get hitched—not exactly the help he was looking for. How in the world is he going to make this deal with his heart—and his dignity—staying intact?

Blame It On Your Heart


Jami Alden - 2013
    But after Damon broke her heart and crushed her dreams, Ellie couldn't get out of town fast enough. Twelve years later, Ellie is back, and life is nothing like she'd once imagined At age 30, she is widowed, broke, and a single parent to a 5 year old son. Humiliated after discovering that her "Wizard of Wall Street" husband had swindled his clients out of billions of dollars, Ellie is forced to move back in with her mother until she can get her life back on track. When she'd forced to work closely with Damon, Ellie tries to ignore the powerful attraction still simmering between them. But it doesn't take long before she finds herself once again under Damon's spell. .There was a time when Damon believed Ellie wanted the same things he did - to get married and raise a family in Big Timber. But her move to New York and marriage to a Wall Street high flyer proved that the life Ellie really wanted was nothing Damon could ever give her. As far as he's concerned, Ellie Tanner did him a favor when she dumped him cold all those years ago. Then Ellie shows up back in town, looking more beautiful than ever, sending Damon's blood - and his heart - racing. But he learned the hard way not to count on a future with Ellie. While he may not be able to keep his hands off her, this time he knows better than to let himself fall for her all over again. Until he's forced to admit that when it comes to it comes to loving Ellie, he doesn't have a choice.