Bills were piling up, adding up to more money than I could ever make. Mom's hospital bills. My baby brother's tuition. My tuition. Rent. Electricity. All of it on my shoulders. And I had just lost my job. There was no hope, no money in my account, no work to be found. And then, just when I thought all hope was lost, I found an envelope in the mail. No return address. My name on the front, my address. Inside was a check, made out to me, in the amount of ten thousand dollars. Enough to pay the bills and leave me some left over to live on until I found a job. Enough to let me focus on classes. There was no name on the check, just "VRI Inc.," and a post office box address for somewhere in the city. No hint of identity or reason for the check or anything. No mention of repayment, interest, nothing…except a single word, on the notes line: "You." Just those three letters.If you receive a mysterious check, for enough money to erase all your worries, would you cash it?I did.The next month, I received another check, again from VRI Incorporated. It too contained a single word: "belong."A third check, the next month. This time, two words. Four letters. "To me."The checks kept coming. The notes stopped. Ten thousand dollars, every month. A girl gets used to that, real quick. It let me pay the bills without going into debt. Let me keep my baby brother in school and Mom's hospice care paid for. How do you turn down what seems like free money, when you're desperate? You don't. I didn't.And then, after a year, there was a knock on my door. A sleek black limousine sat on the curb in front of my house. A driver stood in front of me, and he spoke six words: "It's time to pay your debt."Would you have gotten in?I did.It turns out $120,000 doesn't come free.

    SHE'S THE SULTRY BEAUTY HE NEVER SAW COMING.Maya Jackson doesn't sleep with strangers. Until the night grief sent her to the nearest bar and into the arms of the most explosive lover she's ever had. Six months later, the dedicated arson investigator is coming face to face with him again. Gorgeous, grinning Logan Cain. Her biggest mistake. Now her number-one suspect in a string of deadly wildfires. Risking his life on a daily basis is what gets Logan up in the morning. As leader of the elite Tahoe Pines Hotshot Crew, he won't back down from a blaze-or from beautiful, lethal Maya Jackson. She may have seduced him with her tears and her passion, but it'll be a cold day in hell before Logan lets down his guard again. Until Maya's life is threatened. With his natural-born hero instincts kicking in, Logan vows to protect the woman sworn to bring him down. And as desire reignites, nothing-not the killer fire or the killer hot on their trail-can douse the flames....

    Checked. Rechecked. But when a mission ends badly, his entire team is ordered on leave. And that's when Blake sees the tall redhead whose dark eyes suggest that the rules-especially those in bed-are made to be broken. Scientist Alexia Lane has sex on the brain-partly for work, but mostly because she needs a man who makes her girly parts do the happy dance. Her only no-no? No military dudes. But Blake's rockin' bod promises delicious pleasures, and Alexia is halfway to sexual Nirvana before she can find out he's actually a Navy SEAL. And where one rule is broken, more are sure to follow.... Uniformly Hot! The Few. The Proud. The Sexy as Hell!

    Dating has proven tiresome and worthless, so she’s decided to put her efforts into her work at the salon she owns.In search for evidence against a crime family, Hunter Reeve stumbles upon a woman who may be the key to solving the case. Except she’s unaware of the lurking danger. His growing attraction to the spunky hairdresser complicates the relationship further.As enemies weasel into Grace’s life, Hunter is forced to make a choice between his work and Grace. And the wrong choice could have consequences neither one is ready for.Warning: Intended for mature audiences

    That one person who blew through our lives, their presence forever stamped on our psyche. They linger in our thoughts, in our hearts, and in the decisions we make. A soul crusher or a dream maker, depending on the perspective.My person is MISTER BLACK. I didn’t know him by that name when I first met him. I didn’t know him at all, but the impression he left behind was just as powerful as the name I call him today.He is Black: a deadly enforcer and masterful seducer.I am Red: a justice bleeder and willing participant.Together we are passion. Colors colliding through each other’s lives. When our secrets converge in a passionate encounter, stepping out of the shadows just might be worth the risk.

    Your muse is back. The thing that gave you passion, tormented you, and haunted you is back. You're reeling in ecstasy and dread. It's something you want, but can't ever have. And the one that brings the pain is pure, white as snow... and standing in front of you."One kiss could have changed Abby's life, but when it didn't happen, she ran. Jack was everything to her and when he didn't respond, Abby couldn't bear it. Everything about that night--leaning in close to his face, feeling the night breeze teasing her hair, the way his scent filled her head--was burned vividly into her mind, including the moment when Jack pulled away. There was no kiss. Abby was wrong. She was wrong about him, wrong about them. Maybe she didn't have to go to college two thousand miles away, but she did. She had to forget about him. Abby threw herself off the grid, disappearing completely from the life she knew. After completing her undergraduate degree, she enrolled in seminary. All contact with her old life was severed and she never looked back, until she was forced to.When Abby puts idealism into practice, her congregation throws her out. If she can survive a year on her own, they'll take her back, and continue to pay off her student loans--but if she fails, Abby is on her own with enough debt to fund a small town. Seminary wasn't cheap. With no place left to go, Abby returns to New York and her best friend takes her in. Desperate to make it on her own and prove she was right, Abby follows a job lead to an art studio on Long Island. It isn't until she hears Jack's voice that she freezes. The hairs on the back of her neck prickle as she turns to see Jack, ten years later, looking even more tempting than before.Fate is cruel. Abby left this life behind, but she's thrown back into it, head first. It's like someone hit rewind on her life and its ten years earlier. She's the cotton-mouthed girl that she always was around Jack, and now her future relies on the man who rejected her.SCANDALOUS 2 WILL BE RELEASED SPRING 2013

    Relinquish Control is an exclusive escort service catering to the most distinguished customers, from business magnates to foreign royalty. This proven and well-established international business offers an elite selection of women who are ready and willing to attend to your every need with no questions asked. Confidentiality is our special obligation. Jewell Weston is homeless and desperate at age twenty-four. Two years ago, she quit her job to care for her ailing mother and her young brother; the medical bills incurred because of the cancer that killed her mother two months ago took everything the family had, and the state then took away her brother, now age fourteen. The only way for her to get the boy back is by finding a job and securing a home. When she's approached by a woman in cashmere and pearls who tells her she can change her life, and is handed a card with the business name Relinquish Control on it, she thinks she has nothing to lose by calling the phone number. Maybe this will be the answer to her prayers, a way to save her little brother from the nightmarish foster home he's been placed in. Blake Knight, known to the world as cold and without a heart, is given an exclusive membership to Relinquish Control by his devilish younger brother, who thinks it would be amusing to make his staid brother squirm. Little does this brother realize that Blake does indeed have unusual desires that Relinquish Control can cater to perfectly. What started as a joke turns out to be just what Blake needs. Though the world sees this man as deliberate and emotionless, it's nothing but a facade. What lies underneath would shock all those who know him. When he and his two brothers were six, eight and ten, they were tied up and forced to watch while their parents were murdered. The image has been burned into their minds, though they've tried to forget, leaving each of them guarded and unwilling to give their trust to anyone other than each other. No one is allowed to have their hearts. The brothers would never think of letting down their guard with anyone else, certainly not with a woman. Follow Blake and Jewell's journey and see if they can find a happily ever after...

    Devon, an ex-Navy SEAL and private club owner, is all too happy to help.Soon, a single weekend of hot and dirty sex turns into something more. But while they fight their connection, a killer has Devon in his sights. Will they survive with their hearts and lives intact?**This book contains adult content.

    He’s made millions as a top-selling real estate broker. His rugged good lucks and over-the-top personality helped him build a virtual black book most men would kill for. Having been burned once however, he’s sworn off anything resembling an emotional connection with any woman. But an undercurrent of dissatisfaction runs through his life. His frustration grows as he seeks something even he can’t quite put his finger on.Thanks to a life of discipline and focused routine, Sara Thornton has fast-tracked herself to the top of the Ann Arbor real estate market. As her career skyrockets, the fulfillment she seeks remains out of reach. One thing she knows for sure: she will never join the Jack Gordon groupies in her company, no matter how tempting it might be.A chance encounter, then a difficult transaction, throw Jack and Sara into temptingly close contact. After their first, smoking hot hook-up, he decides she could be the elusive happiness he’s seeking. Right about the time she decides to avoid him like the plague. But fate keeps forcing them together, so Jack decides to make The Big Gesture.Floor Time: the epic beginning of the best-selling Stewart Realty saga—full of romance, humor, family dynamics, white-hot heat, and long-simmering desire between two stubborn, successful, and compelling people.This second edition is refreshed and re-edited.

    Kenner. Following the novels in her blockbuster Stark Trilogy—Release Me, Claim Me, and Complete Me, as well as her tie-in novella Take Me—Have Me continues the story of fan favorites Damien Stark and his new wife, Nikki Fairchild.  Our wedding was everything I dreamed of, and now the honeymoon is a living fantasy. To be Mrs. Damien Stark is the ultimate rush—to know that our claim to each other is real, our fierce passion sealing our bond. My kiss is forever his, his touch is forever mine.   We both harbor deep scars from our pasts, and we’ve done everything we can to lay our ghosts to rest. But there are still dreams that haunt me, and people that threaten to tear us apart.   Our shared ecstasy makes me feel alive, and I’ll do anything to keep Damien close. He is my future, my hope, my every want and need. And once you’ve tasted that kind of obsession, nothing can make you give it up.    Have Me is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

    Unfortunately, Henry has only ever treated her like a younger sister, stepping into her brother's shoes after he was killed in action.That is, until one night, when one dance ignites a sensual fire between the two, leaving Elsie aroused and confused. Is she allowed to lust after her surrogate big brother who also happens to be her roommate?But Henry, an Air Force officer, has been harboring two secrets--one will bring them together and the other will tear them apart--and it is up to Elsie to decide if their relationship is worth fighting for.

    Tall. Sexy. Lethal. When his best friends call in a favor, Sam is forced to face an entirely new line of duty-playing nanny for their newly divorced sister and her squirming seven-month-old twin boys. If Sam can dissemble an M16 in his sleep, diaper duty should be a cakewalk...right? Unfortunately, Operation Nanny isn't quite that simple. Sheridan has sworn off overbearing military men, so Sam must protect her from her dirtbag ex without revealing just how much he has in common with her brothers. Or that he's been ordered not to touch her. Ever. Problem is, Sheri's one hell of a gorgeous woman, and Sam wants herbad. Protect the girl. Care for the babies. Hide his identity. And keep his handsoff. But even the most disciplined Marine has weaknesses...and Sheridan is one Sam might not be able to resist.

    Instead of focusing on his own, he’s made it his mission to help others: sports stars, wounded war vets, survivors of all kinds. But when Dom, a rugged, damaged, sinfully attractive cop, makes his way into Lando’s physical therapy practice, he might be the biggest challenge yet. Lando loved one stubborn man before and barely survived the fallout. He’s not sure he can do it again.Dominic Voss is a protector. The police badge he wears is not only his job, it’s his identity, so when he’s sidelined because of an injury, the only thing he cares about is getting back on the force. He expects Lando to mend his body, he just doesn’t realize the trainer will also have him working toward a hell of a lot more. As attraction simmers and flares, Dom sees that Lando needs repair of his own...if only the man will let him close enough to mend what's broken.An Avon Romance

    These are NOT meant to be read as standalone stories, but are a peek into favorite character's lives after the happily ever after...The stories included in the Short Rides anthology are:King of Hearts* -- Deputy Cam McKay deals with a murder/suicide case on Valentine's Day.Rough Road -- Chassie, Trevor and Edgard Glanzer spend a romantic weekend away from the ranch and kids celebrating their anniversary...only to return home to face their biggest challenge yet.All Knocked Up -- Keely and Jack Donohue are having a baby. Given Keely's raging pregnancy hormones, will Jack need to wear a cup in the delivery room?*previously published in the Guns and Roses anthology in 2012

    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.