Showing results by narrator "Ava Lucas" in All Categories

I’m late for curfew once and my stepfather decides to spank me. The kicker? I’m 18...way too old for a spanking. Also, he’s hot when he’s angry, and he’s been angry a lot since Mom started screwing around on him. His demand is so irritating I snap at him. “Fine, you old bastard! Have at it!” And I drop my pants and bend over his knees. When the first smack hits hot against my behind, I’m not prepared for my reaction. It hurts. But it also feels good.

Love is an inconvenience Anna Cavallaro doesn’t have time for. She only has one goal: to become a fashion designer. Chicago’s elite already copies her style religiously, not least because she’s the daughter of the city’s notorious mafia boss.

In the military, Mercy had seen and done things most people could never imagine. Now working for In the Shadows Security, dangerous jobs are his specialty, the more difficult the better... until his boss assigns him to protect a spoiled, rich woman who never shuts the h*ll up. He has two ways to stop her running mouth, but either could get him fired. However, first impressions can be deceiving, and underestimating this woman is a mistake Mercy never intended to make. One that might not only threaten his job but the carefully built barriers he’s surrounded himself with.

For weeks, he stood by my side, twisting his words into pretty half-truths. He enraptured me with his smooth temptation, leaving no corner of my being untouched. He consumed my mind and my body, then finally claimed my heart for himself. But Caelum’s true identity is terrifying enough to bring me to my knees. Then, I discovered the truth of who he is. Caldris is whispered in the Nothrek wind. The legend we only speak of with hushed words, in shuttered rooms, for fear of drawing his wrath once again.

For weeks, we retraced our steps back to Mistfell and the lingering shadow of the Veil at the boundary between realms. Traveling through the kingdom, I denied the evidence in front of me, unable to fathom that I wasn’t the lost princess of Faerie. Instead, it is Fallon who must fear the consequences of her heritage. Which leaves me with a single, unanswered question. Then, I awoke, caged high above the throne of the Queen of Air & Darkness.

With The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 3, award-winning editor Neil Clarke provides a year-in-review and 27 of the best stories published by both new and established authors in 2017.

Dante Cavallaro’s wife died four years ago but her memory still haunts him. On the verge of becoming the youngest head in the history of the Chicago Outfit, Dante needs to remarry or risk appearing weak. Valentina is chosen for the role. She, too, lost her husband, but her first marriage has always been for show. Even after her husband’s death, Valentina carries the weight of his secrets with her - to protect the honor of a dead man and herself. With her wedding to Dante, her castle of lies threatens to crash.

Five years ago, a phone call forever changed my life as I listened to my wife being murdered half a world away. Going rogue from the CIA, I became a man feared by everyone as I sought vengeance. Lies she’d told and secrets she’d kept, pushed me over an even darker edge. With nothing to lose, I became unstoppable. A devil among men. Until justice was served, or so I’d thought it’d been . . . Working alongside a team of veterans, trying to find my way back to the man I’d once been, another life-altering call came, drawing me back to the dark world I’d left behind.

The bet was simple. You draw a name from the hat. That's the girl you have to seduce. The girl you have to make fall head over heels in love with you. It wasn't hard for him to do, in fact, it was something he did all the time. He was known for breaking hearts. Sex was just that, sex. And it didn't take him very long to get a woman on her back. And then he drew her name: Jules Peterson. His former best friend, first kiss, and first love. She shattered his heart into a million pieces three years ago. She left him right when he needed her most.

Judd “Judge” Scott lives a simple life running a successful business with his cousin, Deacon. As a bail bondsman and bounty hunter, he’s good at what he does. He never expected Trip to come home and resurrect the Blood Fury MC, reopening old wounds. Being asked by the new prez to fill his late father’s boots as the Sergeant at Arms should be a hard no for Judge.

Hudson Ashford, a former Navy SEAL turned private security expert, has sworn off romance—especially when it comes to his best friend’s sister. Between protecting clients, running his bar, and avoiding the political spotlight as the son of a prominent governor, Hudson keeps his life tightly controlled, leaving no room for complications—or emotions. Isabella Costa, a headstrong billionaire with a compassionate heart, refuses to give up on the future she dreamed of with the man she thought she could never have.

Cassie Webber had it all. A man who loved her, a mother and sister who were all the family she needed, and a job she adored. Until, in the blink of an eye, everything changed. Now, her mother and Aidan are gone, and her sister’s in danger. Cassie’s willing to do anything to save her—including marrying her best friend and returning to a place she vowed to leave behind. She nearly succeeds in extracting Mia before everything changes yet again—and Cassie herself is the one whisked away.

For nearly four-hundred years, the Veil has protected us from the Fae of Alfheimr. In their absence, our lives have shifted from decadence and sin to survival and virtue under the guidance of the New Gods. I’ve spent my entire life tending to the gardens next to the boundary between our worlds, drawn to the shimmering magic like a moth to the flame. All of that changes the day the Veil shatters, unleashing the fae upon our world once again.

Being traded after fighting with your coach on air isn’t exactly a good look. With one mistake under my belt, I knew I needed to focus on the game and nothing else. But everything changed when I went to pick up my niece and came face-to-face with my very pregnant one-night stand from six months ago.

At the frat party I see a bright light and find myself sitting on a bed with a huge monster looming over me. I'm terrified and, at the same time, there's something about those black eyes, that scent, that purrr that makes me come alive. Horde life is simple. When I find an Omega during a raid, I should deliver her to the compound. If I don't, I'll lose my life, the lives of my horde alphas, and I'll start a full-scale rebellion. And yet, I can't part from her. This one belongs to me.

Being traded to Dallas was a dream come true. I had everything I wanted, my game had never been better, and my wife was due to have our baby any day now. What could go wrong? Everything. I was now raising our baby on my own. After hockey practice and games, I didn't have time to sleep, let alone make sure my social media was up to par. I never thought I'd get a second chance at love.

One winery. One cocky billionaire. One unforgettable mistake. Josh LaChappelle-Whittier is gorgeous, rich, and, unfortunately, the last person Elle Parker ever wanted to see again. She was supposed to pitch a marketing deal that could make or break a prestigious Sonoma Valley winery. Instead, she walked into the boardroom, locked eyes with him, and instantly remembered all the ways she got to know him the night before. Intimately. Thoroughly. Oh, so many ways. Josh is a legend in his own mind, a playboy with zero interest in running his family’s vineyard.

My name came with big skates to fill. At the top of my game, I had everything I wanted - or so I thought. Being traded to Dallas was not what I was expecting, but neither were the divorce papers I was served. Now I’m a single dad in a city that isn’t my home.

They called me the pretty boy on and off the ice. Hockey’s most eligible bachelor. When my teammate asked me to donate one date to his charity, I figured why not. Worst case, I’d spend the night with a fan. Best-case scenario, she would be hot. What I wasn’t expecting was for my dream girl to be the highest bidder. For years, she brushed me off, and now, I finally had a chance to take her out and show her who I really was. With only one shot at this, I really hoped I didn’t mess it up.

Dropping a handsome billionaire CEO isn’t easy, but Jude Flores can’t forgive his betrayal. So she’s taking the steps she needs to move on - and far away - from her ex-boss, ex-lover, ex-whatever. And a good place to do it is at her father’s house in Spain. Eric Zimmerman isn’t the kind of man who gives up. Nothing is going to keep him from following the fiery dream girl who’s left him a little brokenhearted and a lot frustrated. It turns out Jude is willing to play chase. But if he wants to catch her, it’s her rules or nothing.