Carrie Aarons

When my best friend died of cancer just before her eighteenth birthday, she left her coveted bucket list to me.The things she already crossed off? Skinny dipping, going to Paris, completing the local hot wing challenge, road tripping to the ocean, and sending out a message in a bottle.So, it falls on me to finish it for her, to honor her memory. In the next year, it's my mission to:1. Dye my hair2. Have sex3. Camp out in a tent4. Go bungee jumping5. Get revenge on Lincoln KolbMost are doable, some terrify me, and then there is the last item on the list. When the raven-haired football god dumped my best friend during senior year of high school, she was devastated. The jerk with charm for days found out she was sick, and betrayed her in the worst way possible.But he doesn't know me, I went to school a town over. Now, to fulfill my promise, I'm the newest freshman on the campus where he is the big man. If there is one thing, aside from cheap beer, that a jock can't pass up, it's a shiny new girl.So when I catch his eye, play hard to get, and then fall into his bed, I know my scheme is working to perfection. But what Lincoln can't see coming is the beatdown I have planned for his ice-cold heart.Unfortunately, what I never saw coming was the one he had planned for mine.

Fool Me Twice

This summer was supposed to be spent lounging on the beach, madly in love with my boyfriend. Until he decided to move to Singapore, and break up with me an hour before his plane left. Now I'm stuck in a Hamptons house share with six of his closest pals, including his best friend ... who despises me. Since the moment Smith Redfield laid eyes on me, he's hated my guts. I'm serious, I think the raven-haired restaurateur gets physically sick just being in my presence. And he's never been shy about hiding that fact. There was the time he cackled when I landed face first in a pile of Manhattan trash bags. Or the night I tried to throw my ex-boyfriend a surprise party, and Smith had strippers crash the bash. Or maybe it was New Year's Eve, when he got in my face and called me a sheltered goody two-shoes who wouldn't know passion if it smacked me in the lips. He's rooming right next door for the summer months, and I don't think more animosity could exist than in the hallway of our vacation rental. As if I wasn't already sporting a bruised ego and broken heart from the way his best friend left me. But the more midnight run-ins we have, the more I can't help but think about the way his mouth would feel against mine. With each heavy-eyed glance over the dinner table, I'm starting to wonder if the damaged alpha male doesn't harbor more than just loathing towards me. After all, they say hate is the closest emotion to love. And with the way we're skating that thin line, it's bound to burn this whole house down.

Love at First Fight

Stars die in one of two ways. So slowly that each layer burning out feels like agony ... or suddenly, exploding into a million pieces before the universe even has a grasp of what is happening. When Paxton Shaw left Demi Rosen without so much as a goodbye, he stole her shine in both manners. Now, eight years later, he's trying to pull her back into his orbit. The nation's most beloved football player, a tight end with a seriously tight end, has finally realized Demi is the one who got away. But she's a different woman than the weak girl who used to come running whenever he called in the middle of the night. Strong, successful, her life's mission being to grant the wishes of children whose flames have all but been extinguished. And untouchable, as dark and cold as a midnight sky with no moon in sight. When one special child forces their star-crossed paths to collide, it's impossible to keep the feelings of their past buried. Paxton had been her Halley's Comet; the once in a lifetime love that scorched Demi's heart in the most spectacular of fashions. She promised herself she would never make that mistake again. But, how can she forget the dreams of love she once had, when Paxton wants to make them come true?

When Stars Burn Out

Presley McDaniel lives her life from moment to moment.Making permanent decisions means obligation, and that would force her to stop being the family disappointment. Waitress, fitness instructor, dog walker ... you name the hourly job and she's probably held the position.But when her grandmother can no longer run her book shop in Fawn Hill, a town so small it barely has its own zip code, Presley steps up to help.The move from bustling city to green pastures may be exactly what she needs to sort out her life. But she didn't ask for that happy ending to include a gorgeous veterinarian with an all-American smile and a penchant for snuggling puppies. The good doctor is reliable, responsible, and just the kind of man Presley has always avoided.Love and commitment are predictable.So why, the moment she lays eyes on him, are they all she wants?Keaton Nash has never questioned his steady path.His brothers may tease him about settling into his father's passed-down role of small town veterinarian, but Keaton has never minded his rural roots. And after tragedy struck two years ago, he has a duty as the eldest Nash man to look after his family.What he doesn't need is the sexy, flighty stranger who shows up in town and gets his broken heart beating again. Presley McDaniel is a distraction, a red-headed temptation that is the definition of a bad idea.He's barely recovered from the love who left him to chase bigger dreams, and this woman is bound to do the same.Except for the first time ever, he wants to abandon stability.She makes him want to be reckless.

Fleeting

Sawyer Roarke was my best friend. Growing up, our families were inseparable. We spent summers vacationing at the beach. In the school yard, it was us against the world. Then puberty hit, and we skated the thin line of staying buddies, or becoming more. Until I accidentally found the pros and cons list he made about whether or not to date me. And there were definitely more bullet points on the no side. Acting out of rage and hurt, I embarrassed him in the most public way possible. Now, we're enemies. We've spent the last two years tearing each other to pieces. Everyone knows that Blair and Sawyer hate the ground the other walks on, and unfortunately, I got the unpopular end of the stick while he became Mr. Prom King. Until senior year starts, and I'm tired of running scared. For the first time ever, I stand up to the golden boy with the whip-smart tongue. As the challenges and dares pick up speed, hearts start to fall and feelings get entangled. Despite my initial discovery, I wonder if being caught by each other wouldn't be so bad. Except Sawyer has no idea what I found all those years ago. And if the truth comes out about why I pitted us against each other, not only will he add one more con to his list ... but he can add my broken heart as well.

Foes & Cons

He was as magnetic as a deadly hurricane to the shore. Carson Cole was my first love. The boy I'd shared my whole self with. He was the man who'd taken the other part of my soul and drowned it in the sea we'd grown up in. And now he's back. Ten years later, and the demons of our past are still haunting every breath trapped between us. She was as wild as the horses who owned the beach highways we drove down. Blake Sayer was the beautiful daredevil who had me wrapped around her finger from the time we were seven. Until a horrible accident stole every piece of joy from her life. Ten years later, she's a shell of the girl she once was, and it's all my fault. The whispers of our history shackle her to the island I left behind. Just like lost years and unspoken words, love had slipped from our fingers like grains of sand. We'd barely made it out alive last time, was it even possible to reconstruct the shattered pieces of us?

Ghost in His Eyes

Then You Saw Me

I'm sleeping with the nerd.The nice guy.The science geek who wears periodic table t-shirts around campus.That's my dirty little secret, but it began long before he unknowingly transferred to the same college I attend. We met at the summer camp I was mandated to work at, and our hush-hush affair started behind the kayak cabin and in the darkened canteen long after our respective campers went to sleep.When Mick Barrett, rockstar name a complete red herring, enrolls at Salem Walsh University, we're both shocked the first time we bump into each other. And he's ... surprisingly cold. With goals and secrets of his own, Mick is closed off and uninterested, something I've never encountered from the opposite sex.My bruised ego has no time to recover, however, when he discovers the real secret I'm keeping, one that's even more detrimental than our steamy summer fling. Agreeing to become my tutor, and help me save my future, the glasses-wearing swimmer, with the body of an Olympian under that punny math sweatshirt, begins to grow on me. Again.Except we both have bigger things to focus on than sneaking around. Plus, we're not made for each other. He's aiming to be the next doctor of our generation, while I'm just hoping to survive my Saturday morning hangover.Too bad our bodies, and hearts, start to believe otherwise.Which has me questioning; can my dirty little secret become a happily ever after?

Nerdy Little Secret

Never play a game you can't win.For Cain Kent, that rule is golden. Losing is not in his vocabulary, and up until now, everything has come easy. Football, school, girls ... his charm-laced ego may just be bigger than Texas itself.The competition he started freshman year with his friends, to make ten notches each in their bedposts by graduation day, is practically in the bag. One more to go, and then it's off to college fame and eventually, the big time. Attachments aren't something he wants to form, but when the quiet new girl challenges him in front of his classmates, his curiosity is piqued. She would be the perfect final score, and what fun to break her in the process.Too bad Harper Posy has no intention of being just another warm body, especially to the bad boy quarterback. Even if he does quote Forster and Huxley when no one is listening. An aspiring author herself, Cain and his hidden soft side are dangerous to her heart. She's seen men ruin her mother's dreams time and again, and she's determined to fly far away as soon as she has that diploma in her fist.But as the school year's end looms closer, both realize they didn't quite understand the rules to begin with. Is winning a dirty bet worth the gamble when the stakes, or the other's heart in this case, are so high?Harper is the one girl who isn't up for playing games. And she just might make Cain lose. Everything.

The Tenth Girl

In a split-second, a car crash killed almost everything between them. Ten years later, can one accidental ride fix tattered spirits, uncertain futures, and broken hearts?Lily Grantham has always done what she's been told. The daughter of a senator, she grew up as the good girl of Fawn Hill, and carried that torch right on through to adulthood. Her only wild streak? Bowen Nash. She loved that boy since the day they laid eyes on each other, and it nearly ended them both. A decade later, and Lily still can't move on. Even if Bowen has made it clear he doesn't love her anymore.Bowen Nash never wanted the life he's trapped in. Destined for baseball fame and the love of his high-school sweetheart, that existence vanished in the flip of an old pickup. Now, he's stuck in the town that produced his worst nightmare. Pretending to hate Lily Grantham guts him day in and day out. But to protect her from the ultimate secret, it's necessary to break his own heart each time they pass on the street.They've been fighting fate for as long as it's been chasing them. And now, time is up.

Forgiven

You know that pact you make with your childhood best friend of the opposite sex? The one where, if you're both still single, lonely and hopeless at thirty, you'll marry each other? This is the story about what happens when you hit the big three-oh and have to make good on that pinky promise. Personally, I think love, romance and all of that nonsense is a crock of, well, you know. And Reese Collins, the boy who used to put worms in my hair at backyard barbecues, knows that better than anyone. But when he moves to the same city I've happily, and singly, inhabited for years, memories of oaths past resurface. Reese is like a dog with a bone; a really hot dog and that bone just happens to be me. He won't stop hounding me, and the crazy thing is, my frigid, traitorous heart is starting to cave. For my best friend. It seems so far off, when you're a kid playing Monopoly in your treehouse. But when that clock strikes midnight on your thirtieth birthday, and you're standing alone in front of a grocery store-bought cupcake, a childhood deal to walk down the aisle doesn't seem so silly anymore.

Save the Date

Savannah This town ain't big enough for the two of us. Which is why I left. I was determined never to return to Hale, Texas. But when my new life in the Big Apple throws me a curve ball, I have to go back to tie up loose ends. One of those being him. Jason Whitney was my first everything. Kiss, love, epic heartbreak. He shattered my world once upon a time, and apparently, he's not done yet. With old demons lurking around every corner, hightailing it out of my hometown is at the top of my list. Complete my unfinished business, and I get to leave any memory of my country existence behind. Only, with each day I spend in it, with each moment I spend with him, I'm turning back into the girl who laid in the tall grass and swam in the creek all those years ago. And I'm not sure that who I was is ready to let me go again. Jason We drew a line down the middle, and neither of us has crossed it. That is, until Savannah Reese blew back into our hometown. The day my high school sweetheart left, she took my whole heart with her. We promised each other forever, made plans that only teenagers could believe in, and crashed and burned on the grandest of scales. When Savannah last saw me, I was a disgraced high school athlete. All washed up, I took it out on the only person who loved me. Then her world really fell apart, and I was too selfish to care. Now she's back, ready to sell the only remaining thing tying us to each other. I've been breaking my back for the last ten years not to think about her, not to be reminded of the love we shared. But now that she's right here, it's impossible to forget how we used to be. Or let go of what we still are.

That's the Way I Loved You

Just About Over You

If Only in My Dreams

You scream. I scream. We all scream during ... well, you get the point. After a failed eight-year relationship and a cross-country move, the last thing I'm looking for as a single mom is a new flame. In fact, diapers, walls marked in crayon, and daycare pickup are the only things on my to-do list. Enter Jake Brady, your friendly neighborhood food truck owner whose dimples and delicacies won't seem to leave well enough alone. With more popularity than the president, his wine-infused sweet treats have our nation's capital hooked. He's spontaneous, smug and all-American gorgeous; a dangerous combination considering he has no interest in taking on the responsibilities that rule my life. But when we can't seem to sample enough of each other's ... desserts, things start to get complicated. Jake is biting off more than he can chew, and when I watch him with my daughter, I can't seem to freeze my melting heart. Maybe it's his waffle cone. Maybe it's his ... banana split. Either way, I think I'm in trouble with a cherry on top.

Melt

They call him the second coming.Of honor for British football.Of God in an athlete's body.Of every English woman's fantasy.Jude Davies is my country's prodigy on the pitch. More famous than the nobility in Buckingham Palace, he and his merry band of scoundrels rule the Rogue Football Academy and the London nightlife scene alike.And now, he's aiming his well-honed set of skills directly at me. His devilish charm is lethal, but with the tragic hand life has dealt me, distractions like him aren't an option.Plus, we're only playing a game. One of convenience, where he needs me to save his reputation, and I need his money to save the one person I love.Until he wraps me around that immoral finger.Until I crave that reckless, wild high he provides.Until I hope for a future that will never happen.That's the thing about going toe-to-toe with the next football legend. He's faster, stronger, and will destroy me every time.

The Second Coming

Colleen Callahan is exactly where she's always dreamt of being. From a young age, she's been groomed to take over as general manager of the Packton Pistons, her family's professional baseball dynasty. Except she never expected her father would have to go to prison for the role to become hers. The public, and even her own family, are counting on the first female to wear the title to fail. Hoping to wipe the slate clean and clear the club's name, Colleen vows to put her job above everything else. Friends, a social life, her well-being, and most of all, love. Until she meets the team's new star player. Their chemistry is instant, igniting the stadium and her heart. But the last thing she needs is a distraction, much less a surly God of the clay diamond who seems to despise her. Fate has other plans, though. If they're found out, it could mean the end of both of their careers. Except hurtling so close to the danger zone has never felt more right. Hayes Swindell would prefer hell over the place he ended up. After a series of bribes and blackmail gone bad, the league's most desirable veteran superstar finds himself playing on a team that he wants no part of. The family who runs this dynasty is corrupt, and he's spent his career avoiding limelight exactly like this. With a chip on his shoulder and the intention to hightail it out of Pennsylvania as soon as his one-year contract is up, he has no plans to fall for the very woman he should stay away from. In his ten years in the league, he's never once gotten bit by the love bug. But the moment he lays eyes on her, Hayes can see his days are numbered. When the forbidden happens, he has a decision to make. Should they head for disaster together, risking it all, or course-correct and save themselves the ultimate price of heartbreak and scandal?

Warning Track

She spent five years planning a future that will never exist. He spent five years trying to erase a past he can't forget.London is Leah Watson's fresh start. When she secures the perfect internship during her study abroad semester, with an infamous celebrity public relations firm, she is determined to forge her own path - one that is nothing like her life back in Oklahoma. That plan is tested when British football's bad boy, Killian Ramsey, decides that she's the one he wants and he's playing for keeps.Will she put her future on hold - again - for the type of man she swore she'd stay away from?Killian is one bloody good football player. After a tragedy shattered his entire world, the cocky and arrogant face he puts on for the media is a complete lie. When he meets Leah, his heart starts to beat for the first time in years. But when the feelings get too real, his perfectly constructed facade starts to slip.Will he risk it all to be with her - taking whatever penalties are thrown his way - or will he play it safe?

Red Card

He can't stand her, and best believe, the feeling is mutual.Her life is the complete opposite of what he desires.So, why can't they keep their hands off each other?Forrest Nash is a smug know-it-all. With his brains, ridiculous good looks and penchant for disobeying the laws of both the police and the dark web, Fawn Hill's resident genius is cockier than any man Penelope Briggs has ever encountered. It doesn't help that their six-year age difference makes him completely ineligible in her eyes. Add in the fact that he doesn't want marriage or babies, and that should eliminate him from the dating pool forever. But it doesn't mean she can't sleep with him. Once. Or twice. Or ten times. Against all logic, though, Forrest seems to be sneaking into her heart at the same time he's sneaking into her bed.Penelope Briggs is one bossy, obnoxious woman. With three young children, a calendar full of school drop-offs and sports, and enough emotional baggage to fill an airplane, this widow is definitely not what Forrest Nash is looking for. And yet, he can't get enough of the maddening bombshell. But as their hook-ups become a constant, so does his involvement in Penelope's life. The things he swore he never wanted, love and kids, seem to be the only things on his mind. And when an attack from his part of the cyber world threatens her safety, he'll have to admit his feelings for the woman he'd do anything to protect.What started as a convenient friends-with-benefits situation is quickly growing wings. Even if both parties are trying hard to ignore the flutter.

Flutter

Ryan Shea has sworn off men.After her last relationship imploded in front of her eyes, she decides to take a break from swimming in the dating pool ... possibly forever. The brilliant computer whiz loses her brain when it comes to love, and jumping feet first burns her every time.Without a home, or much of a clue where life is headed, taking a trip back to the small town of Fawn Hill to stay with her best friend seems like the only option.Except it puts Ryan directly in the path of the one man she can't fall for. Fletcher Nash reminds her too much of the dark past she's always run from; his demons are the things of her nightmares. And it's no help that, when he looks at her, she feels as if Fletcher is the one person who truly understands.Fletcher Nash vowed not to fall in lust.Five years of sobriety, and he hasn't broken the chastity promise yet. Not that it had to keep for this long ... he's well over the normal year addicts are told not to get involved.But, aside from a busy schedule and trying to chase his dream of becoming a full-time artist, he has no intentions of committing to a woman until she is the one.Why is it, then, that sassy, city girl Ryan Shea comes dangerously close to resembling the exact woman he could break that promise for? Like sand through his fingers, there is no way she'll stay put ... but his heart just won't listen.They pledged not to love anyone until it was the real thing.So what happens when two people terrified of falling head-over-heels, actually do?

Carrie Aarons

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