IT'S PERFECT. UNTIL IT'S NOT is a blend of sensual, erotic romance with sweet & delicious head-over-heels love. HEA, no cliffhanger, no cheating, and a fairytale romance with a bad boy who's complex but magnetic - and of course, heaps of hot, juicy, passionate sex! Katie is running from lies and heartbreak back home when she crosses paths with the most intoxicating man this sweet but sassy Kansas girl has ever laid eyes on. Ian is a surfer in Venice, California. 6'3". Body of a Greek Adonis, face like a Calvin Klein model... demeanor of an iceberg. After a random and painfully awkward meeting, what follows are surfing lessons, ice cream on the boardwalk, and lazy summer days on the beach. As Katie and Ian spend more time together, they begin to fall in love. Hard. It's perfect. Until it's not. Ian has secrets he's hiding - a dark past he doesn't want to share. Katie swore she would never let a man lie to her again... but when do secrets become lies? And despite a passionate love and an unwavering bond, can Katie forgive?
I was running away.
I'd left behind a bad situation in Kansas ā a life I desperately wanted to avoid thinking about or dealing with ā and never looked back.
Where do people go to reinvent themselves? Where do they move to get a shot at a new life, to live out their dreams?
For me, it was Venice.
No, not Italy ā Venice, California. That funky little beach town chock-full of all the people too weird for the rest of Los Angeles. (Which is saying something.)
I didn't need to go halfway around the world to escape. Compared to what I was used to back home, Venice might as well have been another planet.
I was running because love had dealt me a bad hand, and I had played it even worse. As far as I was concerned, I was done with love.
Funny... because while I was running away from it, that's when it came and found me.
It was my first day settling into the neighborhood. I'd just rented a room in a house nearby, and I was enjoying the fruits of my awesome new digs: a two-block stroll to the beach.
As I lay there on my towel, slowly getting over my self-consciousness about my pale skin and incredibly unfashionable one-piece, both of which came courtesy of Kansas (note to self: go get a bikini as soon as possible), I saw him.
He was absolutely gorgeous ā a blond-haired surfer with several days of scruffy facial hair. Late 20's. Bronzed skin. Muscles to make your jaw (and panties) drop. He was wearing only board shorts and flip-flops, so I got the full show: enormous biceps, powerful chest, broad shoulders, massive thighs.
I couldn't see his eyes because of the sunglasses he wore, but he had a strong chin, sensual lips, and cheekbones to die for.
Big hands and feet, too.
I'm just sayin'.
Now why couldn't I get a guy like THAT back in Kansas? I thought.
Note to self: learn surfing as fast as humanly possible.
He was walking towards the water with his board under one arm, and he dropped something as he passed ā a little round object that plopped in the sand.
"Uh, excuse me," I said, rolling over to pick it up.
He kept walking.
"Excuse me!" I called out.
He turned around with a scowl.
"You dropped your ā " I started to say, then looked down at the little cellophane-wrapped package in my hand.
Mr. Zog's Sex Wax.
I immediately blushed.
I might have been thinking naughty thoughts about his body, but I wasn't about to say 'sex wax' out loud to a stranger.
What the hell is sex wax?!
The label said, 'The best for your stick.'
...your 'stick'?!
Did he put it... 'down there'?
Why was he bringing it out to the beach, then?!
"Uhhhh... you dropped this," I said, blushing even worse, as I lifted it up to him.
"Thanks," he grunted, snatched it out of my hand, and then walked off without another word.
Rude!
Just goes to show, hot guys don't always have the best personalities.
Even insanely hot ones with perfect physiques.
I sighed and just enjoyed the show as he moved towards the water.
That was when my phone rang.
I knew from the ring tone who it was.
Rick.
My stomach twisted and I felt sick.
He doesn't know where you are, I told myself. You don't even have to answer it.
But... part of me felt like I owed him at least that much.
I held the cell in my hand for a few seconds... steeled myself... and then finally hit 'Accept' on the screen.
"Hello?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even, though I still think it trembled.
"Katie? FINALLY," he snapped, pissed off like always.
"I don't want to talk to you if you're going to yell at me, Rick."
"I'm not yelling ā I was just concerned."
'Concerned' sounded an awful lot like it was a couple of steps away from yelling, if you asked me.
"Look, just... come home, Katie. We can talk about this."
"I don't want to talk."
"Well, we HAVE to talk."
"There's nothing to talk about."
He ignored me and breezed right past. "Where are you? I checked with Jen and Susan, and you're not there ā where are you staying?"
"I'm not telling you."
There was a pause on the other end of the line, and I knew he was struggling to keep his anger in check. That's what he always did when he was trying not to blow his top.
Unfortunately, that brief pause was enough for him to hear what was going on around me.
"Are those waves?" he asked incredulously. "Was that a seagull?!"
Crap.
I should have answered this back at the house, where it was nice and quiet and not full of hints...
"What do you want, Rick?"
"Are you at the ocean?!"
"I said, what do you want, Rick?"
"I want you to come back!"
"Well, I'm not."
"We're going to talk about this, whether you want to or not!"
"No, we're not," I insisted. "I'm done talking."
"After everything you did to me, I think I deserve that!"
Guilt welled up inside me. "Rick... I told you how sorry I am..."
"You humiliate me and break my heart, and you're SORRY? Wow, must be nice to just be 'sorry,' and that's it."
I felt like crap. Lower than dirt. "I just... I don't want to talk right now."
Jealousy got the better of him. "No, you want to go get a suntan and play in the water and find some drunk douchebag and sleep around ā "
Suddenly my guilt was gone, replaced with icy contempt. "Only one of us ever slept around."
He got even angrier. " I told you, that wasn't what it looked like!"
"I don't believe you."
"It was just business over drinks ā I love YOU ā "
"You have a funny way of showing it."
He saw it wasn't going the way he wanted, so he went back to questioning me. "Where are you? Florida? Are you on the East Coast? ...did you go to the CARIBBEAN?"
"I'm hanging up now, Rick."
"DON'T YOU DARE ā "
I hit the little red button.
Immediately my entire body started shaking, and the sobs welled up uncontrollably. I pulled up the beach towel to hide my face as I cried.
I wasn't crying because our relationship was over. I still felt sad about that, but it wasn't the main thing. The worst was how I'd ended it, and how many people I'd hurt in the process. The guilt and shame were overwhelming.
I kept sending him to voicemail every time he called ā six times in the next four minutes. After number seven he finally stopped.
I thought about blocking his number, or at least turning off my phone, but I guess my guilt got the better of me. I felt like he was right ā that I did still owe him something.
Maybe I hadn't left behind everything I'd hoped.
A formidable Alpha werewolf and a determined human defy age-old customs and unearth hidden truths to embrace their destined bond as soulmates. Alpha Zev Hassick, hailed as the mightiest werewolf in ages, finds himself unexpectedly drawn to his closest companion, who happens to be human and male. In their society, werewolves are expected to mate with their own kind to maintain their humanity, making same-sex relationships taboo. Despite this, Zev's instincts insist that Jonah is his destined mate. Jonah Marvel faces numerous challenges in keeping his lifelong love with Zev intact, especially with the distance between them and Zev's unconventional family dynamics. As Jonah starts experiencing mysterious illnesses, he realizes that he must prioritize his well-being and mental health to secure a future alongside Zev. Though Zev and Jonah are aware of their undeniable connection, they must confront deep-rooted traditions and uncover hidden truths to embrace their shared destiny.
Zeke Buchanan had swept Marianne off her feet, and their two-year marriage had been perfect-until recently....Their physical passion was as strong as ever, but was Zeke starting to regret their impulsive wedding? The beautiful Liliana was clearly interested in more than a business relationship with Zeke. Was he tempted? Marianne was determined to save her marriage and prove to her husband that their honeymoon wasn't over, it was onlyĀ justĀ beginning!
Twenty-one-year-old Ivy Spellman has always played by the rules ā get good grades, stay out of trouble, and avoid bad boys at all costs. But when she takes a temp assignment at a multi-billion dollar drug company, she canāt help but become intrigued with the sexy and ultra-demanding CEO, Cullen Sharpe. Cullen Sharpe is used to getting what he wants, and his dark and damaged desires are locked on Ivy. Her good girl innocent routine is enough to drive him over the edge, and after Ivy makes a mistake at work, he senses an opening to teach the shy temp the pleasures and seductions of being bad... ā¦as well as the punishment that goes along with it. Soon the two of them are locked in a game of mystery, seduction, and raging desire that knows no bounds. But as Ivy is pushed beyond her sexual limits, she begins to crave more from the dark billionaire. However, Cullen guards his secrets and his heart for reasons that run deep. And if those reasons were to ever be revealed, it just might destroy them bothā¦
Lily Ross was having another miserable day at work when tall, dark, and stunningly handsome walked in. When she's least expecting it, mysterious Connor Brooks turns Lily's world upside down and plunges her into a torrid, passionate love affair that might just ruin her life... or save it.
Skylar Kinseyās life is in the toilet. Literally. She should have been starting her first job out of college, working at a prestigious advertising agency. Instead sheās in hiding, cleaning bathrooms and offices in a fancy high-rise building in Boston. But when she catches billionaire Madden Cross in a compromising position, sheās faced with an impossible choice. Wicked seduction. Devilishly handsome real estate developer Madden Cross knows how to control everything, from his company, to his public imageā¦and especially his women. But when he first sets eyes on the innocent and curvy Skylar Kinsey, Madden knows that she will be his most difficult conquest yet. And thereās nothing that whets his appetite like a challenge. Wicked Bad. Soon, Skylar is presented with an offer that she cannot refuse. A weekend with the powerful billionaire in exchange for ten thousand dollars and the chance to start a new life. But will the billionaireās need to dominate her voluptuous body lead her down the path to hell, or will she find that even the wicked can sometimes be good after all?
(18+) Due to frank scenes of sensuality and profanity, it is intended for mature audiences only. Kaitlyn Reynolds is a year out of college and fighting to become a journalist when she gets the biggest break of her young life: the shot at a cover story in Rolling Stone magazine. But thereās a catch. Sheāll be covering the hottest bad-boy in rock, Derek Kane, whom Kaitlyn met when she was a freshman in college and he was a struggling unknown. It was passionate two-week affair: tumultuous, sensual, exhilarating... ...and it ended very, very badly. Now Kaitlyn has to decide whether she can face the pain of the past, her fear of the future ā and the man who might just have been the One.
After three secretive years of marriage, Eliana never met her enigmatic husband until she was served with divorce papers and learned of his extravagant pursuit of another. She snapped back to reality and secured a divorce. Thereafter, Eliana unveiled her various personas: an esteemed doctor, legendary secret agent, master hacker, celebrated designer, adept race car driver, and distinguished scientist. As her diverse talents became known, her ex-husband was consumed by remorse. Desperately, he pleaded, "Eliana, give me another chance! All my properties, even my life, are yours."
Kaelyn devoted three years tending to her husband after a terrible accident. But once he was fully recovered, he cast her aside and brought his first love back from abroad. Devastated, Kaelyn decided on a divorce as people mocked her for being discarded. She went on to reinvent herself, becoming a highly sought-after doctor, a champion racer, and an internationally renowned architectural designer. Even then, the traitors sneered in disdain, believing Kaelyn would never find someone. But then the ex-husbandās uncle, a powerful warlord, returned with his army to ask for Kaelynās hand in marriage.
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"
Her fiance and her best friend worked together and set her up. She lost everything and died in the street. However, she was reborn. The moment she opened her eyes, her husband was trying to strangle her. Luckily, she survived that. She signed the divorce agreement without hesitation and was ready for her miserable life. To her surprise, her mother in this life left her a great deal of money. She turned the tables and avenged herself. Everything went well in her career and love when her ex-husband came to her.
When Zora was sick during the early days of her pregnancy, Ezrah was with his first love, Piper. When Zora got into an accident and called Ezrah, he said he was busy, when in actual fact, he was buying shoes for Piper. Zora lost her baby because of the accident, and throughout her stay at the hospital, Ezrah never showed up. She already knew that he didn't love her, but that was the last straw for the camel's back, and her fragile heart could not take it anymore. When Ezrah arrived home a few days after Zora was discharged from the hospital, he no longer met the woman who always greeted him with a smile and cared for him. Zora stood at the top of the stairs and yelled with a cold expression, "Good news, Ezrah! Our baby died in a car accident. There is nothing between us anymore, so let's get a divorce." The man who claimed not to have any feelings for Zora, being cold and distant towards her, and having asked her for a divorce twice, instantly panicked.