Showing results by narrator "Ava Lucas" in All Categories

My dreams came true when I was adopted at ten. I was the best on the ice. Living the life every kid dreams of. We’ve been best friends since then. Even when she was the annoying little sister following us around. I would do anything for her. It is another family vacation, except this time it feels different. Everything feels different.

My life is a tale of betrayal. I killed so many because they betrayed our cause, because they betrayed the Outfit. A hypocrite. A liar. A murderer. That’s what I am. Five times I betrayed the Outfit. With my blood I made a vow to our cause, swore my life to it, promised to put the Outfit first. Above all else. Five times I chose a woman over the good of the Outfit. I betrayed my father. My vow. My men. You reap what you sow. Would my betrayals destroy everything I swore to protect?

Growing up on a ranch with four brothers, Ella Mae Hawkins is no stranger to rugged, tough men. But her heart's always belonged to the one man she couldn’t have. After a secret, romantic weekend with him leaves her broken-hearted, Ella Mae accepts an opportunity to go to Paris to pursue her fashion dreams. It’s her chance to start over. Instead, she’s going there with the same stubborn man who claimed he was too dangerous for her—as his fake wife. Despite falling for her brother’s best friend all over again, this time, the stakes are higher. She’s in danger.

She’s going to drive me nuts. Nevertheless, her perky everything, endless legs, and innocent eyes will come in handy. It’ll stop my family from pushing every country girl turned wanna-be Dallas socialite on me.

Michael Maddox thinks he has his life under control. No attachments, no relationships—he’s too busy transforming his knack for military intelligence into a multi-million-dollar enterprise. But when headstrong event planner Kate Adams comes barreling into his life, everything changes.

Juliet Blake shows up at my bar, dejected after her surprise girls’ weekend goes bad. So I do the usual—mix her a drink and listen to her troubles. I’m a spontaneous guy, so I offer to help—spend the rest of the weekend with her, so she’s not alone on her birthday. I don’t expect her to end up in my bed, but when she does, it’s mind-blowing. And after a smoking hot weekend together, I realize I could use a little more Juliet in my life. See her again? Sure. But it’s still just a fling. I have my reasons. My heart can’t take more.

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.

After spending the last 10 years in prison, Zak, former DAMC president, has a few priorities: to reconnect with his “brothers”, to get drunk, and to get laid. Not necessarily in that order. When he spots a stunning woman in the clubhouse and mistakes her for one of the club’s strippers, those priorities get a bit skewed.

When I inherited the Dallas Oilers from my father, I became one of the youngest owners in hockey history. Even though the team was at the bottom of the hockey standings, I had big plans to change that and bring the Cup to Dallas. Falling in love was something I never believed would happen to me. You’d think I was getting everything I ever wanted with the girl and the winning record, but I still have a promise to fulfill to my childhood best friend.

After 20 years of service, the Navy told me it’d be too risky to operate again, forcing me to retire as a Navy SEAL. Going back to my hometown to lick my wounds and figure out what came next was never the plan. Neither was having to turn to some old friends to save my younger brother’s life when he wound up in trouble. It was smooth sailing at first. Until I realized my brother lied. And I was falling for my fake girlfriend—my brother’s ex-fiancée.

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.

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.

Officer Bradley Lennox, aka Nox, has been living in the shadows of his own grief since the unexpected loss of his wife. Just when he was finally on the road to recovery, they found Sadie in a motel in Ohio, causing his world to spiral back into darkness. Concerned for their fellow Blue Avenger, his MC brothers issue an ultimatum: accept help or risk losing his job as an officer with the Shadow Valley PD and his spot on the Tri-State Federal Drug Task Force. They hope it’ll compel Nox to free himself of the heartbreak consuming him.

As part of the Tri-State Federal Task Force, Daniel Finnegan, road captain for the Blue Avengers MC, is investigating the Deadly Demons, an MC trafficking drugs into Pennsylvania. When he reluctantly goes undercover as a dancer with an all-male revue at a club recently purchased by the outlaw bikers, he comes face to face with Melina Jensen.

Charlotte has spent her 20s adrift, searching for a spark to jump-start her life and give her a sense of purpose. She’s had as many jobs as she’s had bad relationships, and now she’s feeling especially lost in her less-than-glamorous gig at a pie-and-fry joint in Los Angeles, where the uniforms are bad and the tips are even worse. Then she collides - literally - with Adam, an intriguing, handsome, and mysterious painter.

Everything changed the night Kri almost died. Simply being her coworker or her friend is no longer enough. I need more. I want forever. When she woke up from that coma, her eyes sought mine. My hand was the first one she held. And for eight weeks, I stayed in the hospital with her. No matter how many times she tried to push me away, I never faltered. Two years ago, we shared a passionate moment, but she quickly retreated from our connection.

Zara Lorna is kind of a big deal. After winning Artist of the Year (again), having a public argument with her boyfriend (again), and being whisked away by a man she barely knows (that’s new), it feels like she can’t go anywhere without drawing attention. It’s taking a toll on her and she could use a break. Asa Young was a rock star (almost). His dreams of traveling the world with his band came true (almost). He should definitely stay away from Zara, no matter how much fun they have and how easy their connection is.

Brantley Morrison is a drinker of whiskey, a solver of problems, and a collector of mutts - the kind of loyal, hardworking guy you want on your side, and you’d best not get on the wrong side of. Alyssa Walton never meant to find herself on Brant’s bad side and never even met the man until he showed up in her bedroom with a loaded gun and a plan to destroy her.

There are a few lessons one has to learn for themselves. Then there are the lessons that most people don’t have to learn because it’s just not done. For instance, most people know instinctively that they shouldn’t crave the mother of their brother’s child. Bourne Pena isn’t most men. Bourne does everything he can to fight the attraction he feels for Delanie, but in the end, his refusal to go there almost ends up costing him his life.

After having been abducted from an FBI operation, Jake Summers wakes up the victim of an explosion in London a week later. He is perhaps the sole witness to the start of a massive terrorist plot, but his memory of the event—and of the last 12 years of his life—have been erased. Jake's not sure if he can be the man he once was to help the government stop another attack. But when MI6 Agent Alexa Ryan shows up needing his help, Jake begins to recall some of his past. And some of those memories include her.