Showing results by author "Marie James" in All Categories

One day she's standing on my porch, and the next she's being held a prisoner in my house. Retiring from the Marine Corps didn't mean I stopped serving the civilians of this great nation. Serving her would be my absolute pleasure. I know why I said yes when she asked for help. Her wild hair, long legs, and a mouth I'd love to teach a thousand lessons definitely weighed my decision in her favor. Now, preventing the war she started when she arrived, that's the easy part.

Making something off-limits will always make that thing more appealing. Jules Warren, my sister’s best friend, was no different. She has been the leading lady in every fantasy I’ve had, since I was a teenager. There was no way I was turning her down when she invited me into her room. I was given the weekend to make my dreams come true. The ramifications, however, will last a lifetime. Keeping a secret is one thing. Living with the lie is impossible.

As the mechanic for Blackbridge Security, when I make a mistake, things don’t work properly. Correcting that mistake is the only way to get things operational. I meet issues in my personal life with the same mindset. How was I to know the woman I’ve been flirting with at the gym is the same woman I called a noise complaint on? I got her kicked out of her condo. My first response: Move in with me. When she confessed to having three kids, it was too late to back down.

Adalynn Tate made a promise to her childhood friend. They vowed that they’d do everything together, including marrying their junior high crush and having all their babies at the same time. Her friend has succeeded. She got the guy, and the first bun is in the oven. Now, it’s Adalynn’s turn to make her own dreams a reality.

I was the golden child. The one all the Cerberus guys looked up to. I was on my way to becoming the next career Marine. But after my last deployment to Syria, being a Marine was no longer an option. Unfortunately, my not so honorable discharge from the Corps didn't get rid of the demons created while I was enlisted. Not even my childhood friend can save me. I'll destroy her just like I destroyed everything else I touched.

Falling for a girl I just met was never in my plans. We had one night together, and most days I convince myself that she was an apparition - something I made up in my mind to get me through the hard days. Then I found her again. Only she wasn't happy and smiling, giving me a hard time like she did the day we met. She was broken...unseeing eyes no longer filled with life. She was gone because of another person's disregard for human life.

Morrison "Shadow" Griggs, VP of the Cerberus MC, is a force with which to be reckoned. Women fall at his feet, willing to do almost anything for a night with him. Misty Bowen is the exception. She's young and impressionable, but with her religious upbringing, she's able to resist Shadow's advances...for a while, at least. Never one to look back on past conquests, Shadow is surprised that he's intrigued by Misty, which only grows more when she seems to be done with him without a word.

Detective Colton Matthews has experienced a lot in the last 10 years. Promotions. Divorce. Single-dad life. His work life is as full of surprises as his home life. But nothing prepared him for her. Saying yes to the favor asked of the Cerberus MC was a no-brainer. He's a good guy helping other good guys. How hard would it be to allow Sophia, Dominic Anderson's daughter, to shadow him for a few months to complete a college credit and keep things professional? The short answer...impossible.

My plan was as simple as they come...in theory. Show up at the Cerberus clubhouse and give dear old Dad a piece of my mind. What I didn't expect was being welcomed by the open arms of a father who had no idea I existed. More importantly, I didn't anticipate her. Delilah Donovan was a breath of fresh air. She would soon become my reason for wanting to become a better man, my reason for getting out of bed with a smile on my normally sneering face. But no matter how much I changed, she'd always be too good for a man like me. It was over before it could even begin.

I never ran from my past or the only woman I ever loved. She made sure to stomp me into the ground and demand I forget all about her. I tried to do just that, and in the twelve years since she ripped my heart out, I've done fairly well. Sometimes I could even go a day or two without thinking of her. We were never supposed to see each other again, but Grace Neiman just couldn't stay gone. She couldn't stay in my past where she put herself. Facing her again after she was abducted and sold was going to be the toughest challenge of my life.

I wouldn't call it love at first sight, but my body definitely reacted when I saw her. Getting Faith Robbins under me became my obsession. I knew I wanted fast and done. It's how I always did things. Looking for anything more with a woman was never in the cards. I wasn't like the other guys in the Cerberus MC. I didn't want more. It was physical, sating a desire. Then someone began to seek revenge, and my other instincts kicked in. Spending time with her was about protecting her, keeping her safe.

They say misery loves company, but after losing the love of my life all I wanted was to be completely alone. Having a young daughter made that impossible. I couldn't curl into myself. I couldn't spend hours in the dark living in regret. I couldn't end it all no matter how many times that thought crossed my mind. Regretfully, I couldn't go through life on my own.

Opposites don’t just attract. They captivate. They entice. They beckon. As the medic for the Blackbridge Security team, he was just fine hanging out at the office in his spare time. Jude Morris was...boring. He didn’t need excitement. He wasn’t a thrill-seeker. Then, he met a woman who was. Parker Maxwell, the only woman able to captivate, entice, and beckon him, was his antithesis. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She didn’t seem to notice him. It’s going to take heroic measures for this guy to win the girl.

So I forgot about the night I spent with Sylvie Davis...big deal. Listing all of my one-night stands would be impossible. It’s par for the course for any man who decided early in life they’d rather enjoy a buffet instead of a single entrée. But now my boss has ordered me to accompany her back to her hometown. His words: She needs a little help. Translation: I think you could fall for this girl.

Who says you can't fall in love at seven years old? I know I did. The love I felt for my babysitter, Camryn Davison, at such a young age transformed over time. By the time I was a teen that love turned into fantasies I knew would never come true. By the time I saw her again at 21 I was determined to make those fantasies a reality. If only she'd see me as the man I am now and not the little boy she used to soothe when I had nightmares as a child. She's the only one that has an issue with our seven-year age difference.

I'm the fun guy. The one always quick with a joke. The guy who is crazy enough to do wild things to make people smile. That's how people see me. That's who I've presented myself to be. That's how I introduced myself to Rivet. The first female Cerberus team member wasn't impressed with my corny pickup lines and wide smile like the other women I use it on. And why should she be? She's seen it all and lived to tell the tale. She took one look at me and decided she wasn't interested. I should move on, but her rejection stings. I can't seem to let it go.

In the third romance anthology of The Quill Collective series, 16 celebrated Austenesque authors write the untold histories of Austen’s heroines, brave adventuresses, shy maidens, talkative spinsters, and naughty matrons. Rational Creatures is a collection of humorous, poignant, and engaging short stories set in Georgian England that complement and pay homage to Austen’s great works and great ladies who were, perhaps, the first feminists in an era that was not quite ready for feminism.

It takes a lot to shake me, and even when I’m upset, most people wouldn’t even know it. There was just something about the last job that kept me from keeping my cool. I know how dangerous it is, and knew even better when I had to be carried away that day, becoming literally less of the man that entered that compound.

There are certain rules that make the widows of servicemen off-limits. As a veteran, I'm well aware that Claire Kennedy is forbidden. It's why I've kept as much distance between the two of us as I can manage in our small town. When she came looking for a job at my bar, I refused to hire her. That didn't stop the gorgeous spitfire from showing up, putting on an apron, and getting to work one day while I was gone.

I never expected to see her again. The connection we shared through her brother was severed when he died in combat. Their parents were adamant that I never reach out to them again. I forgot about the pact I made, my promise to make her mine if I wasn’t married by 30.