Jess Awad

I fell in love with Beckett when I was 7. He broke my heart when I was 15. When I was 18, I promised myself I’d forget about him. And I did. For a dozen years. But now he’s back home. Here. In Darling Lake. And I don’t know if I should give in to the temptation swirling between us or run the other way.

When Cora attends her sister’s birthday party, she expects at most a hangover or a walk of shame. She doesn’t anticipate a stolen wallet, leaving her stranded and dependent on Dean - her arch nemesis and ultimate thorn in her side. And she really doesn’t anticipate waking up in shackles in a madman’s basement. To make matters worse, Dean shares the space in his own set of chains. After 15 years of teasing, insults, and practical jokes, the ultimate joke seems to be on them.

I should have run the other way. Paid my tab and gone back to my room. But he was there. And he was…everything. I figured, what’s the harm in letting passion rule my decisions for one night? So what if he looks like the Devil in a suit? I’d be leaving in the morning, flying home to my pleasant but predictable life. I’d never see him again. Except I do. In the last place I expected. And now everything I’ve worked so hard for is in jeopardy.

Riggs Malone. Star quarterback and captain of the football team. The boy all the girls wanted and all the boys wanted to be. My first love. And the only person who ever broke me. I have a great life. I've fulfilled my dream of running my own coffee shop-slash-library in my hometown, I own my own home, and I have the best group of friends a girl could ask for. Everything is perfect. Or it was. When a neighboring town starts its very own professional football franchise, he gets himself traded to be the starting quarterback of the Branston Bandits.

I’m in trouble. A quick and dirty hookup with the hunky mechanic I just met is bad enough. But when that God-like twenty-year-old turns out to be a student in my English class, I know it’s about to get much worse. Pax Smith isn’t just the star player on the rugby team at Florence U and the hottest man I’ve ever been with. He also has a dark sordid past, and it’s written in the deep scars all over his face.

Two years ago I made her my final girl. Perhaps I'm a little obsessed. The shrine covering my bedroom wall would certainly agree. I've even played out a few scenarios that end with her taking my knife in much more creative ways than usual. Today is the day I finally take her life. I'm ramping up the carnage and tying up loose ends in bloody bows.

A beautiful, young American girl wound up stranded far from home on my doorstep. When she begged me to stay, I did what a good priest would do, and I said yes. But a good priest wouldn’t spend his days thinking about the fullness of her ruby red lips or feel the sting of envy with the way she draws men to her like flies to honey. A good priest would have stopped things before that first touch. And he certainly wouldn’t have given into temptation so easily, but when Cadence Thorn walked in, she brought me to my knees.

I’m a voyeur—it means I like to watch. And in my line of work, that’s a gift. As one of the four owners of the Salacious Players’ Club, I’m comfortable on the sidelines. This is what I was made to do, and I work better alone. Until the day I stumble on a certain cam girl app and find myself watching the one person I should never have watched—my stepsister. There are three big problems with this. One, Mia and I can’t stand each other. Two, she has no idea I’m the man on the other end of the video. And three…I’m hooked—on the app and on her.

Broken down, and wounded by my emotionally neglectful ex, I wanted someone to tell me I was good enough. Then, I stumbled into a new job with a boss who brought me to my knees - literally. He has me do things a real secretary would never do. Emerson Grant tells me I’m more than just good enough. I’m worthy of his praise. There are a million reasons why I should stay away. The owner of the Salacious Players’ Club is not just my new boss - he’s twice my age. And my ex-boyfriend’s father....I’m a good girl, but I’m falling for the wrong man.

I’m a scoundrel. Playboy. Basically, I get around, and I’m not afraid to admit it. So when my best friend opens up Salacious Players’ Club and asks me to head the construction, how could I say no? Now we’re on a cross-country road trip touring other kink clubs, and I couldn’t be happier. Life is good. Then Hunter suddenly asks me to sleep with his wife...while he watches. I’ll do anything for my best friend, but this is the one request I should say no to. Isabel is the woman of my dreams, but she’s his. And the exact reason I should say no is the one reason I say yes.