Yeah, I'm trouble . . . so what? Women seem to like it. That and my big . . . bank account. Who am I kidding? They like what I can do with my tongue too. I had a good thing going. Until my father threatened to cut me off if I didn't settle down. So I picked the one woman he couldn't object to. Falling for her was never part of the plan.

When my stepbrother, Elec, came to live with us my senior year, I wasn’t prepared for how much of a jerk he’d be. I hated that he took it out on me because he didn’t want to be here. I hated that he brought girls from our high school back to his room. But what I hated the most was the unwanted way my body reacted to him. At first, I thought all he had going for him were his rock-hard tattooed abs and chiseled face. But things started changing between us, and it all came to a head one night.

My father was always a gambling man. Unfortunately, he never could pick winners. When the wolves closed in, he chose himself, like always. He traded his freedom... for mine. He forced me to marry. Now Dante Bellanti owns my body. I'm just another possession for a man who already has too much. So I won't let him have my heart. But you know what they say about gambling.

New York Times best-selling authors Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward bring you three sexy short stories to heat up your holidays: "Get Sleighed", "Lights Out Love", and "Hot Item".

I've wasted years waiting to get my life back, and I finally have an opportunity. It's a simple undercover job-but with a catch. A thirteen month-old, crying, diaper-wearing catch. Because I'm not going undercover as a cook, or a driver. I'm the new manny. If it will get me back in the royal family's good graces, I'll grin and bear it. Even on the worst days, I know this will be worth it. I'll keep my head down and do my job. But it's getting harder and harder to ignore my forbidden attraction to the baby's mother.

I hate my boss. Like, loathe him. Two years ago, he semi-broke my heart and he still doesn’t remember who I am. Okay so I was covered in electric blue body paint, and wearing a wig, but is that a good excuse to not remember the girl you said was your destiny? Now I’m stuck working for the jerk because only he can give me the job I really want—manager of his hotel. When he needs a fake fiancé for business reasons, there’s an easy solution—blackmail. He has to give me a trial run as hotel manager in return for wearing his ring.

"Lachlan King Caught Naked Kite-Surfing with Hollywood Starlet!” “Scandal Rocks King Family…Again!” “King Media Family Furious with Out-of-Control Second Son!” Yeah, I’ve seen the headlines, too. My family is threatening to disown me if I get near another bloody scandal. So I’m staying out of trouble. Or trying to…until I see her. It doesn’t matter that she’s dancing with someone else. The moment our gazes meet across a crowded club, I know one thing. I have to have her.

With one glance at her in the club, I’m ready to claim her for the night. Dark, flowing hair. A smile that causes my heart to pound. Eyes that pierce my soul. And a perfect body that makes every part of me pulse. She’s addictive. Electrifying. Consuming. I’ve never wanted anyone more. Our eyes meet, but she looks right past me. She isn’t here for me. She’s here for the music. For the first time in my life, a woman makes me work for it. Her indifference fuels the fire inside me. The result? One night. No names. No introductions.

Let me start from the beginning… To stay out of jail, I’m forced to spy on Kyle Townsend, the billionaire heir to the Townsend Industries throne. My plan is simple: infiltrate Townsend Industries, get evidence of their alleged illegal dealings, and fork it over to the person blackmailing me. Then I’ll be free to leave that life of crime behind me forever and raise my niece in the peace she deserves. But Kyle’s smarter than the average trust fund baby. He’s also ruthless and distrustful. He never lets anyone in…until one day at work. I get sick. He’s there to care for me.

When Mia shows up for the interview at a well-known architecture firm, she only has 27p, a squashed loaf of bread, and a jar of peanut butter to her name. She needs this job, even if she is scared to death of the owner of the company. To Mia, huge, grumpy men aren't sexy; they're simply terrifying. She knows from experience that even men of average size can be dangerous. If she weren't so desperate, she'd run.

When I'm late for a job interview and get stuck on an elevator with an annoyingly sexy, ancient-Rome-obsessed grump, the last thing I expect is for him to be the billionaire owner of the building. I also don't expect to almost kill him...accidentally, of course.

Don't call it a comeback....Because no one else is. Poised to live up to his legacy, tennis player Bryce Coulter loses it all on one swing. Now, with the pressure on and his future in jeopardy, the last thing he needs is a smart-mouthed training partner with attitude and a killer swing - or maybe she's exactly what he needs. Rich, spoiled, and moneyed - seen that, been dragged through the dirt behind that. Tami Ivey, gets enough of the bad boy trust fund kids at work. She doesn't need it in her sanctuary too.

Fairy tale dreams can turn to nightmares. The world seems upside down to Duchess Lucille when the man she loathes, her husband, the duke of Monovia, changes before her eyes. No one else appears to notice the nuances of difference.

KAYLA: Raise your hand if you've ever found out your American football player boyfriend of four years was cheating on you... via a scuzzy daily gossip show... right before you two were scheduled to go on an all-expenses-paid vacation to Paris that was supposed to include a marriage proposal! Nobody else? Just me? So maybe you'll understand why I'm crying in first class on the second leg of my flight to the City of Lights.

Burned by her ex-husband and a messy divorce, Jeannie Dubois isn't looking for anything more than a good friend. Besides, she's still dealing with the ex who can't seem to let her go. Insert NBA coach Aiden Walsh. Sure, he wants so much more than friendship with the beautiful woman he met at a wedding, but he's sure he can play the part, and he's good at biding his time. So, for now, he'll fill any role she wants. But when these two friends become lovers, things quickly turn complicated. Jeannie finds out Aiden is so much more than just Manhattan's favorite coach.

Meet Randi Burnett—she’s brilliant, she’s beautiful, and she works for the bride. Missing groom? Intoxicated in-laws? Crying ring-bearer? You name it, she wrangles it. Too bad her personal life isn’t thriving like her side gig as a bridesmaid for hire. Recently dumped, Randi throws herself into her biggest challenge yet when she’s hired as a maid of honor and pretend best friend for an ice queen bride. There’s just one problem—the best man is infuriating, overprotective, and anti-marriage.

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of best-selling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish. Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read.

Ryder, Garrett, Kenzo, and Diesel - The Vipers. Their deals are as sordid as their business, and their reputation is enough to bring a grown man to his knees, forcing him to beg for mercy. They are not people you mess with, yet my dad did. The old man ran up a debt with them and then sold me to cover his losses. Yes, sold me. They own me now. I’m theirs in every sense of the word. But I’ve never been meek and compliant.

Beckett: If you’re reading this, well, you know the last-letter drill. You made it. I didn’t. Get off the guilt train, because I know if there was any chance you could have saved me, you would have. I need one thing from you: get out of the army and get to Telluride. My little sister Ella’s raising the twins alone. She’s too independent and won’t accept help easily, but she has lost our grandmother, our parents, and now me. It’s too much for anyone to endure. And here’s the kicker: there’s something else you don’t know that’s tearing her family apart.

I'm addicted to my stalker. He watches me at night, sneaking in through my living room window and making my blood turn to ice. I feel him all around me as chills snake down my spine. Each night he becomes bolder, getting closer and welcoming himself into my bedroom, feeding his addiction.

Yeah, I'm trouble . . . so what? Women seem to like it. That and my big . . . bank account. Who am I kidding? They like what I can do with my tongue too. I had a good thing going. Until my father threatened to cut me off if I didn't settle down. So I picked the one woman he couldn't object to. Falling for her was never part of the plan.

Hazel Noble has survived horrors she wouldn’t inflict on her worst enemy. Since then, she’s healed, found herself, and connected with a group of women she’s proud to call her friends. However, when they make a pact to start looking for love, Hazel finds herself not only up first but also forced to face a past she thought she'd escaped. Cross Brady has no need for a relationship. As the oldest of five, he’s always been the one his family can rely on. Now, all he wants is to work in peace and live his life.

When I had a foursome with my father's best friends, the last thing I expected for the holidays was to fall in love… with all three men.

It all started one night when a sexy billionaire bought me a drink, and I accidentally tossed it all over his five-thousand-dollar suit. He tried to blame me, but it was his fault because of his lack of respect for my personal boundaries. I offered to pay for the dry cleaning and gave him my number to tell me how much it cost. He did, and we ended up spending the night together. Long story short. The condom broke, I forgot to take my pill two days in a row, and we mistakenly created a baby.

Single and jobless again, I return to Boston, needing old friends to comfort me from bad decisions, like dating my boss, moving in with him, and being dumped, fired, and homeless all in one night. Note to self, never ask a man “Where is this going?” when you have no place to go! So when my bestie tells me an old friend from high school happens to be looking for a roommate, I jump at the chance. What she didn’t tell me was that this "old friend" was Carson Hill, Mass High School’s center hockey player and the guy who didn’t know I existed while I knew every detail about him.

Let me make a few things clear. I didn’t go to the wedding intending to dance with the best man, to dare him to show me a very sexy pic on his phone, or to accidentally kiss him in the hotel elevator after the reception ended. But things just happen at weddings. The next day, Crosby and I agree to put all those shenanigans behind us. The fun-loving, stupidly gorgeous, all-star baseball player might be my brother’s best friend, but he’s my good friend too and has been for years. I can't risk losing him, even though now I can't stop thinking about how I want him to be my first.

Take a trip to sultry Greece in this smouldering three-book boxset by USA Today bestselling author Leslie North. Three couples find themselves trying—and failing—to deny attractions that are destined to lead to love.

Sometimes life just wasn’t fair. She’s Amish, and I’m Maverick, and nowhere near perfect. Loving Rebecca Cover was both the easiest and the hardest thing I ever did. Falling in love with her was effortless, but everything else was complicated. As an Amish woman under my protection, Rebecca’s innocence and beauty were undeniable, even beneath her modest attire. It was only my willpower that kept me from crossing boundaries. And she was making it harder and harder. I had no willpower when it came to Maverick. He was assigned to guard me, but who would guard him from my affection? ...

Kelley Pierce is my person. He has been since the 9th grade. He gets me like no one else does. My quirks. My love of pros/cons lists. My need to have everything under control. He accepts me just as I am, because he is the perfect...friend. My best friend. But Kelley is also totally gorgeous. And confident. And tempting.

Posey Evans is looking to take her career as a romance author to the next level, shifting from historical love stories to writing about the high stakes world of formula racing. Wanting to immerse herself in the sport, Posey manages to secure full access to the Crown Velocity Racing team by faking credentials as a journalist. When she’s granted unlimited face-to-face time with one of the teams’ best drivers, Posey is equal parts elated and terrified because while she’s getting exactly what she wants, she can’t afford to have her secret exposed.

Have you ever brought your ex-husband home and pretended to still be married? Yeah, me either. When my local hospital calls to say “I’m sorry to tell you this, but your husband has been in an accident” I try to explain the basics to them. Except Archie is back, and he's been in an accident. One that has left him with amnesia. Yup. He believes we’re still happily married. Oh joy.

Cara Donovan's summer tutoring job is turning out to be a challenge - and not just because of her troubled 12-year-old student. It's his uncle Josh who's the real problem. If problem is the word for an irresistibly cocky, muscle-bound rancher with a taste for tight Levi's and shameless flirtation…Cara is nothing like the wallflower Josh King remembers good-naturedly teasing in high school. This Cara is gorgeous, confident, fun. From the moment the fiery teacher steps foot on his family's Lazy K Ranch, the stubborn playboy is determined to corral her. So what happens when his luscious lover takes over the reins?

He doesn’t know me, but he’ll die to save me. Or at least, that’s the gist I get when I’m taken hostage by a psycho with a gun. He’d meant to take a little girl, but I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try to save her. Now I’m in her place instead and my captor is determined to blow it sky high unless his demands are met.

Never date your (sexy-as-hell) next-door neighbor. File that under great advice - not taken. Especially if he’s hot. And witty. And successful. Did I mention hot? Never mind. The point’s the same. I moved to Wildrose Landing because my life was a structure-fire burning down around me. They say a phoenix rises from the ashes, new. I crossed my fingers and took a leap of faith, hoping that proved true.

Greyson Stone is the president of the Stone Kings MC, and he's seriously bad news. He's big and bad, dripping with menace, and covered in tattoos. He has the kind of dominant swagger that should make me want to run away.... Instead, it makes me fantasize about him. Even though I know he's a thug. Even though men like him caused the violence that ended my father's life.... One rough, demanding night with Greyson, and I don't know how to walk away. Even when life depends on it....