A grumpy mountain recluse. A sunshine girl with something to prove. One cabin too close for comfort.

Sullivan
I came to Hollow Peak to disappear.
No one here knows my name, my past, or why I can’t sleep through the night. That’s the point. Up in this cabin, with snow in the rafters and silence in my veins, I can finally keep the world safe from me.

Then she shows up.

Tess Carter—my new neighbor.
Blonde, glasses, built soft where I’m all hard edges. Way too bright for the dark places I live. Her inherited cabin is falling apart, and she keeps knocking on my door like I’m some kind of handyman instead of a worn-out vet who’s forgotten how to be human.

I should tell her to leave me alone.
I try.
But every time she smiles at me, something cracks.

Tess
Sullivan Mercer looks like a mountain disguised as a man—huge, bearded, and very allergic to company. He grunts more than he speaks and glares like he wants to scare me off.

Too bad. I’m not going anywhere.

This cabin is my fresh start. And whether he likes it or not, he’s the only one close enough to help me survive it. Beneath all that gruff silence, I see a man who doesn’t know how to stop protecting people—even when he swears he’s done caring.

He thinks he’s bad luck.
I think he’s the safest place I’ve ever been.
Between broken walls and midnight confessions, can we find something worth staying for?

He’s gorgeous, but too old for me. He’s charming, but instantly obsessed.
Everything about this man is a question mark… and a ball of flames.

Okay, sure, I’m a Daddy’s girl. My family is oddly close, except for my kooky Aunt Betsy, whom I’ve only met a few times. She did a crystal reading on my 16th birthday, saying I’d fall in love with a wildly improbable man with a bent little finger, and green and gold eyes.

Imagine my shock when her prediction came true! Kind of. I’ve fallen wildly in lust, but can I let myself fall in love with Mason? He’s Dad’s boss and 14 years older. He’s sexy and striking and brilliant… I can’t be the right woman for him.

Even though sparks prickle up my spine every time he touches me. Even though my entire body comes alive with every passionate glance. Even if he seems instantly obsessed, and makes me his intern to keep me close.

No amount of lust is worth risking Dad’s promotion… is it?

***
This instalove, age-gap, two-hour-ish short read is a standalone book.
Haley’s romances are always steamy (but sweet!) with happily ever afters.

Jessica
I’ve spent most of my adult life hiding in plain sight and conscious of my status. Determined to work hard and make my own way, I suddenly find myself jobless with no prospects until something promising, yet scary presents itself. Offering me the opportunity to see a new part of this world, and hopefully to better myself. So, I take the chance and step onto a train with a lie on my lips, that will change my world and all I’ve ever known in a matter of hours. However, the fates are cruel, giving me a taste of something more, but constantly reminding me of what I am … or was … and now I don’t know if I can ever be that girl again since I’ve felt what it’s like to be his. All I’ve ever wanted is someone to want me for me, but it seems like I am destined for nothing but heartache.

Reggie
I’ve spent my entire life wandering from place to place, looking for something or somewhere that made me feel complete. However, I never saw her coming until she stepped into the room and took my breath away. She stole my heart in that very moment, but my overconfidence and spoiled attitude failed to convince her that I saw her as more than she was. Now I will chase her through the gates of hell if I must, just to get her back in my arms where she belongs.

In this steamy rivals-to-lovers short story from New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey, a drama-loving camp counselor confronts the crush she’s been nursing for years on her gruff, rule-following fellow counselor.

Senior counselor Margot Berry is finally going to tell Dean Ingram how she feels. Sure, she’s been pranking him for eight years and they’ve formed something of a rivalry. But surely that will all be set aside when she fesses up to her crush, right? Wrong. Dean assumes her confession is just another prank. Can she convince him she’s for real before the camp session ends?

Tessa Bailey’s S’more of You is part of Summer Lovin’, a sweet and sultry collection of short summer romances that turn up the heat—and the heart. Read or listen to each short story in one easy, breezy sitting.

Tori

I’m in love with a man that I’ve never met and I should be institutionalized for even admitting it.

Sir makes me feel alive, in ways that no one else ever has. He calls me his Diamond and his voice sets me ablaze.

I spent years in a toxic relationship, owned by a man that didn’t love me. My past traumas prevented me from being touched by others, but now that’s all I crave.

The screen and his anonymity keep us apart, but I fear that I’m just the girl behind the camera, tangled up in a man that can’t give me his heart.

Dare

I touched something that didn’t belong to me and hurt someone that I would die for.

Now, I’m cursed to watch and never touch, because all I do is destroy.

Diamonds may be the strongest gem, but can mine withstand the storm I’m in?

I’ve fallen in love with her, but I fear that if I’m not careful, the flames of my guilt will shatter the temptress that lights my body and soul on fire.

Dominion Academy tried to chew Jupiter Black to pieces and spit her back out. But they didn’t realize who they were dealing with.

She walked in as something no one believed existed, and she proved it in front of all of them. She fought, held her ground, and gave them every reason to trust and respect her. But they didn’t. The Nightfall Shield saw her power and chose to question it. They made her fall in love, and then ripped the rug out from under her feet.

Without looking back, she fled Dominion and found herself at the gates of Imperium Academy in London. This place didn’t run on reputation, money or old names. If you had power, you proved it. If you didn’t, you didn’t last. Simple as that. Jupiter fit in, finally able to prove her worth. For the first time, no one was trying to decide what she should be or where she belonged. She got to choose that for herself.

And people noticed.

Jupiter didn’t make it easy for the men of the Stardust Shield to get close. She’d been burned before. If anyone wanted a place beside her, they were going to work for it. But these men weren’t your average shield warriors. They were raised and trained in an ancient order dedicated to finding the 13th Zodiac that would lead them home. But they never expected to feel this strongly for her. To have their worlds turned inside out with a single look into those silver eyes.

Back at Dominion, things didn’t go back to normal. The Nightfall Shield was fractured, hurting and heartbroken. Their guilt ate them alive from the inside out, and they would do anything to repair what they’d broken. Because she was gone, and the bond didn’t just disappear with her. It lingered and tugged on their souls, begging them to make it right.This is the second installment in The 13th Zodiac Series.

“I ruined him. Now, he’s here to ruin me.”

Thirteen years ago, Adora made an impossible choice. With a single lie, she sent the only man she ever loved to prison, believing she had no other way to save her sister. She knew the moment she told the lie, she would be a dead woman walking.

She was right.

Dominic is gone. In his place stands Ghost, a man hardened by betrayal, pain, and the years he spent barely surviving behind bars. The boy who once whispered her name with love now only speaks it with venom. And he’s been waiting for this moment.

He will break her. He will make her suffer. And by the time he realizes he was wrong, it’s already too late.

But Ghost is not a man to admit defeat. He will make her love him again, no matter what.

Warning: This book contains graphic content, violence and strong language. Reader discretion is advised. This is a standalone book, part of the Iron Vultures MC series. Happy-ever-after guaranteed.