As a senator’s daughter, Kennedy Blackwell has everything, or so it seems. But on her wedding day, a shocking secret changes everything, and Kennedy’s fortunes turn on a dime. Instead of offering their unconditional support, her parents turn their backs on her, proving once and for all that her father’s goal of becoming president is more important than his own child. Forced to start over, Kennedy relies on a pact she and five friends made to each other back in junior high. She also enlists the help of the “entertainment” from her bachelorette party, a handsome handyman-by-day, exotic dancer-by-night.
Wade Roberts faces his existence one crisis at a time. Everything bad in his life has directly resulted from a poor decision or the actions of a member of the Blackwell family. So, when the senator’s daughter calls asking for help, he’s torn between assisting her or making her “pay.” Soon tangled up in the Blackwell family drama, he finds himself being framed for an unspeakable crime. Wade must step up and prove his innocence and his love for a woman who deserves more than he can offer.
Can two people who start with nothing end up with everything?
She blinked and focused on her future husband standing at the end of the aisle. He looked as nervous as she felt. There was even a green hue to his complexion, probably a side effect from his bachelor party. Unlike Emily, he could toss the booze back with little effect, but last night they must have really tied one on.
She made her way toward him with knocking knees and trembling hands.
When the minister asked who gave this woman and her father answered, a ball of emotions welled inside her. Who’d thought those words were a good idea? It was like she was being traded for political favors when the only exchange between father and future son-in-law was the promise of box seats for next year’s games.
She took Logan’s hand in front of the officiant, who talked about the sacred vow of marriage and what love meant. They recited traditional promises to love, honor, and cherish until death do they part, but neither met the other’s eyes. Logan looked past or through her to her bridesmaids. She stared at a piece of lint on his shoulder.
“Does anyone here have a reason to object to this marriage?” The minister’s voice boomed, leaving no doubt everyone heard him.
Kennedy ran through an entire list of reasons to object in her head. She still had time to change her mind, but when she looked at Logan and saw the same fear she felt, a small giggle escaped her mouth. They both had wedding jitters. That was normal.
At that moment, he looked at her the way he had when they first met. Despite the anxiety and feelings of doom, she was the luckiest woman in the world.
The congregation sat silently as the minister waited the obligatory several seconds for anyone to object. He cleared his throat. “I now pronounce you—” “Wait!” Emily said loudly enough for everyone to hear, though her voice cracked. “I can’t let you marry him.”
International bestselling author of more than thirty novels, Kelly Collins writes with the intention of keeping love alive. Always a romantic, she blends real-life events with her vivid imagination to create characters and stories that lovers of contemporary romance, new adult, and romantic suspense will return to again and again.
Kelly has sold more than a quarter of a million books worldwide, and in 2021 she was awarded a Readers’ Favorite Award Gold Medal in the Contemporary Romance category for A Tablespoon of Temptation.
As a member of Cross Security, Mason Hawk is a tormented man on a mission…some might say he has a death wish. No case is too difficult. Nothing if off limits. He delivers his own brand of justice. Solitude is his only reward. For fifteen years he has hidden the secrets he ran from at age seventeen. He shut everyone out when he became a Navy SEAL and he honed his skills to become the monster he believes he is. He’s a man with demons that run deep and dark. No one gets in. That is until she walks into his life and brings him to his knees. She’s beautiful, smart, and perfect. Like beauty and the beast, he believes she could never love a man like him.
Kai Wailani has lived the perfect life. She has a loving family, has surfed all over the world and is on top of her game at the U.S. Airforce, but she wants more. When she joins Cross Security, the only man stopping her from achieving her goal is a gorgeous wall of muscle who goes simply by Hawk. He’s dark, dangerous, and yet, he can make her smile with a single glance. He’s a force when he walks into a room and he wants nothing to do with her.
Like fire and ice, the dance begins. They are enemies. They are lovers. There are so many secrets. Can Hawk and Kai trust each other enough to find their happy ending or will their passion end them both?
As I’m walking through the lobby of my hotel, the concierge smiles brightly at me. She’s cute, sweet, and is always happy to see me. I’ve thought about asking her to join me for a drink on numerous occasions, but then a certain raven-haired beauty flashes across my mind and the thought dies away. I’m not interested in starting anything up with another woman and my dick seems to agree with me. As cute as Lisa is, she just doesn’t do it for me. No one does except the woman I stupidly pushed away. It’s for the best, I remind myself. I’m caught up in my pity party when I realize Lisa is talking to me.
“Enjoy your evening, Mr. Hawk. Your wife arrived a short while ago. I’ve sent a courtesy bottle of champagne up to your room.” She is so excited that she is almost bouncing in place.
I stop dead in my tracks. “Excuse me?” I ask as I look over at the girl who now has a nervous look on her face.
“Umm… your wife… she arrived about an hour ago.” She slaps her hand over her mouth and her eyes go wide. “Oh no, I forgot it was supposed to be a surprise and now I’ve ruined it. Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.” She looks like she is about to be sick. “Please don’t tell her I ruined her surprise,” she pleads.
“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart, trust me, I’m still surprised. I won’t spoil it by telling her you told me.” My voice comes out a bit more growly than I intended. I mean, who can blame me, I just fucking found out I have a wife and I definitely don’t fucking remember getting married. I wonder who I’m married to as I double-time it to the elevator. I’m in the penthouse; the clients aren’t sparing any expense when it comes to proving their father was murdered, and since I am here for the long haul, they were gracious enough to make sure I was comfortable.
When the elevator doors open to my floor, I take a quick look around before I walk up to my door, pull the gun out of the holster under my jacket and load a bullet into the chamber. There’s no one out here and everything looks to be in order, but training kicks in and I prepare for whatever lies behind that door.
This job has been pretty uneventful, but things are about to get a lot more interesting. I slip my card into the slot on the door and the lock snicks open. It’s quiet, but not quiet enough. I’ve no doubt whoever is inside definitely knows I’m here now. Pushing the door open, I slip inside. The sound of soft jazz floats through the air. The place is dark except for the warm glow of flickering candles coming from down the hall. The familiar scent of wildflowers and the sea have my cock hardening as soon as I’m through the door. I know that scent, I breathe it in like it’s a lifeline to the promised land. It’s her scent… what the fuck is she doing here.
I click on the safety and holster my gun as I walk down the hall. She comes into view as I round the corner. Goddess, angel, seductress is all I can think as I take her in, sitting on the sofa, bathed in the warm glow of the candles that surround her. She’s fucking breathtaking. Her dark hair cascades over her shoulders and tumbles down her back like an inky waterfall. Her golden body is wrapped in soft pink silk that shimmers in the candlelight. Her head is resting back on the sofa and her eyes are closed. She hasn’t noticed me yet, or if she has, she isn’t letting on that she has.
I clear my throat as I lean my shoulder against the wall, watching her. Her eyes fly open and instantly lock on mine like two pools of molten chocolate that hold me captive. Her luscious lips curl up slightly at the corners at the sight of me, but she doesn’t say a word, she just sits there waiting for me to speak.
Nancy Carolyn Brown is an author of contemporary romance, fond of writing love stories about hunky badass men endowed with massive hearts, and strong heroines with just the right mix of sweet and sass… flaming hot chemistry and thrilling nail biting suspense is always guaranteed!
She loves cosmos and chocolate and a swoony good book with a strong storyline.
She lives in sunny southern Alberta, Canada with her high school sweetheart husband and naughty Bengal cat. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys the simple things in life like spending time with family and friends, reading and running with her favorite playlist blasting in her ears.
Harlow and Acyn are on their way to happily ever after…
Or so they thought.
When their wedding is in jeopardy from outside forces and well-meaning family members, they decide to take matters into their own hands and escape to the Oregon coast.
Follow their journey from there to the Beginning of Forever.
A.E. Valdez discovered her passion for writing when she was given a journal by her 5th grade teacher and has been creating poetry, works of fiction, and gaming narratives ever since. As a child, she wanted to read more stories with people that looked like her. She loves all things romance, from heartbreak to happily ever afters. She pours her own heart and soul into the stories she brings to life. Causing readers to fall in, and sometimes out, of love alongside her characters. Amanda currently resides in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two sons. Most days you can find her sipping on an iced latte while she writes or enjoying time with her family.
