The Future of Our Past

It was the summer of my life. I’d met the guy of my dreams. Unfortunately, he was the son of my uppity employer - and very much off-limits. But Gavin was a rebel. He knew his mother would disown him if she found out about us; in his eyes, we just had to be careful. He never treated me as his mother did - like hired help. Instead, Gavin put me on a pedestal and loved me harder than I’d ever been loved in my life. 

It started out like any normal day. Then the fender bender happened. The guy I collided with drove an expensive car and was drop-dead gorgeous. Too bad he was also a total jerk. We argued over whose fault it was and any other thing that came out of his condescending mouth. Eventually, the police came and we went our separate ways. The insurance companies would have to figure things out. I had a job interview to get to anyway - one I was excited about. Though that excitement changed to disappointment the moment the person interviewing me walked in. The guy from the accident. 

It should be the most shocking news I’d ever gotten - my boyfriend is getting married. Okay, technically he’s my ex-boyfriend. Two months ago he decided he wanted a break. I still thought he was my happily-ever-after. On any other day, knowing he was gone for good would be the worst thing that could possibly happen. But not today. Because not only is my boyfriend getting married - his bride is my best friend. And they’ve sent me an invitation. There’s no way I’m going to attend. I don’t care if it’s in beautiful Scotland. Nothing and no one could convince me.

Griffin Quinn was my childhood pen pal, the British boy who couldn’t have been more different from me. Over the years, through hundreds of letters, we became best friends, sharing our deepest, darkest secrets and forming a connection I never thought could break. Until one day it did. Then, out of the blue, a new letter arrived. A scathing one - one with eight years of pent-up anger. I had no choice but to finally come clean as to why I stopped writing. Griffin forgave me, and somehow we were able to rekindle our childhood connection.

I was upgraded to first class on a flight from London to New York. The food, champagne, and service were impeccable. The blue-eyed man sitting next to me, even better. He was suave and intelligent. We talked and laughed, and something clicked. Fate took over and the plane was grounded, and we had an unexpected stopover for the night. With no plans, we made our own. 

Dear Mr. Brisken: How do I hate you? Let me count the ways. I hate your smug, sexy millionaire face. I hate your cocky, skirt-chasing, playboy ways. I hate working as your secretary - but, I love the pay. It almost makes dealing with you worth it. I hate how my friends call you a BILF, when really BILK (Boss I'd Like to Kill) is more appropriate. I hate that I need you to be my date for my best friend's wedding because my ex-boyfriend, the King of Heartbreakers, and his new busty blonde girlfriend will be in attendance.  

Emma Kane is my new roommate. My very off-limits roommate. My gorgeous, sassy, hot-as-hell roommate. I try to keep my distance. To ignore her soft laugh, her intense eyes, her sweet smile. And that groan, the one she makes over her morning coffee - alright, the feisty college student is driving me out of my mind. I can still keep my hands off her. I double down on my rules. Draw that line between friends and lovers. Then she presses her red lips to mine. And, suddenly, it’s obvious. There’s no way in hell I can resist her.

Brooklyn wanted two things: her own bakery and Nate Riley. Opening her own business was the easy part. Trying to forget about Nate when he disappeared was the hard part. Now, years later, she's running her bakery while engaged to the ideal man. Then the unimaginable happens. She is left shattered once more and vows to never love again. An unexpected meeting with Nate has him back in her life, wanting a second chance. He'll do anything to win her back. But Nate must confront his demons before he sends Brooklyn's life into another tailspin.

One man can change everything. That man can touch you until you tremble all over. That man can wake you up and allow you to breathe when life leaves you unable to catch your breath. For me that One Man is Jax North. He's handsome, brutally so, and wealthy, money and power easily at his fingertips. He's dark, and yet, he can make me smile with a single look or word. He's a force when he walks into a room.

Life hasn't been easy for Charlie. Her mother was a monster. And when Charlie left home, there wasn't always a warm bed, food, or a hot shower. She figured out how to get by on her looks. When her mother dies and she comes home to put that part of her life behind her, she finds the diary. It fills her with rage. She's out for revenge. But along the way she meets him. Ethan DOES play by the rules. And at the top of his list is "Don't get involved with clients." Will he break his rules for Charlie?

Hailee Raine only has to survive one more year. One year of life in her football obsessed town. One year of nauseating school spirit. Just one more year of her cruel step-brother Jason; and his cocky, arrogant, football-playing friends. She hates them. Especially, Cameron Chase, the guy she thought was different. Cameron Chase has the world at his feet. He has it all; good looks, talent, and the charm to go with it. He has colleges lined up at the door, all wanting a piece of Rixon Raiders star wide receiver.

Baylor didn't know what true love was when she arrived on campus for freshman orientation. Enter bad boy soccer player Gavin, who was all too happy to take her on that journey. Everything was perfect....until it wasn't. He didn't realize what he lost. She didn't know love could be so cruel. One day...one moment...one letter. One lie. That's all it took to change the course of their lives.

They say revenge is a dish best served cold. I’d had four years to stew on what Daria Followhill did to me...now my heart was completely iced. I took her first kiss. She took the only thing I loved. I was poor. She was rich. The good thing about circumstances? They can change. Fast. Now, I’m her parents’ latest shiny project. Her housemate. Her tormentor. The captain of the rival football team she hates so much. Yeah, baby girl, say it. I’m your foster brother. There’s a price to pay for ruining the only good thing in my life. She’s about to shell out some serious tears.

It was my home run ball that shattered her face. Right along with her modeling career. Now it's my mission to help her rebuild her life. And get her to love the game that she hates. The game that dictates my life both on and off the field. But when the lines of our friendship become blurred, I worry she'll just be another casualty of my three-strikes rule. The rule I have to protect my money, my future, my heart. No girl has ever broken it. I've never wanted one to. Until now.

I owe him a debt. The kind money can’t repay. He wants something else: me, for one year. But I don’t even know who he is.... Three hundred sixty-five days and nights doing everything he wants...except that. “I’m not going to sleep with you,” I say categorically. He laughs.