Bucket List Rule #1: Be careful who finds your list.
Oops.
As the future CEO of my grandmother’s fashion empire, I’m not supposed to want to design a line of fancy dresses for girls with special needs. But when I pull out all the stops and present my vision to my grandmother, she agrees to let me try on one very questionable condition.
The condition?
I have to complete every item on the bucket list I wrote in college.
Challenge accepted.
Only, this is the same bucket list that includes going on a date with a hot hockey player, riding a horse, kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower…oh, and finding a husband.
The first one is where NHL player Eli Lawson comes in.
***
When my matchmaking mother sets me up with a date for my cousin’s wedding, I tell her the only thing I can…that I’m bringing my girlfriend.
Except, I don’t have one.
And I certainly don’t have someone who will spend a week with me in Copper Creek, Montana for the wedding festivities.
When workaholic Nala Johnson wins a date with me at a charity auction, I think I’ve found the perfect solution to my problem. Even better when she tells me about her bucket list. Because I’m just the man to help her with it.
I mean, how difficult can it be to find her a husband?
Masquerade ball rule #1: what happens at the ball doesn’t always stay at the ball.
Oops.
A chance encounter with a masked stranger at a charity ball led to an incredible kiss and a night of hot sex. The kiss was my goal for that night, a baby step forward after my husband’s death a year ago. The hot sex? Not so much.
You know what else hadn’t been my goal?
To be knocked up by a man whose identity is a mystery to me.
So now I’m preparing for my impending motherhood and planning a fundraiser to provide books for foster kids.
The latter is where hot hockey player Logan Mathews comes in...
****
The last time I saw Kiera Ashdown was the night of the Jingle Balls masquerade ball. She’d wanted her first time with a man after her husband’s death to be with a stranger.
After my NHL team trades me to San Francisco, where my daughter and ex-wife live, I’m determined to be a better father and not repeat past mistakes. My hockey career and my daughter come first.
The last thing I expect to discover is that Kiera is my seven-year-old daughter’s teacher. The last thing I expect to learn is that she’s pregnant with my dead best friend’s child.
And the last thing I want to admit is that I was the one who made love to Kiera—several times—the night of the ball.
Because if she ever found out that I’d lied to her, I could lose her friendship. I could lose so much more...
She’s pregnant with another man’s baby.
He’s now the father to his little niece.
A sexy rom com with all the feels!
Single Mom-To-Be Rule #1: watch out for those horny hormones.
Oops.
After a childhood of bouncing from one foster home to another and a series of failed relationships, I’ve taken matters into my own hands when it comes to starting a family.
Or rather, someone else’s hand. And a plastic cup.
I’d rather be a single mom than be let down again, and I’m definitely not looking for a baby daddy. That includes sexy workaholic game designer Wes Chiasson, thank you very much.
***
My software company has been my number one, two, and three priorities. But that all changes when I suddenly become the guardian of my three-year-old niece. Now my world has turned topsy-turvy with princesses and little-girl tea parties.
When Hannah Morrell needs a place to stay after the pipes in her apartment burst, I invite her to move in with my niece and me. Hannah is a pediatric nurse, and given my situation, who could ask for a better roommate?
Sounds easy. Right?
It is—until emotions get tossed into the mix. Because if there’s one thing history has taught Hannah, it’s that the people who’ve gained her love can’t be trusted.
And now I have to put my heart on the line to prove otherwise.
From the author of sexy romantic comedies comes the story of a meddling grandmother searching for lifelong love. For her hockey player grandson…
Fake girlfriend Rule #1: never fall for your fake boyfriend.
Oops.
I run Aphrodite’s Boutique, a store that specializes in all things love-related. A store that I adore with all my heart, and which is at risk of being shut down and replaced with a condo development.
To save it, all I have to do is pretend to be Travis Hamilton’s girlfriend.
Sounds simple enough. Right?
Except he and I have a history together...but he doesn’t seem to remember me.
****
My feisty, well-meaning grandmother raised me after my parents died, but now she’s determined to help me find The One. But when most women I meet tend to be puck bunnies or women only interested in my hockey-player salary—and let’s not forget the nutcase of an ex-girlfriend—why bother?
Only a fake girlfriend will deter my grandmother’s matchmaking scheme.
Too bad the one woman who can help me is the sexy redhead who wants to assist me as much as she wants her eyeballs dunked in hot sauce and barbecued.
To convince her, I promise to help her with her own dilemma. But sometimes fire and ice really do mix. Now I have to decide if love is in the air—and if together Emma and I make something hotter. Something stronger. Something real.
Kissing-under-the-mistletoe rule #1: never kiss your ex-fiancée.
Oops.
My plans for the Christmas break include:
1. Drive to Lake Tahoe,
2. Learn to ski,
3. Enjoy hot, earth-shattering sex (and end my sex drought!),
4. Meet my Forever Love under the mistletoe.
Right—the last one was my friend’s prediction, but you never know. What I don’t count on is a flat tire, a major blizzard, and for Liam Quade, my ex-fiancé and the man who broke my heart ten years ago, to come to my rescue.
Oh, damn.
****
While driving back to San Francisco to spend Christmas with my family, I discover Ava stuck on the side of the road. She’s the woman I was forced to walk away from ten years ago.
And now, she’s the woman who would rather be coated with honey and fed to a hungry bear than to be within ten feet of me. Ouch.
I drive Ava to a nearby inn to wait out the storm…and end up kissing her under the mistletoe.
But Christmas magic is in the air and I quickly realize that I never stopped loving her. As secrets from ten years ago begin to unravel, I have to prove to her our love is worth a second chance.
I have to prove to Ava that I’m her forever.
One-Night Stand Rule #1: always check the condom’s expiry date.
Oops.
As a career-orientated woman, I have a plan, and being a mom is not part of it. My not-quite-a-fairy-tale childhood involved being brought up by thirty nannies (yes, thirty!), so what the heck do I know about being a mother anyway?
Yes, the news about Granny dying is a surprise. But not as much as what happens after, when I have hot sex with Mr. No Commitment himself, Josh Hoffer, as a way to deal with the grief.
Is it worth it? Definitely.
Or at least it seemed so at the time.
****
I have no room in my life for a family or steady girlfriend. My hockey career comes first. Life is tough when you’re on the road more times than you’re not.
Besides, what do I know about diapers and baby yoga and fairy-tale princesses?
When Holly Whittaker, with her sexy Aussie accent and mile long legs, wants to blow off a little steam after receiving bad news, hell if I’m saying no. She’s my friend, and friends help friends in need.
But sex is never without consequences. And now we need to figure out how to find room in our hearts for each another—plus one.
Best Friend Rule #1: never want the guy's sister.
Oops.
Six months ago, I broke off my engagement because I was tired of not even being a distant second to my fiancé's career.
Which is why Trent Salway, my brother's best friend, is strictly forbidden.
One workaholic in my life is more than enough, thank you.
We'll just ignore how I've been secretly crushing on him for as long as I can remember.
The problem? My best friend—Trent's sister—is determined to find me Mr. Right.
***
Before being deployed on a Navy SEAL mission, my best friend makes one simple request:
I'm supposed to make sure that his sister Kelsey isn't dating any assholes while he's away.
Doesn't sound too hard, right?
Living up to my promise includes crashing at least one blind date—not my finest moment, I might add—and spending more and more time with Kelsey.
Sparks fly between us, as do a few items of clothing.
Now, I have to decide what to do about the woman I'm falling for—the one whose brother will take me down faster than he takes down the enemy.
And I have to decide if I can be something other than a workaholic or if Kelsey is decidedly off limits.
