Showing results by narrator "Emma Wilder" in All Categories

Christmas means summer in New Zealand and All Blacks wedding season, too. Plans made and plans changed, because no matter how well you plan, life happens. Especially if, say, you’re marrying your late husband’s brother, you’ve got a couple of kids in the mix, and everybody’s talked too much about all that already. And then, there’s the rest of the family. A stepbrother who’s carried too big a secret for 30 years and needs to lay that burden down.

Rescuing a woman dressed in a nightdress at a costume ball? That worked for me. And holding her up against the wall, to shield her from the cops, was pure enjoyment. Driving with her to a barbecue, a fruit salad in my lap, and her twins - her girl twins - in the back seat? Out of my comfort zone. And that was before she started asking me for dating lessons, and wondering how to explain that she couldn’t have sex before marriage. I had it under control, though. I was coping. Until four sisters of mine decided to go looking for their sperm donor.

I fell for Madeline Mason the moment I laid eyes on her fifteen years ago. But she was the definition of off-limits. The mother of one of my subordinates in the Rangers. Strike one. Married. Strike two. Lived in another state. Strike three. None of that stopped us from desiring each other. Tragically, it was never the right time for us. Her life was in near-constant turmoil, and I was building my legacy at Redleg Security. So I waited for her. For years, I wished for a someday that I feared would never come. After she divorced her abusive husband, I hoped our time had arrived.

The Sons of Templar MC. I'm sure you've heard of them. They're infamous. Murderers. Criminals. Outlaws. But to me, they're family. My husband wore the cut for well over a decade. For almost as long as he wore a wedding ring. Our marriage survived wars. Deaths. Blood. The cuts were deep. And they never healed quite right. But we survived. Until we didn't. He promised me forever. And he gave it to me. His version of it, at least. Mine was longer, though. Much longer.

Every man knows there are lines you don't cross. Like this one - don't bang your boss' little sister. Too bad I didn't know sexy, clever, irresistible London is related to the guy who signs my paychecks. Would have been helpful to have that intel before I took her out on that first date, before I kissed her on the beach, before I made plans to take her home that night.

When I put up a "Roommate Wanted" poster, he was the last person on earth I thought would respond. He was also the last person on earth I'd agree to let live with me...on purpose. But, here we are - roommates. I'm certain we can coexist without it being awkward, and I'm determined to make it work. There will be no sexual tension building with each accidental touch, no flutters when he wears that stupid backward baseball cap, and definitely no flirting when we text back and forth. Caleb Mills can't be the guy for me. He's my best friend's ex-boyfriend.

What do you do when the entire nation is on lockdown? If you’re an heiress to a billion-dollar fashion company, then you quarantine in a glamorous cabin and finish your final semester of NYU online. The best way to focus on her upcoming valedictorian honor is away from her family, classmates, and the paparazzi. Cameron St. James is ready to get out of the big city and head upstate for seclusion, despite her parent’s pleas to stay home.

The devil has a name, and it’s Cristiano de la Rosa. On my wedding day, he was the last man I expected to see standing at the altar. But he plans to make me his queen — unless his brother can rescue his princess. Getting Cristiano to lose control becomes the name of the game, and the stakes are life and death. But as truth and lies blur, loyalty is tested, and our chemistry threatens to reach the melting point, the prize grows less clear. Either freedom no longer means what I think it does, or Cristiano is as devious as everyone says, and he’s mastered the art of playing my mind.

Grayson Edwards is one sexy bastard. From the moment we locked eyes, I wanted him. I never would’ve guessed we shared a common link from my past. A past that still haunts me to this day. One so horrific, I had no choice but to walk away from the person I loved more than life itself. My soul mate. Two and a half years on and those feelings haven’t changed. He still owns my heart. I miss him with every fiber of my being. But how can I give my life to a man...bear his children...when he has the blood of the devil running through his veins?

People who say “love is trust” probably didn’t grow up in a cult. My name is Daisy Nabhitha Kittredge. I chose it myself. As an RN in the emergency department in one of New Zealand’s largest hospitals, there wasn’t much left in me of the 16-year-old girl, covered from neck to ankle and not allowed to make eye contact with a boy, who’d run away with five dollars in her pocket and terror in her heart.

Leader of a human colony planet, Taryn Demara has much more on her plate than maintaining peace or ensuring her people have enough to eat. Due to a virus that affects male embryos in the womb, there is a shortage of men. For decades, her people have enticed ships to their planet and tricked the men into staying. However, a ship hasn't been spotted in eight years. So when the blip finally shows on the radar, Taryn is determined to conquer the newcomers at any cost to ensure her people's survival.

Twenty-three years ago, Azalyn Rippak Sulani had the misfortune of falling in love with a prince. It wasn’t long before she was chased away and forced to live a quiet life, working for a merchant family and trying her best to start over. However, after a group of aliens kidnap her and knock her unconscious, Azalyn wakes up in the Kelderan palace and comes face-to-face with the man who broke her heart. Because of certain circumstances, she has no choice but to stay in the palace. But to protect her heart and those she loves, she’s determined to find ways to resist the powerful prince.

I hate Drew Woods, and she hates me. Too bad I'm not the cold jerk most make me out to be. When she needs help, I have no problem moving the single mom and her baby into my home despite how she makes me feel. Alive. She's too mouthy, too nosy, and her curves are way too distracting for my own sanity. Giving in to Drew would be a short-lived fix, and I knead something permanent to heal my pain. I'd be insane to think we could be anything more than temporary...right?

"I love you," he said. "Forever," he said. Turns out, he lied. When he leaves me high and dry after a cross-country move, I push him out of my life as much as I can, which is hard to do when the guy who broke your heart also happens to be the most famous dude in town. After a disastrous year, he's aiming to rehab his reputation, and I just so happen to be aiming for a promotion at the paper. So, we strike a deal, and it's a win-win all around. Besides, what's the harm in a few dates to charity galas anyway? He's arrogant, a total jerk. There's no way I'll fall for him...again.

“I’m here to see my fiancé. I believe you know Parker, Dad…” That sentence seems innocent enough in the right setting. But the woman’s father? Yeah, he happens to be my boss. The first time I met Cashlynn O’Neil, she thought she was going to die before the plane we were on ever left the ground. So I did what any gentleman would do—I comforted her, kept her distracted, and then later that night, she ended up back in my hotel room to thank me. But then a year later she waltzed in the Carrington Cove Animal Hospital and told her father we were engaged.

Camila was 17 when Van Quiso kidnapped her. Ten years after her escape, the shackles refuse to release her. Not while there are still slave traders preying on her city. She will stop at nothing to end them. Even if that means becoming a slave again. Returning to chains is her worst fear—and only option. They won’t know who she is or what she intends to do. She’s prepared for every complication. Except him. The one who decimated her 16-year-old heart.

Three full-length standalone stories by USA Today Bestselling author Claudia Burgoa about the men who created HIB Securities and the women behind them.

Is this…rock bottom? Kicked out of the company I co-founded. Blacklisted across NYC. At odds with my mother. The only dopamine I’m getting is flashbacks to my steamy one-night stand. Only I had no idea who Eli really was. Or that the job I’ve grudgingly accepted makes me his dialect coach on the set of his next big movie… But Eli is not only a film star…he’s a dad. And despite our chemistry, commitment is the last thing I want. My career is always going to come first. The question is: can my heart handle that?

Our plan? Fake an engagement, have a showy wedding, solve our little problems, then amicably split. It's simple: I keep my B&B, and he shows his team he's serious about cleaning up his act. Perfect, right? But Jake doesn't know how to do things by halves.

You want the diamonds? You want the mansion? You want the lake, and boats, and the cars? You want the security? And the man? Then you do what you’re told. I live in his castle. I sit at his feet. I wear his collar. I am his offering. The Chosen Ones...the Ruling Class. They are a breed apart. And yes, that pedigree matters. Not just anyone can rise above and become their equal. It takes sacrifice.