Drug lord. Crime boss. Murderer. I should fear him, be horrified by what he wants from me, by who he was. But instead, I find myself wanting to please him, wanting to give myself over completely. Because I know that gave me control over him.

I’d lost everything after my parents passed away, but Hades was there, pen in hand, for me to sign my life away to him. I could have refused, but then I’d be without a home. Without a support system, I’d be penniless. So I said yes. Hades was my guardian. I was his ward. He was cruel. I was too innocent. The longer I was in his care, and the more I saw how cruel and cold he could be, the more I wanted him.

Hermosa Beach seems to be the place for throwing together unlikely opposites. My rooster Rowdy and his new crush, Pixy the goat. Me and the obnoxiously cocky cowboy from Texas.... But unlike Rowdy and Pixy, there’s no way I’m going to fall for David Strickland. Nope. Not gonna happen. I could never be with a man so completely opposed to everything I believe...no matter how hot he is.

Ivy. So sweet and young, so innocent and mine, even though I was crossing a line by simply desiring her. Forbidden. I should stay away, but in my mind I’d already claimed her, already made the decision I couldn’t let her go. If wanting her was wrong...I didn’t want to be right. I was still in high school, hadn’t even experienced the world, but I already knew who I wanted to spend my life with.

Whispers of the Locke Brothers fill the town, facts and reality twisted to fit what these motherf--kers believe they know about us.That we’re sadistic bastards, incapable of any real emotions or fear. Maybe they’re not wrong about that…Aston Locke - Damaged, Sterling Locke - Savage, and Ace Locke - Twisted.

Running away from home at 17 wasn't easy. Let's face it, though, nothing before or in the ten years since has ever been easy for me. And I'm doing okay—sorta. I just need to keep scraping by, living under the radar. Staying out of people's way, off people's minds. When a man walks through my open patio door, stepping boldly into my home and my life, I should be scared, frightened, terrified. I must be more broken than I realized because I'm none of those things. I'm intrigued—and I'm wondering if the way to take control of my life is by giving in to him.

Gemma Hara is drowning under the weight of her father’s debts. Working herself to the bone, she knows that if she doesn’t pay them off in time, the sadistic creditors will take everything: their home, their respected name, and, worst of all, her two beautiful sisters.

I hate Dante Moretti. He is cold, calculating, and vicious. It’s no secret that he wiped out his former fiancée and her entire family on the eve of their wedding. He’s the kind of evil that makes even devils cry. But that’s not why I hate him.

Carrie might be lost, but she's exactly where she needs to be—in the big tattooed arms of a hot possessive mountain man. This obsessive alpha knows how to treat a city girl right!

He was my dad's best friend - and my first crush. Falling for him was bad. Flirting with him and trying to get in his pants the night of my 21st birthday party was definitely worse. But can you blame me? I hadn't seen the guy in years and he comes back looking hotter than ever. Our fling shouldn't have even begun but now that it has, I don't want it to stop. I'm crazy for this guy - and he's obsessed with me. Too bad my father will kill him if he finds out. So we can't tell him. We just have to keep it secret. Right? That might have worked...until he got me pregnant.

I learned very early on that every life matters—no life is insignificant, most especially not my own mother’s, whose life was cruelly slain. I vowed to do what I can so that no one has to feel as if they’re nothing at all when they lose their loved ones. So when I’m forced into a marriage with Dominic Luca—the man next in line to be the head of the biggest crime family in all of New York—the ring he puts on my finger is a gun to my head with his finger on the trigger.

I’d been prom queen and cheer captain—high school’s most savage Queen Bee. I could have everything I wanted. Except them. The freaks, the weirdos, the school’s ultimate losers: Manson, Jason, Lucas, and Vincent. Our hatred for each other couldn’t keep us apart, not even when my own mistake got Manson expelled and made me the ultimate villain to the rest of them.

I can still remember the moment I first heard Cyrus Holt's deep, commanding voice. I didn't know who he was or about the life he'd left behind. I was just a trembling orphan on the run from a monster, and he was the man offering me shelter and not giving me a choice about it. This boss of bosses didn't assign someone else to watch over me. He slept on the floor next to my bed when I woke up scared, then spanked me like a naughty little girl when I lied to him.

He’s a ruthless stranger. One I can’t see, only feel, thanks to my friends who make a deal with him on my behalf. No names. No personal details. No face to etch into my mind. Just him, me, and an expensive silk tie. What happens in Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas. He warns me he’s full of danger. I never see that side of him. All I experience is his Russian accent, delicious scent, and touch that lights me on fire. One incredible night turns into two. Then we go our separate ways. But fate doesn't keep us apart.

You know that feeling—the one where you tell yourself it’s a terrible idea, but you know you’re going to do it anyway? Even though you know that this man isn’t just your father’s best friend who’s 20 years your senior…he’s your new boss.