She's a single mom with something to prove. He's a burned-out pastry chef with walls taller than his layer cakes. The kitchen isn't big enough for the tension simmering between them-but neither one's backing down. Abby Meeks is no stranger to hard work. As a single mom to a spirited three-year-old, she's used to juggling chaos with a smile and a to-go coffee. So when she lands the manager position at Marino's Bakery-Baltimore's trendiest new café-she's ready to prove herself. What she's not ready for is Julian Marino. Julian walked away from the high-stakes D.C. pastry scene for a quieter life, but he didn't count on hiring a manager who challenges his every decision... or whose laugh sticks with him long after closing time. Abby is too stubborn, too creative, and far too distracting for a man who's sworn off complications-and she's made it clear she's not looking for anything more than a paycheck and a fresh start. But flour flies, cinnamon ratios are challenged, and the heat between them starts rising faster than his sourdough starter. When secrets from Julian's past surface-and Abby's carefully balanced world threatens to tip-the line between enemies and something more gets dangerously thin. Because sometimes the recipe for love starts with a little too much spice... and ends with something sweet like hello.

State of Affairs ⚖︎ "You missed a talking point on page four, Governor," I said, sliding the briefing file across his heavy mahogany desk. Tennyson didn't look at the file. His dark eyes stayed locked on my mouth, completely devoid of the golden-man charm he'd just fed to a crowd of thousands. "Lock the door, Milan," he murmured, his voice low and exhausted. "You have a press briefing in ten minutes, sir. And your wife is waiting in the lobby." He stepped around the desk, invading my space until the scent of cedar and expensive bourbon swallowed me whole. His hand brushed my waist, his thumb pressing possessively against my hip. "I don't care," he breathed, his facade finally shattering. "Lock the damn door." 🏛️ To the world, 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬 is untouchable. He is the state's golden man, a devoted husband, and a man with a spotless reputation. Everyone worships the ground he walks on. Everyone except his executive assistant, 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐚. Milan has a strict two-year plan: survive the Governor's temper, secure her recommendation letter, and catch a one-way flight to Washington, D.C. Her job description: hand him his black coffee, fix his crooked ties, and treat the most powerful man in the state like a normal human being. But her immunity is exactly what breaks him. Behind the heavy oak doors of his office, Tennyson sheds his perfect mask. He is cynical, ruthless, and spiraling into a dark, desperate obsession with the only woman who doesn't want anything from him. He becomes addicted to her warmth and slowly to her. As late nights at the office blur into a secret arrangement, Milan thinks she has the situation under control. But she doesn't know that Tennyson's public life is a PR lie. She doesn't know that the Governor has absolutely no intention of letting her go. 'Cause what the Governor needs, the Governor gets.

A fire firefighter falls for a girl he helped save from a car crash Updated weekly Sunday Contains BDSM Not edited

When aspiring sportswriter Kingston Hart moves to Los Angeles for a fresh start, she never expects to spark an undeniable connection with Noah Westbrook-a powerful, enigmatic man who awakens her deepest desires. But when she lands her dream job, she's stunned to discover Noah is her new boss, throwing her into a whirlwind where professional ambition collides with forbidden romance. As their steamy secret threatens to unravel her new beginning and his carefully built empire, Kingston must decide: can she chase the career of her dreams without sacrificing her shot at love? *** Weekly updates on Fridays. Previously titled "Confessions of a Twenty-Something City Girl"

She walked away from the job, and the man, she thought she couldn't live without. Now Kingston Hart is rebuilding her life, but Noah Westbrook isn't letting her go without a fight. He's ready to prove that love isn't a one-shot deal... it's the whole game. But as a lavish wedding weekend brings them back into each other's orbit, sparks fly, and so do the secrets. Career curveballs. Family betrayals. A legacy on the line. Can their love survive the spotlight, the scandals, and a second chance that might just be their last-or will they learn that some games aren't meant to go into overtime?

Aurora 'Rory' Marie is a 19 year old girl who work in a deli at a store called Ingles. Maddox 'Rage' Kade is a 29 year old biker club president of the Hawks Army Biker Club. The two couldn't be farther from a match made in heaven. When she's not working or singing, she with her daughter Maisey. When he's not working on his bike or running the club, he's spending time with his mom and sister. Until one day, his vise president convinces him to come to the ingles deli to get a sub sandwich. The moment he lays his eyes on her, he vows to protect her with his life. She doesn't believe in love, her parents fought constantly, her ex left her with a baby she had barely even conceived, and every guy she liked never liked her or thought she wasn't good enough. They never liked her piercings or her tattoos or how she colored her hair every few weeks. And they definitely never liked that she was a teen mom. After so many tries, she called it quits on love and dating. Until one cold day in October, she gets called in on her day off to cover a shift. That cold October night was one that she would never forget. -------------- #1 in #bikerclub #1 in #bikegang #1 in #singer-songwriter #4 in #dogs #4 in #singlemom #4 in #stepdad

Elara Soledad de Merced thrives in attention and affection-being the youngest and only daughter, never once did she experience being set aside and treated as someone deemed unworthy. All her life, she was treated with utmost care and love. The princess with a perfect life who had never gone through hardship. Boys dream of her. Girls look up to her. Some hate her. Whatever she does, everyone follows. Second to none, rejection was something she was never familiar with, until him-her first love and the only man who ever rejected her. But not even her first rejection could stop her, so she pulls out her highest heels and her sparkly little dress, because what Elara wants, Elara gets. Luis Silvino Prodigalidad is what she wants, and she will get him, even if it means painting his hurricane into pink skies.

[2024 WATTYS SHORTLISTED] [18+] In the picturesque lakeside town, the calm waters mask the storm within Juniper Jenkins' heart. Betrayed and broken by her cheating boyfriend, she flees to the sanctuary of her friend's lakeside house, to work remotely for the summer. What she doesn't expect? Running into Wells Hansen-her rival from the Seattle Sun Times-of all people. And of all places, he's running the only coffee shop in town with decent Wi-Fi. She's sworn off men for the summer-pinky-promised no boys-with her two best friends. So there's no way she's breaking that pact. Not after what just happened. But fate doesn't care about pacts, and Juniper keeps bumping into Wells no matter how hard she tries not to. She resents him, and the feeling seems mutual. At least, that's what she believes.

All Sophia ever wanted was for Ashton Maverick to notice her. But he was best friends with her older brother, Patrick, and a hockey star. There was no chance in Hell he'd be interested in her. But when Sophie moves back home for the summer and runs into Ashton for the first time in two years, things start to change. Between stolen glances and secret hookups, they begin to fall deeper in love with each other. But Sophie has something bigger to worry about than her big brother finding out about their secret relationship. Find out more in Hockey Baby by Ariel Hughes 🏒

My twin sister is glowing on her wedding day, marrying the man I've secretly loved for years. Esmeray "Ray" Morales stood at the altar and watched her sister marry the man she loved. She was the quiet twin. The overlooked one. The shadow. And when Noah Sparks chose Elena, Ray left. Three years later, Elena is dead. Ray returns to care for her sister's son. To help Noah survive the loss. To keep her own heart buried beneath the guilt. But slipping into Elena's life blurs the lines she swore she'd never cross. And feelings Ray thought she buried start clawing their way back. Because love this forbidden doesn't fade. It festers. Warning ⚠️ this novel contains mature content