Showing results by author "Tessa Bailey" in Contemporary

After a life of pool hustling and living on the wrong side of the law, Ruby Elliott is living on the straight and narrow with sexy-as-all-hell NYPD detective, Troy Bennett. Now the only trouble Ruby has with the law is the naughty kind, pinned against the wall by Troy's strict and spectacularly hard body. But then her father returns with an offer she can't refuse: one last hustle in exchange for information. Information she'd die to have. As the pieces and the players reveal themselves, Troy feels the fine edges of his control slipping—control he can't channel without hurting Ruby.

Piper Bellinger is fashionable, influential, and her reputation as a wild child means the paparazzi are constantly on her heels. When too much champagne and an out-of-control rooftop party lands Piper in the slammer, her stepfather decides enough is enough. So he cuts her off, and sends Piper and her sister to learn some responsibility running their late father's dive bar... in Washington. Piper hasn't even been in Westport for five minutes when she meets big, bearded sea captain Brendan, who thinks she won't last a week outside of Beverly Hills. How bad could it really be?

Elise Brandeis has never won a Pulitzer—and she never will. At least not while she’s delivering sandwiches at the Gotham Times instead of working there as an actual reporter. Her only shot at seeing her byline in print is to prove to the no-nonsense managing editor that she has a nose for news. And she’s got just the story to grab her elusive attention—right after she delivers this turkey on ciabatta. Chasing down leads brings Elise to Roosevelt Island, but just when the trail of clues begins to take shape, she gets stuck—literally.

Reese dreams of seeing her name in lights on Broadway, but so far she has only graced the used car parking lots of rural Wisconsin. With her window of opportunity shrinking fast, a miracle happens. She wins an audition with Bernard Bexley, Broadway’s most respected dance choreographer. When disaster strikes and Reese misses the audition, she has to find another way in front of Bernard, otherwise face the disappointment back home.

When Kenna Sutton is tasked with driving home newly returned Beck “True Blue” Collier, she expects the strategic army mastermind to be a pasty number cruncher. Never at a loss for words, Kenna is, nonetheless, rendered speechless by the gorgeous, hard-bodied, and utterly inexperienced army major who lands in her passenger seat.

It's Naomi Clemons's big day. Her dream wedding. And she's outta here. One moment. A chance meeting of gazes through the church window pane with someone familiar who radiates intrigue. Independence. It's the final push Naomi needs to realize...she's boring. A blonde, cookie cutter, well mannered trophy wife-to-be. How can she expect to lead a fulfilling married life when she's never lived? Special Forces diver Jason Bristow needs a beauty pageant coach. Not for himself - although the tattooed bruiser could definitely use some charm.

Police academy cadet Charlie Burns can't believe his luck when the gorgeous blonde he meets in a bar murmurs those magic words: "Nothing serious, 'kay?" Mind-blowing, no-strings sex with Ever Carmichael - it's the holy grail of hookups for a guy who's too busy following in his law enforcement family's footsteps to think about getting serious. Charlie's all about casual...that is until Ever calls it quits, and his world tilts on its axis.

Leaving Belmont Clarkson is the hardest thing Sage Alexander has ever done. From the moment they met, she knew Belmont was the one, and getting up close and personal with him on his family's epic road trip has taken her desire to a new, even hotter level. But there's no way she can go there - not without revealing secrets that could devastate them both. Losing Sage is not an option. Belmont's heart is hers, has always been hers.

Hair, makeup, clothing, decor... everything in Bethany Castle's world is organized, planned, and styled to perfection. Which is why the homes she designs for her family's real estate business are the most coveted in town. The only thing not perfect? Her track record with men. She's on a dating hiatus and after helping her friends achieve their dreams, Bethany finally has time to focus on her own: flip a house, from framework to furnishings, all by herself. Except her older brother runs the company and refuses to take her seriously.

Marcus “Diesel” O’Shaughnessy is a brash, oversized CrossFit enthusiast with a naked lady tattooed on his rippling forearm. Jamie Prince is a private school teacher with an extremely low tolerance for bull. The two men have zero in common. Well, except for three things: they’re both moonlighting as lifeguards for the summer; no matter how hard they try, they cannot stay away from each other; and they both have secrets they’re determined to keep.

When professional hockey player Sig Gauthier’s car breaks down and his phone dies, he treks into a posh private country club to call a tow truck, where he encounters the alluring Chloe Clifford, the manic pixie dream girl who captivates him immediately with her sense of adventure and penchant for stealing champagne. Sparks fly during a moonlight kiss and the enamored pair can’t wait to see each other again, but when Sig finally arrives to meet his dad’s new girlfriend over dinner, Chloe is confusingly also there. Turns out the girlfriend is Chloe’s mother. Oh, and they’re engaged.

Rosie and Dominic Vega are the perfect couple: high school sweethearts, best friends, madly in love. Well, they used to be, anyway. Now, Rosie’s lucky to get a caveman grunt from the ex-soldier every time she walks in the door. Dom is faithful and a great provider, but the man she fell in love with 10 years ago is nowhere to be found. When her girlfriends encourage Rosie to demand more out of life and pursue her dream of opening a restaurant, she decides to demand more out of love, too. Three words: marriage boot camp.

Brent Mason and Hayden Winstead can't stand each other. She plans exclusive parties for her rich family's charities; he's a rough-and-tumble cop who rigs explosives for a living. Could two people be any less suited for conversation? They think not and prefer to keep it that way. Unfortunately, their two best friends are deeply, disgustingly in love.

When CEO Renner Bastion walks into a room, everyone keeps their distance - well, everyone but the sarcastic tattooed Boston-bred security guard whose presence has kept Renner in New Jersey longer than intended. As if the unwanted attraction isn’t unsettling enough, Renner finds out his protector isn’t as unavailable as he originally thought. Milo Bautista just came out to his wealthy ultra-confident boss, a man he secretly respects and admires...in more ways than he’ll admit.

Con artist Austin Shaw's been in disguise so long he's not sure where his fake identities end and he begins. Now that he's been strong-armed into working for a specialized undercover unit working with the Chicago police - criminals with unique "skills" - the last thing he needs is to risk his iron control. Especially when it comes to a certain stunningly sexy hacker who tempts him with every look of disdain. Polly Banks will never, ever trust a con man.

Willa Peet isn't interested in love. She's been there, done that, and has the shattered heart to prove it. Ready to shake the breakup, she heads to Dublin, Ireland. But there's a problem. A dark-haired, blue-eyed problem with a bad attitude that rivals her own. And he's not doling out friendly Irish welcomes.

Peggy Clarkson is returning to her alma mater with one goal in mind: confront Elliott Brooks, the man who ruined her for all others, and remind him of what he's been missing. Even after three years, seeing him again is like a punch in the gut, but Peggy's determined to stick to her plan. Maybe then, once she has the upper hand, she'll finally be able to move on. In the years since Peggy left Cincinnati, Elliott has kept his focus on football. No distractions and no complications.

After a six-year absence, Addison Potts is back in Charleston to stir things up. And what better place to make her villainous return than her estranged cousin’s wedding? Only, the nuptials hit a snag when the bride doesn’t show, leaving Addison to play getaway driver for the jilted groom. Elijah Montgomery Du Pont is the future mayor of Charleston. From his military career to city hall, every detail of his life has been meticulously planned. Until now. His only respite from life’s sudden upheaval is Addison, his new, improbable best friend. She makes him happy. Grounds him.

Danika Silva can’t stand Lt. Greer Burns. Her roommate’s older brother may be sexy as hell, but he’s also a cold, unfeeling robot. She just wants to graduate and forget about her scowling superior. But when a dangerous mistake lands Danika on probation - under Greer’s watch - she’s forced to interact with the big, hulking jerk. Call him daily to check in? Done. Ride shotgun in his cruiser every night? Done. Try not to climb into his giant, muscular lap and kiss him? Umm....

Andrew Prince wakes up before everyone else. He schedules the bar shifts, demands perfection from Long Beach’s lifeguards—most of all himself—and makes sure the family debts are paid. His unfaltering work ethic might leave him exhausted, but it comes with one advantage: it distracts him from the love he’s harbored since childhood for the girl next door, the girl he cannot have.