Showing results by author "Piper Rayne" in All Categories

Turn-ons...Party girls. Platinum blondes. Zero expectations. I used to think that if you could combine all three into one female, you'd have the perfect woman. Then why the hell does Ava Pearson an outdoorsy girl, a brunette, and a woman who screams stability and responsibility seem to be the only woman on my mind lately? I've got enough obligations without adding any complications to the mix my son, my bar...well, that's about it. But that's enough for a guy like me.

You might be wondering how you’ll know when your playboy ways are coming to an end. For some, it might be an unexpected pregnancy (ahem...you know who). For others, it might be finally landing the one woman you’ve always wanted (cough...I won’t mention any names). For me, it was the death of my mentor and the subsequent reading of his will. The signs were there. They always are. But I didn’t notice them until it was too late, and my demise was complete.

Usually, I don’t have much self-control. So, the fact that Frankie Grant is a hot, talented tattoo artist means it’s a damn miracle she hasn’t already been in my bed. But nothing can happen between us because Frankie comes with Jolie, her young daughter, and a crapload of baggage from her ex. And those are two things I never entertain. But I also know what it’s like not to have parents, so things get complicated when Jolie asks me to be her daddy. I might as well just slash my own tires now.

It’s not a new story. Wife finds out husband’s been cheating on her, and she packs up her four kids and heads back to her hometown of Sunrise Bay, Alaska. Yeah, not a fresh start, but thousands of miles away from my ex will do just fine. I’m prepared for the cold weather, the early snowfalls, and dark days and nights. What I’m not prepared for is coming face-to-face with my ex’s cousin, and for the same feelings from 20 years ago to ignite like the flame never went out.

I thought I was over him. That his good looks and British accent couldn’t affect me anymore. But the minute our eyes lock across the elevator, all those feelings come roaring back to life. Then I find out we’re competing for the same job. Next comes the realization that we have to spend a week together on a ski vacation because of some six-degree-of-separation nonsense. The real kicker is when I find out the two of us have to share a villa. A very small, very cozy villa.

I never thought of myself as dad material. Until my one-night stand showed up in my small Alaskan town five months pregnant. But I don’t shy away from responsibility. First, because I’m a Greene, and not to boast, but we’re kind of a big deal in Sunrise Bay. Second, I’m the sheriff.

I’m the town widow. Not the only one, but the youngest by far. My husband died one year after our wedding, casting me as the charity case in my small Alaskan town.

In the middle of a crowded bar in our small Alaskan town, my estranged wife snuggles up to me as if we’re still a happy couple. Don’t get me wrong, we were a happy couple - before she walked out on me a year ago. We were the high school sweethearts everyone thought were destined to be together forever. We thought so, too, which is why we married shortly after graduation. We had a good marriage. Until she left me without any real explanation. Now, she’s back - and this is the real kicker - she has amnesia and thinks I’m still her husband.

It’s the classic story—girl returns to her hometown only to end up moving in with her high school crush, who she hates. Returning to Willowbrook was my only option after Chicago chewed me up and spit me out. Technically, it wasn’t Chicago’s fault. It was his fault—the man I thought I knew who turned out to be a liar. My older sister, always the one to swoop in and fix things, secured me a job as a yoga instructor on her fiancé’s family ranch. As my self-assigned protector, she’s keeping one eye on me and one eye on Emmett Noughton, her fiancé’s brother.

The start of Lee Burrows and I was a college girl’s biggest fantasy. Campus’ most popular guy, the starting quarterback, the same guy I’ve crushed on forever, notices me—the quiet introvert. Although, he never would’ve noticed me if he didn’t need my help passing our biology class. I didn’t think I had a chance with him until he started flirting with me and asking me questions like, “Who was the guy you were talking to?” and “Do you have a boyfriend?”

He’s the father of my child and my best friend. When Hudson and I met, somehow things just clicked between us. We had the same sense of humor and the same carefree attitude about our lives and goals. Neither of us wanted to lay down roots, we wanted to explore the world. Then one night, too much alcohol and uncontrolled hormones led to the line blurring, and we fell into bed together only to discover a month later that we were more careless than we thought.

One word that comes to mind when someone talks about me. I like to think of it as protection, watching out for the ones I love. But now I’m spending more time in the penalty box than on the ice and the team owner isn’t happy. Finding myself across the room from the hot therapist I kissed on New Year’s Eve only makes me push my problems down further. I want couch time with her but not the kind she’s used to.

One wild night turns into two pink lines. Sleeping with the best man at my cousin’s wedding felt right at the time—he was a hot, available firefighter, and I was the tipsy maid of honor. It’s a rite of passage. No regrets… until two pink lines flipped my world upside down. Now I’m wildly unprepared and trying to hide my pregnancy in my small Alaskan town where privacy is a myth and gossip spreads faster than frostbite. But wait, it gets worse. Baby Daddy just came back to town—with a fiancée in tow. And guess who she wants to plan their wedding? Me. Keeping the secret was hard enough.

Being the heir to Jacobs Enterprises, I’ve been around fake people my entire life. I promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn’t change for anyone. Which is the only reason I’m a professional hockey player who lives on the beach and does as he pleases without answering to anyone - except my father.

What does a girl do after she discovers her fiancé is a cheating bastard? In my case, I performed the ritual implosion of all scorned women. I drowned my sorrows in cases of white wine, wallowed in gallons of ice cream, and ignited a bonfire to burn away every damn remnant of his existence. Six months later, the only result was a permanent impression of my ass on the couch. Adventure Dating, my friends dared. I thought they were crazy, but I’m not one to back down from a challenge, so I signed up for the entire four-week deal. That’s where I saw him. Lucas Cummings.

The last thing any professional hockey player wants is to be the old man in the game. The guy who doesn’t know when it’s time to retire. Still, I can’t bear the thought of leaving the game. This past year I’ve reflected on all my regrets, and I told myself that once I retire it’ll be the time to find the right woman. But this is where it gets tricky. I think I’ve found her—although she’ll deny our connection to anyone who asks. We’ve been sleeping together casually, and since I’m still playing hockey, I’ve let her get what she wants—me—whenever she wants.

Lee f’ing Burrows. The Kingsmen’s star quarterback. Legendary throwing arm. Six-pack abs. Kissable lips. Oh, but don’t forget, he’s also a lying, heartless egomaniac who broke my heart in college.

In truth, it probably didn’t help that I showed up dressed like an elf but that’s a story for another time. Our start was rocky at best which is why it’s so frustrating that I can’t stop thinking about his sexy British accent. Or the way his chest and arms fill out his suit. Or his perfect hair with that single streak of grey at the front.

What’s a girl to do after being ditched at the altar by text message? That’s right. Text. Message. How does she pick up the pieces and move on? I’m no Dear Abby but here’s a little free advice.... Advice number one - First, purge your apartment of all things him - by tossing his belongings off the balcony. Advice number two - Do not, I repeat do not, throw anything out into the hallway because you’ll injure your hot new neighbor.

The Kingsmen’s top tight end. My brother’s friend and teammate. My new neighbor. The grumpy to my sunshine. But underneath that grumpy exterior, there’s so much more.