Winter Renshaw

It was an innocent mistake… All workaholic real estate broker Addison Andrews wanted was one night of pleasure, and picking the right guy was no different than shopping from a catalog thanks to the dating app on her phone. His name was Wilder, and his profile was blank – just a sexy picture of a man who promised every wicked intention of a one-night stand. The agreement was simple. One night. No last names. But the second their bodies melded together in the sheets of their posh Manhattan hotel room, there was no denying they fit together like two pieces of a broken puzzle. There’s just one problem… Addison unknowingly swiped right on the one man she wasn’t supposed to be with – her new stepbrother. All it takes is one bite of forbidden fruit to become addicted, but being with him has major consequences for their entire family. And if anyone found out about them, the career she worked so hard to build would crumble to the ground. But Wilder Van Cleef doesn’t care about the possibility of a scandal. He wants her, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes. PLEASE This is a standalone, full-length romance novel with NO cliffhanger.

In the Wakemont family, it’s tradition to arrange a marriage before the ink is dry on your birth certificate. I was five hours old when my father promised me to the son of a man with “more money than God.” As we grew older, my future groom and I were encouraged to exchange “love letters” to get better acquainted—except the correspondence he sent read more like hate mail. Slade Delacorte hated the arrangement. But more than that, he hated me. He was moody, intense, arrogant, and darkly gorgeous. A villain—not a prince. The last man on earth I’d ever marry (if I had the choice). On my 24th birthday, we exchanged vows in front of six hundred guests who had no idea we weren’t every bit the blissful couple we pretended to be. But as we began our new life together, I soon learned there was only one thing worse than marrying the man I’d hated my entire life: falling in love with him. AUTHOR'S NOTE —This angsty, steamy contemporary romance is a complete standalone with a happily ever after.

Online lovers … offline rivals. Ambitious and career-driven, I have zero time for dating until Blind Love—an app designed for those seeking genuine romantic connections without the hassle of awkward first dates—hooks me in. The only catch? Ninety days of anonymous messaging are required before identities are revealed. I connect with Stranger88 immediately, and before long our flirty banter becomes a welcome escape from my demanding schedule. Soon I’m desperate to know his true identity, so I go digging—only to discover that Stranger88 … is no stranger at all. In a cruel twist of fate, it turns out the mystery man consuming my every thought is fellow attorney Brooks Abbott—a sharp-tongued devil in a three-piece suit, my biggest office rival, and the one obstacle standing between me and the promotion of my dreams: a job Brooks has every intention of landing. Behind the screens, there’s no denying our electric chemistry, but at work, our rivalry grows stronger than ever. But when passion meets profession, will we redefine the Law of Attraction … or will our hearts face a ruthless cross-examination with no chance of appeal? AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a standalone romance. You do not need to read HATE MAIL or YOURS CRUELLY first.

From Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon bestselling author Winter Renshaw comes an enemies-to-lovers romance about the journey of self-discovery that follows a life-changing event. After a brush with death, I realize it’s time to make changes in my life. Big changes. First, my job. I love being a journalist, but I hate my megawatt magnate boss, West Maxwell. When he demands I rewrite an article on short notice, I turn the tables on him with a scathing new column and quit in a blaze of glory. But West isn’t about to let me go that easily, the jerk. He offers me an unexpected new mentor to his rebellious teenage niece. For some reason, I agree—I like helping people, but I’m also admittedly curious to glimpse the man behind the mogul. However, I soon discover that my new assignment isn’t what I expected. As I learn about the private side of my enigmatic boss, I start to see the heart he hides behind his icy facade. The old Elle hated West…but maybe—just maybe—the new Elle can tame him.

Trey Westcott—devastatingly gorgeous. Intimidatingly brilliant. Powerful beyond belief. A man with all the money in the world—literally. As the first trillionaire in existence, my boss lives a life most people can only dream of. Anything he wants—anything at all—is a snap-of-the-fingers away. But when the coldhearted magnate snaps his fingers and requests me for a stint on his arm playing the role of his devoted fiancée and then some, he makes an offer I can’t refuse. And so I don’t. But I make it clear that he’ll have my time, my body, my attention, my discreet professionalism—everything except my heart. It’s not for sale. Because all the money in the world can’t change the secret I’ve kept the last eight years. A secret that complicates the very business deal I’m to help him secure. A secret that makes the undeniable tension between us all the more forbidden. Trey Westcott can have anything he wants ... but he can never have me. Even if he’s all I’ve ever wanted.

All I wanted was a baby. No daddy? No problem. That’s what anonymous donors are for … But when the fertility clinic accidentally sends me a letter addressed to a man whose ID matches my paperwork, I discover my child’s father is none other than world-renowned tennis champion Fabian Catalano—famous for his gorgeous face, chiseled abs, and broody, wildcard reputation. Only everything changes when the clinic calls us in for damage control—and Fabian drops the bombshell of the century. Turns out the intense Adonis wants to get to know his daughter. So I invite him to stay with us—temporarily. Ground rules and all. And our arrangement is simple … until it isn’t. Between 2 AM feedings and stolen kisses, my sweet little simple life has taken a very complicated left turn. But oh, baby. What happens next—is a game changer.

His name is Royal, but he’s no prince charming. He’s not even a prince - though you could say I loved him once upon a time. He was my older brother’s best friend. Growing up, he sat at our dinner table every Sunday, teased me mercilessly, and pretended I annoyed him. When I was old enough, he took me on my first date. Royal taught me how to drive. Escorted me to my junior prom. Gave me my first kiss…amongst other things. He was my first taste of toe-curling, all-consuming, can’t-sleep love. We had our whole lives ahead of us. There was never anyone else for me but him. And then he disappeared. No letter. No explanation. Not even a goodbye. My sisters and brother never forgave him, and my parents forbade me from speaking his name in our house ever again. For all intents and purposes, we were to pretend Royal Lockhart never existed. I’ve spent the last seven years trying in vain to forget my first love, but just when I think I’ve finally moved on, guess who’s back in town?

It was New Year’s Eve, and I should’ve been ringing in the night with cheap champagne and bad decisions at home in New York. Instead I found myself holed up in some hotel room in southern California. But I wasn’t alone. I was in the company of a fellow stranded traveler by the name of Cristiano. We spent one night together – forced into the same hotel room by the snowstorm that cancelled our flights and changed our lives. His dimpled smile, panty-melting kisses, and charming wit were a temporary distraction from the chaos of the day... and the past year. But as soon as morning broke, I set my sights on getting home. I rented a car, mapped out my 2,749 mile journey, and packed my bags. Only Cristiano insisted on joining me. He needed to get home, too. His best friend was getting married on Saturday. And he refused to let me go it alone. It wasn’t safe, he said. Trekking across the country with an alluring stranger was certainly one of the more adventurous moments of my life. Falling for him was certainly one of the most daring. But uncovering his secrets? That was the most challenging. And the truth I learned... would shatter us both.

Filthy mouth. Dirty mind. Messy past. I’m no saint, and I hear my reputation precedes me, but you can’t believe everything people say. I’ve made a living playing by the rules only when the clock is ticking, the ball has been snapped, and I’m cleat-deep in AstroTurf. But I screwed up last year. I went too far with the girls and the partying and the benders, and I created a PR sh*t storm for my team in the process. As a result, the team owner sentenced me to live in some gated, Floridian retirement village until I can “calm down.” Football is my life, and I love my team. They’re the only family I’ve got anymore, so I’ll do what I have to do to stay where I am. The rules are clear: no girls, less booze, zero publicity stunts. If I lay low and repair my reputation, I won’t get cut. It’s that simple. Everything was going well. For the first time in my life, I was living by someone else’s rules . . . . . . and then *she* showed up for the summer. My next door neighbor’s great niece is visiting, and it doesn’t take long for me to see Delilah Rosewood is the perfect mix of sexy and smart. She makes me want to break all the rules and draw every penalty just to get a taste. She’s all curves and opinions and bee-stung lips, and I’m all trying-to-do-everything-I-can-to-convince-her-to-give-me-the-time-of-day. But there’s one problem: she hates me with the passion of a thousand Florida suns. AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a full-length, standalone romance. You do not need to read ROYAL or BACHELOR first, but for a very *limited time* both books are included FREE with this e-book version of FILTHY! Also included is an ALL-NEW series epilogue!

I, Derek Rosewood, am never going to marry. Ever. Again. Fresh off the heels of a bitter divorce, there are only three things I give a sh*t about: my daughter, my career, and my bachelorhood. An attorney by trade and happily married to my job, I save the drama for the courtroom and keep women at an arm’s length. Their fragile, sequined hearts are safer that way. And besides, I’m not in any condition to offer them the love and attention they so foolishly seek from me. Believe me, I’m not what they need. Not after what I’ve been through. It’s not until I’m assigned as the financial conservatorship for an aloof, enigmatic heiress that I find my professional – and personal – boundaries pushed to the wayside. We’re all wrong for each other. Emotionally unavailable. Bitter. Jaded. And I’m supposed to look out for her best interests. Protect her. But *this* wasn’t supposed to happen. And for that reason, I plead the fifth.

From #1 Amazon and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Winter Renshaw comes a scorching hot forbidden romance ...The most humiliating moment of my life begins with an early morning message from my ex’s notoriously heartless best friend.Jovie—In no way does this mean my opinion of you has changed.I’m reaching out because sometime in the middle of last night you tagged yourself in Jude and Stassi’s engagement photo. I don’t care if you were drunk or it was unintentional. I suggest you remove it immediately since the wedding is in two months (which I’m sure you know since you were clearly FB stalking them). The damage is done, but no reason to make things more awkward.You’re welcome.StoneI waste no time removing my accidental tag before the sharp-tongued novelist in me fires off a response to the man who harbored extreme and inexplicable hatred of me during the three years I dated his best friend in college.Only I didn’t expect him to respond.And nothing could have prepared me for what he would say …… or for all the ways this gorgeous villain with cruel icy blues would become the biggest plot twist my life had ever known.

From Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon bestselling author Winter Renshaw comes a fast-paced, emotional romance about what happens when the wrong twin falls for the right man. Being an identical twin has its perks, but when my sister asked me to sub in for a date with Roman Bellisario, I wasn’t exactly thrilled. Sure, he’s sinfully handsome and successful, but he also got me fired from my dream job three years ago. This time, my sister’s promotion is riding on this date, so I have to say yes. And as it turns out, we’re strangely perfect for each other. I sell art. He collects it. We’re both obsessed with the same obscure, mysterious artist that most people don’t even know exists. Roman is guarded, though, and I can understand why. He’s a widowed single dad. But as one date leads to another, he starts to let me in, and I can’t help but fall for him. The problem is Roman still thinks I’m my sister. Is our twin swap going to be the best thing that ever happened to me and Roman—or the lie that tears us apart?

The last time my father beat me to a bloody pulp was the night he walked in on me with his woman in his bed.To be fair, she seduced me. And to be honest, I liked it. But to CPS, I was a victim. They shipped me to Utah where my estranged mother lived with her husband and two sister-wives. And that’s when I met her. My innocent, wholesome, perfect step-sister. Well, one of many. But Waverly stood out because just like me, we’d been fighting a losing battle our entire lives. Falling for her was a mistake, but shit, it’s not like I ever made good decisions. F**k being “family.” I must have Waverly Miller, and I won’t stop until she’s mine. AUTHOR'S This is a full-length, standalone, HEA romance. Contains forbidden themes as well as religious undertones not meant to offend. Please be 18+.

Two people find love in the embers of their painful pasts in this slow-burn romance from Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon bestselling author Winter Renshaw. For me, family is a curse. My father and brother made my life hell. My mother’s untimely death still keeps me up at night. Now that my brother, Donovan, has been killed in an accident, I can forget the past. The last remnant is the childhood home I’ve inherited—and which I intend to burn to the ground. The only obstacle? Anneliese Nielsen, Donovan’s fiancée. Donovan left her destitute, and selling this run-down house is her only chance to recoup her losses. I shouldn’t care, but…maybe it’s her eyes when she sees me. I look strikingly like my brother, a man she loved despite everything. So we strike a deal. We’ll renovate the house together, but she’ll have to convince me to sell—or up in flames it goes. But the more time we spend in the house, the more its terrible history threatens to come out. And even more dangerous, the harder I start to fall for Anneliese.

The name on the screen was “Absinthe.” But I knew her as the sultry voice blowing up my phone for late night chats about Proust and Hemingway interspersed between the filthiest little … mutually satisfying exchanges ... I'd ever experienced in my life. We’d never met.  Until the day she walked into my office, her cherry lips wrapped around a candy apple sucker and an all too familiar voice that said, “You wanted to see me, Principal Hawthorne?” AUTHOR’S This full-length romance is a complete standalone and contains subject matter that may trigger sensitive readers. All characters are adults and all interactions are consensual. :-)

Dear Isaiah, Eight months ago, you were just a soldier about to be deployed and I was just a waitress, sneaking you a free pancake and hoping you wouldn’t notice that my gaze was lingering a little too long. But you did notice. We spent one life-changing week together before you left, and we said goodbye on day eight, exchanging addresses at the last minute. I saved every letter you wrote me, your words quickly becoming my religion. But you went radio silent on me months ago, and then you had the audacity to walk into my diner yesterday and act like you’d never seen me in your life. To think … I almost loved you and your beautifully complicated soul. Almost. Whatever your reason is—I hope it’s a good one. Maritza the Waitress PS – I hate you, and this time … I mean it.

All I wanted was a tattoo. What I got was a broody, enigmatic demigod with an electrifying touch and a mysterious past. We were night and day in every way possible, not an ounce of anything in common, and yet, I wanted him in the worst way. It didn't matter that he was emotionally unavailable or that he was exactly the kind of man who would give my father a coronary should I dare to bring him home. It didn't matter that his heart was wrapped in barbed wire or that he made me promise never to fall for him. None of it mattered because he was the most perfectly imperfect, beautifully tortured soul I'd ever known, and I was besotted, addicted to all the thrilling and wondrous ways he made me feel when we were together. They say a single moment can change the entire trajectory of your life. But looking back, I never could have imagined all the ways my world would change the moment it collided with his.

PLAYBOY. Noun. A moneyed man who spends his time enjoying himself, especially one who acts irresponsibly or is sexually promiscuous. ladies man, philanderer, womanizer. See Beckham King. BECKHAM KING. Noun. None. Vanity wrapped in arrogance and tied with a wicked-intentioned bow. Obnoxiously attractive. Wildly talented in the sack. Everything a girl could want in a one-night stand. Don’t ask him to commit. Don’t expect a phone call. You only get one night. And God forbid you’re the one girl deemed worthy of a reprise… Because you won’t stand a chance. When an arrogant playboy’s mind is set, there’s abso-f*cking-lutely no changing it. AUTHOR'S This is a full-length standalone romance novel with a HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger. Enjoy! xo

A broken marriage pact gives way to a devastating love that won’t let go in this heart wrenching contemporary romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Winter Renshaw. Bogie had Bacall. Carrie had Big. I had Wyatt. Growing up, he was the handsome cowboy next door, an unlikely confidant, my best friend, my first kiss, and my favorite person. We were just a couple of small town kids with ambitions bigger than the stars in our eyes. The summer after graduation, we made a pact: I’d go to college in New York and he’d stay and take over his daddy’s ranch. If by twenty-eight we were both still single, we’d get married … But as we stood in our high school gymnasium the night of our ten-year reunion, Wyatt told me he loved me too much to marry me. He’d never broken a promise to me in his life, but in a single heartbeat he broke the only one that ever mattered. He said it would all make sense someday, that there would come a time I might even be able to forgive him. But then I stumbled upon the truth. And there was no forgiving a secret this shattering—one that made me question if I ever knew him at all; one that only made me want him that much more. Bogie had Bacall. Carrie had Big. I had Wyatt.

My obsession was born of innocence and good intentions, and it began the day I spotted a handwritten journal lying in the bushes outside a townhouse on Lexington Avenue. It was raining sideways that morning, and my plan was to return it the next day; safe and dry. Only I kept it. I kept it, and I read it. A week later, overwhelmed with curiosity and feeling guilty for harboring secrets that didn’t belong to me, I tried to return it. Only I wasn’t expecting to meet him. Unapologetically heartless and enigmatically sexy, he claims he knows nothing about the journal I found outside his place, but the reticent glint in his blue-green gaze tells me otherwise. There’s something different about him; something damaged yet magical, and I’m drawn to him; pulled into his orbit. There’s just one problem. The more I get to know him, the more I’m positive the journal belonged to him... ...and the more I find myself hoping, selfishly, that I’m wrong.

A Political Romantic Suspense There’s a name for girls like me: Sugar Baby. I’m used to being passed around the sexually depraved, middle-aged senators of Washington D.C. like candy, but when I meet him - the mysterious man who buys my exclusivity for three months for price that should frighten me more than his demands - everything changes. He's younger than the others. His touch is softer. His lips sweeter. His need fiercer. He has only one requirement... A blindfold to protect his identity... and to protect me from the danger I'd face if our affair leaked to the world. No phones. No light. No real names. He says I'm his dark paradise, and we have to keep it that way. He promises I'll thank him someday. But what is he really hiding? And what happens if I find out? AUTHOR'S NOTES: 1. This is a standalone, full-length romance with HEA and NO cliffhanger. It will not become a series, and there is no bonus content included. What you see is what you get. :-) 2. If you're looking for a true-to-life political thriller, this isn't it. If you want a forbidden political romance with twists, turns, suspense, and a generous amount of steamy love scenes, then this is your book. As my heroine says, "The fantasy is always better than the reality." Happy reading! xoxo

I didn’t know her name, but I heard her laugh, tasted her lips, felt her warm skin as I held her in my arms. Together we watched our young children playing in the sand, the warm ocean lapping at the shore behind them as the setting sun painted the sky. She was my soulmate and this was our life, our beautiful forever … Then I woke up—alone in a hospital room, connected to wires and machines. There was no wife. No kids. Not a single soul waiting for me. That life I dreamt of—never existed. The woman I loved, the woman I knew better than I knew myself—wasn’t real. Until she walked into my life six months later … And it was both the best and worst day of my life because the woman of my dreams—was about to marry my best friend. AUTHOR'S NOTE: This angsty contemporary romance contains NO cheating or love triangles.

Dear Melrose, The first time I met you, you were a stranger. The second time, you were my roommate. The third time, you made it clear you were about to become the biggest thorn my side had ever known. You sing way too loud in the shower and use all the hot water. You’re bossy as hell. You make my life all kinds of complicated. But no matter how hard I try, I can’t stop thinking about you. Truthfully … I can’t stop wanting you. I was going to tell you this. I was going to sit you down, swallow my pride, hang up my noncommittal ways and show you a side of me you nor anyone else has ever seen before … but then there was a game-changing confession; a bombshell so nuclear it stopped me in my tracks. How I didn’t see this coming, I’ll never know. Sutter P.S. I miss you.

Sixty country days and sixty country nights—that’s all I wanted. I needed to get away from the city, away from the hot mess that had become my life. When I stumbled upon my childhood home on RentBnB.com, I took it as a sign, cleaned out my life savings, and hightailed it to the only place that ever meant something to me, a place I hadn’t seen since a lifetime ago. Only when I arrived to the familiar South Dakotan farmhouse, I was met by a brooding, we-don’t-take-kindly-to-strangers cowboy by the name of River McCray, who insisted this was his house and most definitely not a rental property. I’d been internet scammed. And that cocky, smart-mouthed stranger had the nerve to make me a humiliating I could stay in his house for the next two months rent-free, but I had to work for him. With no money and nowhere else to go, I agreed. But nothing could have prepared me for the tension, the attraction, and the bombshell revelatiosn that changed … everything.

The last time I saw Nevada Kane, I was seventeen and he was loading his things into the back of his truck, about to embark on a fourteen-hour drive to the only college that offered him a full ride to play basketball. I told him I’d wait for him. He promised to do the same. But life happened. I broke my promise long before he ever broke his—and not because I wanted to. We never saw each other again … Until ten years later when Nevada unexpectedly returned to our hometown after an abrupt retirement from his professional basketball career. Suddenly he was everywhere, always staring through me with that brooding gaze, never returning my smiles or “hellos.” Over the years, I’d heard that he’d changed. And that despite his multi-million dollar contracts and rampant success, life hadn’t been so kind to him. He was a widower. And a single father. And rumor had it, he’d spent his last ten years trying to forget me, refusing to so much as breathe my name … hating me. But just like a rebound, he’s back. And I have to believe everything happens for a reason. AUTHOR'S For a limited time, this book contains one bonus book, which means THE REBOUND ends around 50% on your Kindle. Rest assured that it is still a full-length novel. :-)

The night before her million-dollar wedding to steel magnate Dorian Hawthorne III, Olivia Peretti meets a handsome stranger in her hotel bar who quells her cold feet and assures her all will be fine. And all is fine … until the following day—when that same stranger shows up at the ceremony with the sole intention of objecting. And his reason? It’s one that Olivia never could have anticipated. THIS BOOK IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN AUDIO ON THE READ ME ROMANCE PODCAST. The eBook will release on Amazon in July, 2019! Listen for FREE here: iTunes - > geni.us/A888vRA Google Play -> geni.us/7lB4UBK Website - > readmeromance.com

It’s only pretend… And it’s only three months. I’m in the midst of scrawling “I QUIT!” onto his fancy cardstock letterhead when my boss corners me. He needs a favor, he says. And then he asks how well I can act … Hudson Rutherford needs a fiancée. With his old-moneyed parents forcing him to marry some bratty hotel heiress and his hedonistic, playboy lifestyle at stake, the only way to get them to back off is to make them think he’s truly, madly, deeply in love … with me—his third personal assistant this year. But I can hardly stand working for him as it is. Hudson is crazy hot and well-aware. He’s arrogant, spoiled, and silver-spooned. He checks me out when he thinks I’m not looking, and his life is a revolving door of beautiful women. Plus, he can’t even pronounce my name correctly—how’s he going to convince his family he’s in love with me?! I’m seconds from giving him a resounding “no” when he flashes his signature dimpled smirk and gives me a number that happens to contain a whole mess of zeroes … On second thought, I think I can swallow my pride. But, oh baby, there’s one thing I haven’t told him, one teensy-tiny thing that could make this just a hair complicated … Here’s hoping this entire thing doesn’t explode in our faces.

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride—and that’s the way I like it. I may be anti-marriage, but I’m still pro-romance. Case in point? That sexy curmudgeon I met last year during my cousin’s tropical bachelorette getaway. That grump was Dorian, the groom’s old college roommate, there for the bachelor party. I couldn’t get enough of his messy brown hair and gorgeous turquoise eyes. We connected on a deep level—emotionally and physically. But the timing wasn’t right. So we made a pact to reconnect in two years. Now I’m starting a new “job.” It’ll take a lot of work and pays really well—I’m talking seven figures here. All I have to do is pretend to be my boss’s new fiancée…and spend eight weeks with his family on their private island. How hard could it be? Turns out, a lot harder than I thought. Because the man I’m pretending to love? He’s Dorian’s brother, and now all bets are off… Listening Length: 7 hours and 17 minutes.

The words “For Lila, forever” adorned the front of the envelope in blue ink, the handwriting all too familiar. But it didn’t matter what it said. I didn’t have the heart to open it. We couldn’t be together. Not after everything ... Leaving Rose Crossing, Maine was one of the most painful moments of my life—or at least it was until the day I came face-to-face with Thayer Ainsworth again. After a decade of searching, he’s found me, and he wants to know why I quit my housemaid job and left his family’s island estate without so much as a goodbye. But I’m bound by a devastating secret much bigger than the two of us, and telling him the truth has consequences. Looking into the eyes of the only man I’ve ever loved, I tell him the only thing I’m allowed never contact me again. And when he’s gone, I sit down and finally open his letter. Only it isn’t a letter at all. And it changes everything.

The first time I saw him was at a bar called Ophelia’s on a misty Thursday night. I was there to drown my sorrows after a trying day, he was there to escape the storm. After a brief yet incredibly cruel exchange, the handsome stranger bolted before I had a chance to tell him off. Incensed and two cocktails deep, I followed him out the door, determined to give the audacious Adonis a piece of my mind. 

 Tearing after him in heels and barely able to keep up in the freezing rain, I ended my chase when I realized where he was going.

 They say never to judge someone unless you know their story. 

 I never could have anticipated his... And I never could have anticipated the way our paths would cross again—or that I would one day find myself falling for a man with a hollow cavity where his heart should be, a man as callous as he was beautiful, as complicated as he was mesmeric. They say never to judge someone unless you know their story. This one’s ours.

I was sixteen when I vowed I would never marry him. We shook on it. Pinky swore. Even put it in writing and all but signed our names in blood. It was the one and only thing we ever agreed on. To the world, he’s Prince Julian, Duke of Montcroix, second in line to the Chamont throne. Panty-melting accent. Royal charm. Hypnotic presence. Blindingly gorgeous. Laundry list of women all over the world who would give their first born for the chance to marry him. Most eligible bachelor in the free world … But to me, he’s nothing more than the son of my father’s best friend—the pesky blue-eyed boy who made it his mission to annoy the ever-loving hell out of me summer after summer as our families vacationed together, our parents oblivious to our mutual disdain as they joked about our “betrothal.” He was also my first kiss. And my first taste of heartbreak so cataclysmic it almost broke me. I meant it with every fiber of my soul when I swore I’d never marry him. But on the eve of my 24th birthday, His Royal Highness has the audacity to show up at my door after years of silence and make a demand will forever change the trajectory of our lives: “We have to break our pact.”

This Christmas, I’ll be getting a visit from a man in a suit, only it won’t be Santa.Let me first say: Reed York was never my boyfriend. He was the pen. I was the company ink. Though if you want to get technical, we were more like colleagues-who-hated-each-other … with benefits.Everything was fine until the charming jerk went behind my back, stole my promotion, and became my boss—literally overnight.Refusing to work beneath him (professionally speaking and otherwise), I transferred 2,014 miles away to our Chicago division, and I’ve spent the past year trying to remember how much I hated his panty-melting smirk so I can forget how much I secretly loved the way his ocean eyes lit every time I walked into the room.But he’s just announced a last-minute site visit the week between Christmas and New Year’s, and on top of that, he’s audaciously designated me as his ‘right hand gal’ during his visit. If he thinks he has a snowball’s chance in this hell at getting back in my good graces, he’s got another thing coming.Reed York might be a man used to getting everything he’s ever wanted, but Joa Jolivet is a woman that never forgets.He can put me on his Christmas list all he wants, but everyone knows naughty boys only get coal.