Bring the Heat

Jacob Ellington I've been bred for success. As the CFO of my father's wealth management firm, I know exactly what's expected of me and the image I must uphold. To the outside world, my long-term girlfriend and I are beautiful, powerful, successful… and rich. However, the suit I wear hides more than my cut physique. Living a lie has been the norm since I was a teenager. Although not ideal, I have a great woman by my side and a promising future. Everything is as it should be. Until I cross paths with Dylan Ryder. One look and everything I've worked so hard to conceal comes rushing to the surface. One taste and I'm ready to burn my life as I know it to the ground. Dylan Ryder I'm used to being judged. My Mexican-American heritage earns me some looks, my tattoos earn me others, and of course, being on a date with another man ensures whoever wasn't staring because of the first two things, definitely is now. But I haven't been on a date in a while. With my family's automotive shop under attack from vandals, I'm working longer hours to try to make ends meet as business keeps waning. So, when I crumple the front-end of a Maserati at the grocery store, I really don't have the time or money to deal with it. But knowing it's the right thing to do, I offer to fix it anyway. Wholly unprepared for the onslaught of lust as Jacob Ellington enters my life, I struggle to maintain control. However, as our paths continue to cross, I become unsure if I even want control anymore. And when our mouths inevitably collide, he lights my world on fire. Literally.

Shannon I've become my own worst nightmare. A trophy wife completely reliant on her husband. A stay-at-home mother of an infant. A bitter, quiet, resentful woman too tired to speak up for herself. My efforts to save my marriage and make my husband happy have overshadowed my own dreams and desires. Until a man in a brown uniform knocks on my door and delivers more than just the box in his hands. Every interaction with Hudson leaves me questioning my whole life. But what happens when the one who got away was someone you were never supposed to have in the first place? Hudson After serving in the military for eight years, I took a civilian job as a delivery driver to be close to my sister, brother-in-law, and their kids. When tragedy struck less than a year later, I was glad I had the stable career and income to help keep Monica afloat. But responsibility has overshadowed my own dreams and desires. Until Fate lands me on the doorstep of the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on. I'm hit with a wave of longing so strong, I may never come up for air. The only problem is, Shannon's married… and if we play with fire, I have no doubt we'll both get burned because this isn't your average affair.

Phoenix I was the best bronc rider on the circuit, but being openly bisexual wasn't an option unless I wanted my talent overshadowed by my orientation. I thought I was the only one keeping my cards close to my chest, until our eyes met across the bonfire, and I knew he shared the same secret I did. Walker DeVille may have bested me in the ring that night, but I'd give him a ride he'd never forget. And then he lied. And that lie cost me everything. When Walker turns back up in my life, there's no denying that same electrifying chemistry is there, but I learned my lesson, and where the fire once burned, there's nothing left but ashes. Walker The first time I saw Phoenix Harding ride, I was smitten. But cowboys like me aren't supposed to feel the way I do about other men. That's the unspoken rule. The expectation. The understanding if you find yourself in my shoes. So, when Phoenix followed me into the darkness, away from the fire, I knew he knew what I was hiding. Part of it at least. One night with him gave me the wings I needed to soar above the guilt trying to drag me down. But my salvation cost him everything. And when I have nowhere else to turn, years later, it's Phoenix who saves me yet again. He's adamant that I blew our only chance…that nothing remains between us. But he's wrong. He watched us burn, and now he'll watch as we rise from the ashes.

Knox As another member of my friend group finds his happily ever after, I'm starting to think I've missed the chance at my own. I keep myself plenty busy with the fire station and my contracting business, but when a mandatory rest order from my fire chief leaves me with extra time on my hands, my friends convince me to change my routine and step outside my comfort zone in order to find what I'm looking for. I thought drinking different beers in a different bar, in a different part of town, would suffice, but fate has other plans, and Taylor enters my life in a whirlwind of chaos. There's a zero percent chance he's what I need... or want, for that matter. He's far too young, much too vibrant… and a guy. But still, I'm consumed by thoughts of him. His voice, his smile, and the pain in his eyes that mirrors my own continue to haunt me long after I flee the bar. So, when I show up at a new job site and it's Taylor who answers the door, I know I'm in trouble. Ten days is all it takes for Taylor Landry to send everything I thought I knew about myself up in flames. Taylor A catastrophic breakup with a man I never should've touched left me numb, at odds with my family, and unable to find my fire. So, when my siblings offer to take me out for my birthday, I jump at the chance for reconciliation and a night of fun. But one wrong step has me literally landing in the arms of a stranger. And the connection is enough to reignite my missing spark. Except one look tells me history is about to repeat itself, and I can't go down this road again. But when the ruggedly handsome stranger shows up on my doorstep two weeks later, I become determined to get under his skin and into his bed. Knox Bennett is everything I should avoid. He's over forty, moody as hell… and straight. Yet I find myself inexplicably drawn to him. When he proves he's willing to learn, I'm more than ready to teach. It only takes ten days to realize we'll either ruin each other beyond repair or be exactly what the other needs to set our hearts and bodies ablaze.