Kiss Starter: Cambridge High

RueMalice Sterling. Hot. Rich. Moody. He is part of the in-crowd. Lusted after by the hottest girls. On the outside, he has an enviable life. On the inside, he's a mess. A hot-tempered, smoking hot mess.That's where I come in. His parents staged an intervention, hiring me as his live-in babysitter. I won't let his sabotaging derail my plan of succeeding in something after failing everything life throws my way. Malice Sterling, let the hate game begin.MaliceRue Lee. Stubborn. A pain in the ass. She doesn't listen to a word anyone says and would rather do the opposite of what she's told. We're too alike and butt heads at every turn, be it the inside of my car or my bedroom. Those places could be one and the same.You see, I can't decide whether to kiss Rue or spank her. One thing I'm certain of is that I am a grown dude and can take care of myself, spank you very much. Play your games, Rue. We know who will come out on top. Smirk.

SorrowI don't believe in fairy tales or happy endings. There are only tragedies and irony. Did my mother realize that when she named me Sorrow? My dad, too, when his addiction led to a tragedy that ironically landed me in the home of his enemy. I'm grateful for the Saints's generosity but am not thrilled to live under the same roof as their brooding son, Trace. The way he stares at me, as if I'm a little mouse and he, the hungry hawk, is unnerving. TraceShe is hot one minute and cold the next. I can't get a good read on the girl with two first names, Sorrow Sophia. S. S. Can we get an O, please? Because this girl needs serious help, and I'll be the one teaching her the hard knocks of life. The first rule is don't disturb the sleeping bear by poking at it. But don't be fooled by Sorrow's timid voice and quiet presence. Inside that fine body is a fighter, and I love a good fight. Ashlyn Mathews is a registered nurse with an overactive imagination. Her interests and activities include taking a lot of pictures of her golden retrievers and flowers and posting them on social media (occasionally she'll post pictures of her kids and hubby), binge-watching funny and romantic Netflix shows, reading books and magazines of various genres, eating a lot of carbs, and drinking A LOT of coffee. Hot, iced, blended… it doesn't matter as long as it has coffee.For more on her romance series, visit ashlynmathews.com.

She's no damsel in distressI'm not an optimist. Or a pessimist. I'm a realist. After catching the unwanted attention of Seven Shanahan, the school bully and jock at the upper echelon of high school royalty, I prep for a battle of wills and aim to win, even at the cost of getting my heart broken. He's the wrong guy to mess withThe new girl, Leigh Kim, should cool her temper. Be less defiant and a pain in my ass with this push-pull of me saving her life and she evening the score by stealing the things that matter to me. Because the more Leigh challenges the status quo, the hotter I burn with the need to bring her to her knees. For her to worship me like the other girls do. For her to be mine and no one else's until I'm done toying with her. I expect this and more. I am the almighty ruler at Cambridge High and won't be overthrown by a girl with enough attitude to light up a stadium. What I'm not expecting is for Leigh to threaten the one thing I'm unwilling to give to any girl-my damn heart.