House of Scarlett

We come from two different worlds. I’m from the streets. She might as well live in an ivory tower. I made my living with my fists. I doubt she could even throw a punch. Our paths never should have crossed. We never should have met. That doesn’t change the facts. I would sell my soul to taste those red lips. Fight the devil himself to hear her laugh. Burn in hell to have a single night. Scarlett Priest shouldn’t even know men like me exist, but sometimes temptation is stronger than will. If this is how I go down, it’ll be worth every second of the fall.

He's arrogant. She's self-righteous. I hate him. I want her. I've been turning him down for two years straight. Every shutdown makes me work harder. I'm not a one-night stand kind of girl. She doesn't realize I won't settle for only one night. He's a distraction I don't need. She'll say yes eventually because I'm not giving up.

Ten years ago, Whitney Gable caught me off guard with her long legs and grab-you-by-the-balls blue eyes. I didn't know or care what her name was. Like any Riscoff worth the family name, I went after what I wanted. We burned like a flash fire until she married another man. She hates me, and she should. I objected on her wedding day. Now she's home, with those same long legs and man-eater stare, but there's no ring on her finger. They say a Riscoff and a Gable can never live happily ever after, but I'm not done with Whitney Gable.

What's mine, I keep, and that includes Keira Kilgore. It's no longer enough to have her in my debt. No longer enough to own her body. I want something more. She can try to resist, but I'll never give her up. Nothing will keep us apart. Not her. Not my enemies. No one. Her debt will only be paid one way - with her heart.

I'm his entertainment. His toy. Payment on a debt. I tell myself I hate him, but every time he walks into the room, my body betrays me. How can I want him and fear him in the same moment? They told me he'd mess with my head. Make it go to war with my body. But I didn't realize it would be complete anarchy. I should've known better. When Mount's involved, there are no rules. I will not surrender. I will not show weakness. I'll stand my ground and make it out of this bargain with my heart and soul intact. But he has other plans....

I'm the guy you love to hate. In every story in my life, I seem to end up playing the villain - and I've got the scars to prove it. That role works fine for me, because I'm sure as hell not anyone's hero. I run my life and my empire with an iron fist - until she knocks my tightly controlled world off its axis. She's nobody's damsel in distress, but I can't help but want to save her anyway. I guess we're about to find out if there's a hero buried...beneath these scars.

I ran. Escaped the man who wanted to hurt me. I got in my car and drove. No destination. No direction. No help. I hid in the one place I would never be found. Now in New York with no job, I didn’t know what to do. Then I met him. Jaxson Price. The enigmatic devil who wasn't only above the law, but played it like a puppet. He might be the answer to all my problems. Too bad he's asking for something in return for his help.... My heart.

One look at Jericho Forge, and I knew the rumors were true. He was a predator, and he had set his sights on me. I knew better than to bet more than I could afford to lose that night. I knew better than to bet myself. But desperation leads to bad decisions, and I thought there was no way I could lose. I was wrong. Now I have no choice but to make a deal with the devil....

It was just a typical Monday. Until the big boss asked me to make the pitch for a prospective new client. After two years on shaky ground at work because of my screw up, an opportunity to impress the senior partners was just what I needed. Or so I thought, until I walked into the conference room and collided with the man I was supposed to pitch to. My coffee spilled, my files tumbled to the ground, and I almost lost my balance. And that was the good part of my day. Because the gorgeous man who crouched down and looked at me like he wanted to eat me alive was none other than my ex.

Every family has a black sheep. In the infamous Casso crime family, that black sheep is me - Cannon Freeman. Except I’m not a free man. I’ve never been free. Not since the day I was born. I owe my loyalty to my father, Dominic Casso, even if he won’t publicly acknowledge me as his blood. I’ve never had a reason to go against his wishes...until I met her. Drew Carson turned my world upside when she walked into my club looking for a job. Now, my honor and my life are on the line.

I used to believe there were lines in life you don't cross. Don't lie. Don't cheat. Don't steal. Until I learned people don't always practice what they preach. I turned in my badge and gun and walked away from everything. Then I got the call no one wants, and I'm back in New Orleans. What I don't expect is for her to be here, too. Another line you don't cross? Don't touch your best friend's little sister. She's always been off-limits. Too bad I don't follow the rules anymore.

He loves me, and he doesn't even know my real name. The limelight that follows him could expose everything I'm hiding. But even knowing the risks, I can't force myself to stay away. I'm going to break his heart, but mine will shatter right along with it. Will we lose it all when I reveal what's beneath this mask?

The only permanent thing in my life is the ink I put on my clients. I drift from city to city, in and out of beds, from one tattoo shop to the next. Every time I start to put down roots, I rip them up. Until New Orleans. Until her. She's everything I'm not. Full of fire and life. An innocent where I'm a sinner. I want to consume her. Protect her. Keep her. But first I have to escape from beneath these shadows.

The first book in the scorching new Hot Jocks series by New York Times best-selling author Kendall Ryan - available in audio first! I've never been so stupid in my entire life. Elise Parrish, my teammate's incredibly sweet and gorgeous younger sister, should have been off-limits, but my hockey stick didn't get the memo. After our team won the championship, our flirting turned physical, and I took her to bed. Then shame sent her running the next morning from our catastrophic mistake.

I've always known she was too good for me, but that never stopped me from wanting her. And then I finally had her for one night. A night I don't remember. I figured I'd blown my shot. But now she's walked back into my life, and this time I have the upper hand. I want my second chance. Will she be able to see the man beneath this ink?