Vanessa never wanted to be a contractor, but ever since her husband died, she has been trying to hold together his business. Her attempts are constantly hampered by sexy, charming Joe Coleman, another local contractor who wants nothing more than to buy her out. Now they're thrown together in a job at Eden Manor, a bed and breakfast and huge renovation job that can only be completed if they work together.

On a Wednesday afternoon, I ask Trevor Bentley to marry me. He might be the most arrogant, obnoxious man I know, but I need him to be my husband for a year. There are reasons. He's not going to be a real husband. Just part-time...I'm not going to give him my heart. I know what I'm doing, and I'm too smart to fall for my husband. I hope.

We meet every other Wednesday night in a downtown hotel. No dates. No commitments. No hearts or flowers. Just his body and mine. Maybe I’m his second best. He’s definitely mine. But second best has never felt so good.

After growing up with an unstable father, Kate has always prided herself on her organized and well-planned life. She's secure now with a good job and an impressive boyfriend. And with Aaron, her best friend since high school. Aaron might be smart, funny, and sexy, but he has never been anything more than a friend. Kate will never risk her stable world and her closest relationship by turning the friendship into romance. But then everything changes in only one night....

Ever since her former roommates deserted her, Meg has had to share an apartment with a lazy, obnoxious ass. He won't pick up after himself, and he refuses to get a good job. Plus, he doesn't always wear enough clothes - which is really a problem, because he's hot. Maybe he's occasionally funny. And every now and then he can be sweet. But mostly he's just annoying. It doesn't matter how much he's starting to flirt with her - Meg is going to resist. She's way too smart to fall for a guy who never takes anything seriously.

As the daughter of a Hollywood mogul, introverted Claire Kenyon has often been thrown into the limelight, despite her best efforts to live a quiet life. When her father receives a threat aimed at her, he surrounds her with security, and one of her bodyguards is sexy Michael Lyle, who offers Claire very close protection.

When Rachel arrives back in her hometown for the Christmas holiday, she doesn't expect to be stranded alone in an ice storm with David Harris. David is her brother's best friend, and she's known him all her life. She lost her virginity to him. And he's the one man she can never forgive. Despite all of the reasons she knows not to trust him, she finds herself falling for him again as they try to keep warm in the storm.

Three years into a five-year marriage of convenience, Jenn finds herself wanting something she never thought she'd want from her laid-back, ex-military husband. Sex - as a much-needed release of tension from her high-stress job. But weekly sex with Nick, despite their careful parameters, is likely to get messy eventually.

The only woman I want is the one I can never have. Harper. My best friend’s sister. I’ve wanted her since I was eighteen, but she’s always been off-limits. Now I’m home after years in the Marines, and nothing has changed - except everything has. Her brother is dead, and she’s on a hopeless quest for answers about his death. And I want her just as much as ever. Someone is trying to kill her now, and she won’t let me keep her safe.

Nathan Livingston has more in his life than he can handle - a high-powered job in DC politics, a 16-year-old daughter he's raising alone, and another daughter who ran away from him, whom he hasn't seen in two years. He doesn't have anything left to invest in a real relationship. A night of hot sex with Lynn every three months is as much as he'll allow himself, and it doesn't matter that it never feels like enough.

Love is the last thing on Zoe’s mind. Widowed at only twenty-six, she’s just trying to get through one lonely day at a time as she grieves her late husband, and finds the energy to take care of her infant son. As Zoe bravely tries to hold herself together, her husband’s cousin and business partner, Adam, offers his support and friendship. Shattered by her loss, Zoe is distant and resentful at first, but Adam gently persists, and Zoe’s reserve soon begins to crumble… Adam knows that Zoe needs time to heal but finds himself more and more attracted to her.

After years of dreaming, Jessica is finally getting married, but the marriage isn't exactly what she thought. Daniel is her best friend, and she's known him all her life, but he's never gotten over losing his wife two years ago. His dream is to become the pastor of the church in their hometown, but the small-town congregation keeps balking over calling an unmarried minister. Since Daniel needs a wife and Jessica wants a husband and family, she proposes an arrangement that benefits both of them.

I left my brothers in the marines to start a family. I left my ex-wife when that family drove her to drink and drugs. Now all I have left is my son - and he's all I care about. I can't afford to make another mistake. And the girl who moved in next door? Mistake written all over her. But I can't take my damn eyes off her. As she tries to start a new life away from her abusive ex, she has her own reasons to stay away. But we can't help it. We're drawn to each other. And when she tells me how much she wants a baby...I make every mistake in the book. Because I want a family again.

Two neighbors - strangers - with one thing in common: they share a fence. But is that the only thing they share? Nathan Fraser lives a solitary life, never letting anyone get too close. It's safer that way. Kourtney Whyte hides from the world and behind her work, too afraid to really live her life to the fullest. Rejection is what she knows best. But one night, the sound of her soft voice and the tantalizing aroma of her evening meal prove too enticing for Nathan to ignore.

Introverted Daisy McGregor is used to being a wallflower, but what she lacks in style, she makes up for with an acerbic wit, a passion for life, and a deep devotion to her family. So she'll suffer through her sister Dahlia's bachelorette party and accept the cloud of pity for going stag to the wedding. Out at the pub, sexy bad boy Mason Carlisle is a reluctant wingman tasked with entertaining Daisy while his brother flirts with her oldest sister, Daffodil. When the plan fails and Mason's true intent is revealed, he feels intense guilt - and a sensual spark of desire.