Showing results by author "Lauren Blakely" in All Categories

The one unbreakable rule in the Man Code is this: no matter how beautiful, smart, and clever she is, do not fall in love with your best friend's woman. Yeah, so I screwed up big time when I fell for her. I might have let my sin of unrequited love slide, given everything that went down in the last few years, but Lulu just walked back into my life as vibrant as ever. And the cards are stacked against me once again. We're working together, and the last thing I want to do is mess up her life with a forbidden office romance now that she's finally got the fresh start she deserves.

As the team’s publicist, I desperately need a football player to be the face of our charity calendar. Turns out our one-time party boy receiver Jones Beckett needs a savvy PR woman to manage his new good guy rep. Sounds like a simple give and take, even though I’ll be traveling around the country, snapping pictures of the sexy athlete holding rescue kittens and puppies. Still, I’m dedicated to my job, so I'll stick to my iron-clad rule—don't date a player. And never ever fall for one. No matter how charming, big-hearted and devilishly clever the man is.

She was my "what if" girl. The one I longed for. The one I tried to find again after she left for the other side of the world. Now, years later, fate has swept the only woman I’ve ever loved back into my life. With her intensity, her honesty, her passion, Annalise tries to break down my walls, because she’s the one who knew me before my family shattered. When we collide again, it's tender and savage, gentle and rough, and makes me hungry for more of this electric, once-in-a-blue moon kind of connection.

Lucas Xavier is the last person I want to spend 24 hours with, let alone two minutes. Exes are exes for a reason. In his case, for a million reasons. Because he's not only an ex-lover, he's also an ex-friend. We didn't just break up - we combusted in a spectacular bonfire of barbs and doors slammed. Nothing will change that. Not his clever wit, not his ridiculous good looks, not his unfair levels of charm. And definitely not a wild dash through the city that takes us on an accidental scavenger hunt through our past, where we stop for a tango lesson, pancakes and a visit with llamas.

There are three words most men can’t resist - I dare you. So as you can see, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I had no choice when my buddies said, “I bet you can’t get that brunette beauty to kiss you before the night ends.” I proved them wrong, and oh how good it felt to be right when I swept the quick-tongued woman into my arms and kissed the breath out of her at the party. But, I made a slight miscalculation. Turns out she’s my brand new enemy.

I'm the wrong guy for her. She's sunshine and cherry pie. I'm whiskey and fast cars. I'm also keeping one hell of a secret from the woman I've wanted for years. But when I find a list my sister left behind for Ruby, I've got no choice but to offer the sexy, big-hearted girl next door both a road trip and a chance. A chance to discover how big she can dream.

I wasn't in the market for a man. I definitely wasn't looking for a man like Clay Nichols, with a dirty mind and a mouth to match. But then he walked into my life one night, and he was everything I wanted. He's also exactly what I can't have. Because there's a price tag on my head. I'm a wanted woman, and I owe debts that were never mine. The dangerous men I owe have threatened to hurt anyone in my life if I don't pay up. So I work off my debts by playing cards in an underground poker ring. One so risky I shouldn't get involved with a soul.

When the invitation arrived, it detailed the rules of the masquerade -- no names, no identities. I set one more-- find a most wicked man for one night. The kind who'll bring me deliciously naughty pleasure in dark corners. But as the clock ticks to midnight, he finds me, whisks me away to a secret alcove, and delivers all that dirty bliss and then some. We make arrangements for another secret rendez vous before I rush out of the ball.

The second the test-the-sexy-scenes offer landed in my lap, I said yes. After all, I've been damn curious about a few things I've read in romance novels. Do buttons truly go flying across the floor when you rip off a guy's shirt? Is staircase nookie hella hot, or does it leave you with a big old bruise mark on your back? And don’t even get me started on all that panty shredding, and whether it even works. Time to find out as I embark on Project Sexy Scenes Research, at the request of my hotshot book editor bestie. All I need is a willing scene partner.

He's my business partner, my good friend, and the man I've craved for years. But I've resisted the sexy Brit, and I plan to keep up my walls because I've been there, done that, and I know how much it hurts when you let someone into your heart. Then an opportunity comes along for us to snag the business deal of a lifetime. The catch? We need to pretend we're married to pull off this high-stakes deal. So the clever, charming man with secrets a mile deep becomes my temporary husband, as we travel around Europe.

My former apprentice is the last person I want to work with. Ever. She still hates me since I fired her once upon a time. So when I’m forced to pair up with the wildly sexy brunette every day on the most important custom car build of my career, we spend our days firing snark and sarcasm at each other in the garage. Too bad watching her work automotive wonders with a wrench is doing something to me.

Every man knows there are lines you don't cross. Like this one - don't bang your boss' little sister. Too bad I didn't know sexy, clever, irresistible London is related to the guy who signs my paychecks. Would have been helpful to have that intel before I took her out on that first date, before I kissed her on the beach, before I made plans to take her home that night.

Look, I had a rough week at work. So I put on a bikini and escape to the beach, where I wind up rescuing the city’s hot new quarterback from a rogue paddleboard, and then he rescues me that night from a s-e-x drought. Hello O-Town. Nice to see you! The charmer with the magic hands wants another date too, and I say yes so fast. But the thing is I’m the team lawyer for The Mercenaries. And the morning after the sexiest night of my life, I find out the guy I plan to see again was just traded to our team.

I might still carry my V-card, but I know exactly what I want in a man. Smart, charming and oh-so-skilled. Too bad I haven't found him yet. But maybe he's found me. Because when my charming, laid-back next-door neighbor discovers a secret list I keep, he volunteers to work through every single item on it. Including the last one - at the end, we walk away and stay friends. I say yes to his offer, and that's when I discover another side to him. A side I adore. A side I crave. He's commanding, intense, and everything I've ever wanted.

Things that suck on my wedding day - walking in on my groom kissing another woman 20 minutes before the ceremony. Things that suck worse? The woman he’s kissing is my mom. I head straight for the bowling alley bar down the street and ask for a double. And in walks a deliciously charming local football hero - Harlan Taylor. Yes, I’ll take another drink in the form of a one-night stand with this hunk of a man. In the morning, he asks if I want to get together again. More rebound nookie? Yes please!

Some women are just forbidden. Like - off the top of my head - my sister's lifelong best friend. Sis has made it patently clear that Vanessa is hands-off, as in keep my ladies' man paws far away from her clever, go-getter best friend who's ready for the real deal. That should be an easy guideline to follow, except Vanessa is deliciously flirty and easy to talk to and laughs at my jokes. Translation - my libido has been craving her many, many years. So many that we might have stolen a kiss or two. Can you say pent-up, crazy, raw desire?

I swear I’m changing. I’m trying so damn hard to step into the wild unknown of my future. At least Trey is on the other side waiting for me, and he’s the closest I’ve ever come to something real, something true, something like love instead of addiction. But when I learn what the man I love has been hiding from me, I fear our future will be riskier than I ever could have imagined. And I don’t know how the hell I’ll ever be ready for it.

I swear I’m a good girl. I didn’t go to the exclusive, after-hours masquerade to kiss my dad’s best friend. I didn’t even know who the masked man was when he touched me like I was his every fantasy. But when I learn exactly how off-limits my new lover is, I do my best to avoid him the next time. Except, he has his sinful sights set on me, even when he discovers who I am. Just one time, he whispers. Then we’ll pretend this never happened.

Top three reasons why sleeping with the enemy is a bad idea.... She's my fiercest rival. She's also my fiery ex. We're going up against each other in a stiff competition to win the hottest new client on the market. And yet, I'd like to be up against the wall in a stiff competition to get her to call out my name. Time to double down on my resistance to her tough-as-nails, take-no-prisoners, sexy-as-sin attitude. The same attitude I find irresistible.

Let's say there was this guy. And he gave you the most mind-blowing night of sex in your life. And you never saw him again. Until 10 years later. Now, it turns out he's the only one in all of Manhattan whose restaurant is available for my charity's event. The trouble is, he doesn't recognize me.