The Masons Series by Hazel Kelly

I'm not an anxious person, but Quinn Draper has always made me nervous. Okay, so that's a lie. I am an anxious person. Always have been. And no one reminds me of that more than my brother's best friend. He’s the walking, talking opposite of my comfort zone, and he sees through my false bravado. Senses my insecurities. I think that's why I feel so vulnerable when he's around. So…under-clothed. Which is ridiculous. He doesn’t even know me... moreI'm not an anxious person, but Quinn Draper has always made me nervous. Okay, so that's a lie. I am an anxious person. Always have been. And no one reminds me of that more than my brother's best friend. He’s the walking, talking opposite of my comfort zone, and he sees through my false bravado. Senses my insecurities. I think that's why I feel so vulnerable when he's around. So…under-clothed. Which is ridiculous. He doesn’t even know me. Still, every bone in my body senses danger when he’s around. Like he’s always about to push me under a spotlight I'm not ready to squint into, a spotlight that would expose me for the awkward introvert that I am. Yet he never says more than two words to me. As if he knows that’s the surest way to drive me crazy. And I hate him for it. Always have. Always will. Author's Note: This standalone romantic comedy is the first book in a new series by best-selling author Hazel Kelly. If you like feisty women and funny men, you'll love this forbidden romance about two unlikely roommates and the trouble they get into when big brother stops watching… less

The first time I laid eyes on James Mason, the world stood still.Unfortunately, the tether ball I’d just spiked didn’t, and when it ploughed into the back of my distracted head, I bit my tongue so hard I tasted blood.I don't know why I was so dumbstruck. All he did was ride up on his skateboard and call my best friend’s name.Perhaps it was his confidence that roused me. Or the funny cowlick at the front of his dirty-blond hair... moreThe first time I laid eyes on James Mason, the world stood still.Unfortunately, the tether ball I’d just spiked didn’t, and when it ploughed into the back of my distracted head, I bit my tongue so hard I tasted blood.I don't know why I was so dumbstruck. All he did was ride up on his skateboard and call my best friend’s name.Perhaps it was his confidence that roused me. Or the funny cowlick at the front of his dirty-blond hair. Or the way his jeans sagged on his hips… Not that I’d ever noticed the way a boy’s jeans fit before.But it wasn’t my name he called that day, and it never will be.Because guys like James Mason don’t fall for bookworms like me. And even if they did, that farfetched dream died the day he became the stepbrother I never wanted.Not that I don’t want him.I love the idea of him wrestling me to the floor and pinning me down with the weight of his body. But there’s nothing familial about the way I wish he would pull my hair, the way I wish he would pull me close.I’ll be taking that secret to the grave, though, because our families have been through enough.Besides, he doesn’t see me that way.So I keep biting my tongue. As hard as it takes to keep my secret.And only when I’m alone do I ever imagine that it’s him. less