Cottonwood Cove Series by Laura Pavlov

She’s my best friend’s little sister. Completely off-limits. But every man has his breaking point. Lila James is my best friend’s little sister and I’ve always looked out for her. She's five years younger than me, and when she left for college, she was just a kid. But now she’s home for the summer—and she’s definitely not a kid anymore. She’s beautiful and smart and everything I didn’t know I needed. Dark eyes. Long wavy hair. And legs that are meant to be wrapped around me... moreShe’s my best friend’s little sister. Completely off-limits. But every man has his breaking point. Lila James is my best friend’s little sister and I’ve always looked out for her. She's five years younger than me, and when she left for college, she was just a kid. But now she’s home for the summer—and she’s definitely not a kid anymore. She’s beautiful and smart and everything I didn’t know I needed. Dark eyes. Long wavy hair. And legs that are meant to be wrapped around me. I'm the guy who likes to have a good time. Keep things light. When her brother asks me to hire her at my restaurant, it's a no-brainer. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her. Until she asks me for one more favor. She wants me to be her first. Take her V-card. Go where no man has gone before. Her words, not mine. And damn if I don’t want to go there more than I’ve ever wanted anything. She's only here for the summer, and she says it will be our secret. It’s temporary. We’ll go back to being just friends at the end of summer. She promises that she won’t fall for me. She knows better. But Lila isn’t the one I'm worried about. less

My new assistant is all smiles and sunshine—and she’s about to set fire to my cold, grumpy heart. I've moved to this god-forsaken small town to run the family business. I need to hire a new PA and the pickings are slim. Some say my irrational expectations are the reason I've gone through assistants quicker than most people refill their coffee. Incompetence is my pet peeve. If that makes me irrational, so be it. Then Georgia Reynolds walks into my office. Blonde hair. Sapphire eyes... moreMy new assistant is all smiles and sunshine—and she’s about to set fire to my cold, grumpy heart. I've moved to this god-forsaken small town to run the family business. I need to hire a new PA and the pickings are slim. Some say my irrational expectations are the reason I've gone through assistants quicker than most people refill their coffee. Incompetence is my pet peeve. If that makes me irrational, so be it. Then Georgia Reynolds walks into my office. Blonde hair. Sapphire eyes. And a smart mouth that irritates me as much as it turns me on. On top of being a rockstar at her job, she is a ray of freaking sunshine on steroids. I have no patience for it. Nor for the way she flutters around the office like a modern-day Tinkerbell. She has ridiculous taste in music. Drives an unreasonable form of transportation. And did I mention that I caught her dancing in my closet when I sent her on a simple errand? My new assistant has somehow become my kryptonite. But I am her boss, and I am not going to be a pathetic cliché. It doesn’t matter that my cold, jaded heart has started beating again. In my world, a beating heart makes you weak. And I do not tolerate weaknesses. less

He's the GOAT of the NFL. She's a hot-headed reporter who despises him. They're in the same small town for the summer. What could possibly go wrong? I'm more than aware of the responsibilities that come with being a quarterback in the NFL. The upside—I get to do what I love every day, which is play football. And I make more money than I know what to do with. The downside—everyone wants a piece of me, and the press stalks me ruthlessly... moreHe's the GOAT of the NFL. She's a hot-headed reporter who despises him. They're in the same small town for the summer. What could possibly go wrong? I'm more than aware of the responsibilities that come with being a quarterback in the NFL. The upside—I get to do what I love every day, which is play football. And I make more money than I know what to do with. The downside—everyone wants a piece of me, and the press stalks me ruthlessly. And one reporter in particular, Brinkley Reynolds, has crossed a line. She takes things too far. So yeah, I have her escorted out of the press conference. Imagine my surprise when the same woman walks into the coffee shop in the small town where I’ve gone to get some privacy for the summer. I accuse her of stalking me. She calls me every name in the book before proceeding to make me feel very unwelcome in Cottonwood Cove. Her hometown. The place where she tucked tail and ran after I’d unknowingly gotten her fired. So now I’m enemy number one. That’s fine with me. I’m not the biggest fan of her either. She’s equal parts stubborn and aggravating. But she happens to be the sexiest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. So I try to make amends. I’m not the devil after all. But she won’t give me the time of day unless I agree to give her my story. One I’ve fought hard to protect since the day I started playing professional ball. I don’t owe Brinkley Reynolds anything. So why am I considering giving her everything? less

He’s an actor in need of an image makeover. She’s determined to show her ex-fiancé that she’s moved on. A fake relationship between two best friends is the perfect solution. Or is it? Reese Murphy has been my best friend since before we took our first steps. She’s the yin to my yang. The peanut butter to my jelly. It’s all platonic, of course, as we made a pact years ago that we’d never cross the line. But then she took a job abroad and moved away for a year... moreHe’s an actor in need of an image makeover. She’s determined to show her ex-fiancé that she’s moved on. A fake relationship between two best friends is the perfect solution. Or is it? Reese Murphy has been my best friend since before we took our first steps. She’s the yin to my yang. The peanut butter to my jelly. It’s all platonic, of course, as we made a pact years ago that we’d never cross the line. But then she took a job abroad and moved away for a year. To say I’ve been lost without her would be a massive understatement. She’s finally coming home, and I couldn’t be happier about it. And then she presents me with a proposition. .. Pretend to be her boyfriend. I am an actor, after all, so it should be a piece of cake. It’s all part of her grand plan to show her ex-fiancé that she’s moved on. My agent wants me to clean up my image, so it would be a win-win for both of us. But then she moves into my house and prances around in those tiny pajama shorts. There's also the night she catches me alone in the bathroom in a compromising position. And she isn’t in any hurry to leave. We get lost in the moment and now I can’t think of anything else. We are way past a gray area at this point. We’ve entered a smoking-hot-I-think-I-might-be-in-love-with-my-best-friend area. The problem is, she still thinks we’re fake dating. And I stopped faking it a long time ago. less

He’s a grumpy single dad. She’s the one who got away. They haven’t seen one another in years, and now they’re stuck in a hotel room together. And there’s only one bed. I’ve loved her from the first moment I saw her. And I’ve loved her every day since. Whether we’re together or we’re apart—that hasn’t changed. Which is saying a lot considering I don’t like most people. But life has thrown us a slew of curveballs and we went our separate ways. Life, family, jealousy—we let it all get in the way... moreHe’s a grumpy single dad. She’s the one who got away. They haven’t seen one another in years, and now they’re stuck in a hotel room together. And there’s only one bed. I’ve loved her from the first moment I saw her. And I’ve loved her every day since. Whether we’re together or we’re apart—that hasn’t changed. Which is saying a lot considering I don’t like most people. But life has thrown us a slew of curveballs and we went our separate ways. Life, family, jealousy—we let it all get in the way. I’m a dad now, and my little girl is my world. And after years apart, Presley is back in Cottonwood Cove. I don’t believe in fairytales or second chances. My heart belongs to my daughter now, and there is no room for complications. Presley Duncan is a giant complication. A wise man would keep his distance. But I never claimed to be a wise man. So maybe we end up in a car together in the middle of a snowstorm. Which leads to a hotel room with only one bed. Maybe I should reconsider my stance on fairytales and second chances. And seeing Presley with my little girl does something to me. Stirs something inside of me that I thought was long gone. But I know this is temporary. She’ll be leaving soon, and I’m prepared to let her go. Until she’s gone. And I realize that I’m not prepared at all for life after the storm. **This is book 5 in the Cottonwood Cove Series. Each one can be read as a complete standalone. A HEA is guaranteed! **. Cottonwood Cove Series:. Into the Tide. Under the Stars. On the Shore. Before the Sunset. After the Storm. less