Blossom Beach Series by A. James, Ashley James

As a single mom with my hands and heart full, finding love is the last thing on my mind. Then Everett Windward comes along. My new neighbor is charming, handsome, and sexy—and before I know it, I have a new friend…with benefits. Fun and filthy benefits. There’s just one problem—He’s also my son’s teacher. That alone should have me pumping the brakes… except it doesn’t. I’m drawn to him and to the way he makes me feel... moreAs a single mom with my hands and heart full, finding love is the last thing on my mind. Then Everett Windward comes along. My new neighbor is charming, handsome, and sexy—and before I know it, I have a new friend…with benefits. Fun and filthy benefits. There’s just one problem—He’s also my son’s teacher. That alone should have me pumping the brakes… except it doesn’t. I’m drawn to him and to the way he makes me feel. Everett has a filthy side that has reignited something inside of me that I haven’t felt in years. Something I thought I lost. But there are rules…. My son can’t know. No sleeping over. And absolutely no feelings involved. But as time goes on, it becomes impossible to ignore the butterflies in my stomach when I catch him looking at me, or when I watch him play ball with my son day after day. Before I know it, he’s so intertwined in our lives, and I can no longer deny the desire to break the very rules that I put into place to begin with. But it’s not just my feelings I have to consider. I can see how quickly my son is becoming attached to him. See the way he yearns for that father figure in his life. We have experienced enough hurt and loss to last a lifetime. Can I really open up our hearts, knowing the risk I’m taking? less

I’m pretty in pink dipped in sunshine and sweet Southern smiles. He’s blue collar wrapped up in a gruff summer storm with a scowl. He also happens to be my ex-boyfriend’s dad... moreI’m pretty in pink dipped in sunshine and sweet Southern smiles. He’s blue collar wrapped up in a gruff summer storm with a scowl. He also happens to be my ex-boyfriend’s dad. Not only is Conway Levine grumpy, arrogant, and entirely too handsome for his own good, with the salt and pepper scruff lining his sharp jawline and his thick, corded arms, but he also had a front row seat fourteen years ago to a drunken night so mortifying I can’t look him in the eye without feeling the shame all over again. Living in a small town makes avoiding him impossible, even more when you add in the fact that his daughter is friends with mine. When a little tardiness and a whole lot of bad luck lands me partnering with him at our children’s school, I’m certain I won’t survive. Before I know it, the dread from having to work with him turns into a burning desire impossible to ignore when his once stone cold demeanor shifts into longing, heated stares, and somehow, he knows all the right things to whisper in my ear to get under my skin… and my dress. Between his filthy mouth and stifling need to devour me any chance he gets, the chemistry we share between the sheets quickly becomes something out of my wildest dreams. Except Conway doesn’t do relationships, and I’m not built for casual. But I couldn’t quit him even if I tried. When all is said and done, will I be able to protect my already tattered heart or will it end up shattered into a million beautiful, messy pieces? less

When I find out I could lose my bookstore, I make a deal with the devil to save it, not realizing I would end up in bed with the last person I ever thought I’d be hot and sweaty with…. Fletcher St. James. Even at twenty-four, he’s a spoiled brat. He believes the whole world owes him something, and he really needs to be put in his place... moreWhen I find out I could lose my bookstore, I make a deal with the devil to save it, not realizing I would end up in bed with the last person I ever thought I’d be hot and sweaty with…. Fletcher St. James. Even at twenty-four, he’s a spoiled brat. He believes the whole world owes him something, and he really needs to be put in his place. When his wealthy, power-hunger father propositions me with something I desperately need in exchange for teaching his son a little responsibility, it’s an offer I can’t refuse. After all, there’s nothing I enjoy more than humbling an arrogant man and bringing him to his knees. This should be a piece of cake. But one thing I didn’t expect was how much Fletcher would enjoy it… Or how much that would turn me on. The tension quickly boils over, and before I know it, we’re giving in to our illicit desires, consequences be damned. I crave the feeling of his body against mine, and the needy sounds he makes right before he begs. But more than that, I can’t get enough of the little things, like the way the golden sun looks reflecting off his green eyes in the morning, or how beautiful his vulnerability is. And when his touch becomes my safe space, bringing out a softer side of me I’ve kept locked away for too long, it’s impossible to remember why this is wrong. When the secrets come out about the lascivious things we indulge in behind closed doors, will it be worth it, or will this deal end up costing me everything? less

When I wake up next to my best friend’s brother after a night of bottom shelf tequila and a sizzling one night stand, I do my best to pretend the whole thing never happened. Until six weeks later, when two pink lines derail my every plan. Not only is Graham Astor the brother to my three closest friends and the boy I secretly crushed on for years as a teenager, but he’s also a single dad and a grieving widower... moreWhen I wake up next to my best friend’s brother after a night of bottom shelf tequila and a sizzling one night stand, I do my best to pretend the whole thing never happened. Until six weeks later, when two pink lines derail my every plan. Not only is Graham Astor the brother to my three closest friends and the boy I secretly crushed on for years as a teenager, but he’s also a single dad and a grieving widower. With a new career on my horizon, I don’t have time for complicated or messy—everything Graham and this news brings—and yet, when he expresses how much he wants this, I can’t deny how much I do too. Even if that means I might wind up heartbroken later. Navigating this new reality and everything that comes along with it quickly becomes a test of my willpower and self-control as he continues to say all the right things and shows up for me, even when I don’t ask him to. The more time we spend together, the harder it is to keep my feelings out of it. Especially when I move in with him, and the memory of his hot breath on my neck and the weight of his body on mine haunts me, reminding me of the blazing chemistry we shared. I tell myself I won’t fall in love with Graham—not again—I swear, I won’t. But then he looks at me the way he does, or he talks to my belly, telling our growing baby how lucky he is to be their dad, or I watch how incredible he is with his daughter, and it’s impossible not to. It’s impossible not to picture what our life could be like together, in love and as a family. But then I think about how the truth of our beautiful little surprise, and all the history we share, will come out eventually. What if the fantasy in my head is as close as I’ll ever get to being loved by him? less