Showing results by author "Nicole Dykes" in All Categories

Reed Ellis is absolutely gorgeous but a total newbie to camming, a virtual nobody in my world. I should have just deleted his message request for a steamy on-camera collaboration. Not everyone is cut out to be a camboy. But there's just something about him I couldn't resist. He's timid and inexperienced, quiet and closed off, but his fumbling first times play out scorching hot for the cameras, and our videos together are an instant success. I know I should just ride this out, sit back and watch the money roll in, and then move on.

Life has been easy for me. Top of my class. Star quarterback of the football team. Every guy wants to be my friend, and every girl wants to date me. Yeah, life is pretty sweet. Except it’s not. It’s all fake. School comes too easy for me, and I’m bored. Football isn’t fun anymore. The guys I hang out with aren’t really my friends. And the girls? I don’t want to date them. The only one I want to date... He’s a little bit...hostile.

When you’re young, everything seems brighter, more hopeful, and like anything is possible. Which is great. But it can also lead to so many mistakes. Mistakes you promise yourself you’ll never make again.

Rhys: I’m an addict. I’ve been abused, and I’ve been the abuser. My entire life has been a blur, filled with misery and anguish. I’m trying my best to stay clean and lucid even when my world feels dark. Now, I have to stay away from the woman who makes everything murky and complicated. Blair: I’ve always been a toy for others to use. A spoiled, broken girl who’s never been seen because no one ever tried. He sees me though. Holding up a mirror and showing me exactly who I am with absolute clarity. Is that a good thing? I’m not sure.

I’m a teacher who has only one thing missing from his life: a healthy relationship. I have a plan in place. This should be easy. No more toxic men. No more casual hookups. I want something real. A love that’s equal, not lopsided. I’m a fixer at heart, but I’m done with the hopeless and the selfish.

Best-selling novelist Karen Witemeyer joins award-winning authors Regina Jennings, Amanda Dykes, and Nicole Deese for this Texas-sized romance novella collection. Each of the authors' unique voices is on display in stories where courting couples leave a permanent mark of their love by carving their initials into the same oak's bark.

Spark of Hope: A bi-weekly trauma support group. This is my nightmare. When I think of a support group, I think of sad people sitting around talking about their feelings and nothing changing. And yet, when my brother and his best friend, who happens to be a therapist, presented the idea of holding the meetings at my gym, I caved. Because I, Benjamin Price, have always tried to rescue the people in my life. But I can’t. I’ve usually failed them.

Grady: A preacher’s son. I’ve done everything I can to defy his rules. Reckless, destructive, immoral. But after all this, there’s only one thing I haven’t allowed myself to indulge in...him. Ryan: A welder's son. I’ve done everything I can to make him proud. Hardworking, loyal, strong. I’ve accomplished all his dreams while denying my own. But there was only one thing I’ve ever wanted...him.

I'm the Rookie. That's how they want to label me. The new guy. But I'm damn good at what I do. I don't have anything to prove—except maybe to him. I've watched his career for years. So yeah, maybe I want to impress him a tiny bit. But I also can't help riling him up and ruffling his feathers. He wants me to do things his way, but I don't work like that. I may be the Rookie, but I'm about to school the Ace.

I cannot stand Bennet Montgomery. His rugged hotness knows no bounds, and his unwavering cheery disposition is maddening. How can someone be that happy all the time? His smile infuriates me. I need to keep my distance from this man and all his Midwest charm. I have my camboy career to focus on, and I can't afford to get attached or bogged down with his nonsense. When Bennet receives devastating news about his mother, his grief consumes him. I don't know what to make of this new sad side of Bennet.

I know most would probably describe me as a little uptight, unwilling to change, set in my ways… The truth is, I just like my life the way it is—simple and predictable. I have everything I need—good friends, family close by, and the automotive business I've built from the ground up. I'm proud of the life I've made in this quiet, small town. Nothing needs to change. At least, that's what I believed up until the day Damon Deveraux, a lively and bold little whirlwind of a man in lip gloss and short shorts, saunters into my life and changes everything.

Two people drifting through life - one on a firmly established plan, the other with no plans at all. Both believing they know exactly what they want. But what happens when a chance encounter is so electrifying that everything they believe is threatened with destruction? They're suddenly fixated on each other. Will it make them stronger? Or will everything come crashing down? An addiction so strong, the high will be unforgettable, but the inevitable low will be devastating.

I like to party; to have a good time. Life’s too short not to. I learned that when I lost my grandpa. He told me to have fun while I can, and I intend to. Though sometimes when you’re having a good time, you forget others may see you as irresponsible. And sometimes you screw up. I’ve definitely screwed up a time or two, but I’m still determined to have fun. I’m hoping I’ll convince my best friend, Camden, to do the same along the way. He’s too serious. Too focused. Too busy taking care of everyone to just relax. And that’s where I come in.

I'm a fan—how could I not be? And not just a fan of racing. I can't help but be swept up by the lives of celebrities. Wondering if they really have it so much better or if something is missing. Now that Maverick isn't just that hot racer I've followed for years and is instead my friend, I'm starting to see the answer. We always want what we don't have.

Healing after a tragedy is hard enough. Doing it when you’re haunted by past betrayal and so many things left unsaid? Feels nearly hopeless. Is it impossible to come back from so much anguish and all the regrets? Can you ever truly mend your heart and move on? Or, are Penelope and Linc destined for a life of punishment and pain?

Here, it's different from my crazy, loud, glitzy life. It's quiet and peaceful. No one seems impressed with my celebrity. No one is less impressed than the sexy, aloof member of the cleaning crew. He couldn't care less who I am or why I'm here. He's convinced I'm one of the fortunate ones—and I suppose I am. I've had it all—big houses, the best care, money, fame, and shallow adoration... but I've never been loved. I've never known if people like me for who I am underneath it all or just for my money and fame. And to me... that seems awfully unfortunate.

I screwed up. Big time. I hurt someone, and I hate myself for it. I'm barely eighteen and already completely exhausted. Tired of being haunted by secrets and guilt. My biggest regret, though, is keeping it all from Adam—my best friend, teammate, protector. My everything since I can remember.

The emo kid, the loner, the cynical wallflower with an attitude. It's no secret that I've never quite fit in. But it's glaringly obvious now that I've moved to this Podunk small town that seems to run entirely on sugar, friendliness, and cheer. (And cows, an ungodly number of cows.) I hate it—this place where everyone knows everyone, and I'm still the outsider. Who wants to fit in anyway? I've never really tried, never even thought I wanted to…until I met him. Jimbob is living his best life out here, farming the fields of Kansas, well and truly happy. And I just don't get it.

Selfish. That's the only way Andrew will ever see me. An abused boy who grew up and became a defense attorney for the rich and famous. I'll never forget the look on his face when I told him. The hurt and disgust I saw in his eyes as I stomped all over his dreams. He left me behind, convincing me he'd hate me forever. Now, circumstances have brought me back into his life. I have one more chance to prove I'm not the man he thinks I am. I'll do anything to prove I'm worthy of him.

Loss. Guilt. Grief. Do you ever truly recover from it? How can you be happy when the person you once looked up to is gone? Sheltered. Ruled. Shamed. Do you ever grow after that? How can you break free from a lifetime of repression? Vivienne and Asher have been through a lot in their young lives. Can they use each other to heal and to find their true selves? They’re about to discover whether they can liberate each other or if their love is only more constricting.