I knew only bad things would come out of my parents’ boss noticing me. When he threatened to fire them, if I didn’t marry him, I couldn’t see a way out of it. I was prepared to be trapped in a loveless marriage to save them. But Henry found another way: run away with him. He could protect my parents and me. I was all too happy to go with him. He made me feel safe.

She’s been doing this ever since it was legal. He’s never known how to start. Rosalie: I’ve been a Little ever since I first understood what it was. I like to feel safe and looked after and protected. Tending bar downtown is a grown-up’s job. But at least it lets me be on the lookout for a new Daddy. When I watch a cute guy from out of town waiting alone, I get a strange feeling. It might not be me he was waiting for, but if it’s a Little he wants, it’s me he’s going to get.

Liam wasn't supposed to be my happily ever after. He wasn't even on my radar. He was my husband's best friend - forbidden. But my husband is dead, and I'm alone. I ache for him, and I reach for Liam. One night with Liam changed everything. Now I have to decide if I truly love him or if he's just the consolation prize.

Mallory Sullivan is ready to start her new life. After graduating at the top of her class, she's landed one of the most coveted internships in the United States. Hard work and determination have gotten her to this moment of living the life she only dreamed of while growing up in foster care. She never expected Oz to be the greatest culmination of those dreams. But sometimes fate determines who you fall in love with. Who makes you lose control. Who owns your soul. And then you realize it wasn't fate at all.

Knowing that one more blow to his heart could destroy him, Giovanni had built walls up around his heart to protect himself. He had created strict rules for himself about the men he slept with, which included never exchanging names and absolutely no repeat performances. That was until he met a young man whom he found impossible to forget.

I hid in the shadows all my life. That was where I felt I belonged the most, because I was ridiculed by the ones I loved, by society’s view of women like me.

It was supposed to be just one night. One last sin before I went back on the straight and narrow. The worst kind of sin, taking an innocent girl and unleashing all of my darkest fantasies on her. No safety word. Completely confidential.

Carter Hastings was only supposed to be a fling. A summer of fun, excitement, pleasure. And it was...everything. It's hard to walk away. To leave the one man who resuscitates me. But I did. He didn't reciprocate my feelings. He didn't love me. Not now. Not ever.

Mirror, mirror, who's the fairest of them all? I still cringe when I hear that line. A fairy tale that had girls pretending they were the fairest, the most beautiful, and the most entitled. A fairy tale most couldn't grow out of turned my haunted childhood memories into a living nightmare. Girls who grew up believing that pile of garbage became the meanest of all mean girls. And those mean girls were right. It was a line meant for all the beautiful people in the world, and I knew the answer would never be me.

The last thing Ella Sinclair needed on her birthday was a cheating boyfriend, a broken heart, and a dead car battery in a remote beach town. At her greatest moment of need, the protective and sexy Porter Masters comes to her rescue. Ella takes a holiday week at the coast to discover herself and finds that her attraction to Porter is potent and undeniable. Uncertain of their future together, Ella struggles to open her heart to trust again.

I fell hard for the Mafioso at the tender age of 11. This beast of a man who I knew made people disappear - and probably enjoyed every second of it - was also the 16-year-old boy who had picked me up after I'd fallen flat on my face during my dance recital and told me I was the best ballerina he'd ever seen. He's watched over me, protected me like I was the most precious thing in the world to him. And then he sent me away.

Madeleine Becker's parents died when she was ten years old. Ripped from her home and everything that she has ever loved, she is forced to start all over again. The only way for her to move on is to build walls around her heart and keep everyone at a safe distance. Her logic: she can't get hurt if she doesn't fall in love.That theory is blown to pieces when she meets Reid Connely during her freshman year at college. He is gorgeous and darkly mysterious.

Axel: When I left home to follow my dream of becoming a boxer, I was too young and stupid to know what I was leaving behind. These days I fill my world with the blood and sweat of a violent profession and the meaningless sexual conquests that come with it. A futile attempt to erase from my mind the only woman I’ve ever loved. Since I can’t let her go, I have no choice but to win her back. Olive: I’ve loved Axel my entire life. The boy next door. We didn’t talk about the attraction building between us, until one fateful night those sparks finally burst into flames.

Shane’s her brother’s best friend and 13 years older than her. Juliana knows his desire to be the loner and to never settle down. But none of that stops her from showing up at his hotel room late one night. Months later, she imagines every scenario for when she runs into Shane again. However, she never imagined him brushing off their scorching night together. She never imagined him calling her a "little girl" who can’t handle a man. His words ignite a fire in Juliana.

Travis King is the worst kind of a**hole. He taunts me for being a good girl and mocks my high standards. He's cruel, crass, and has enough confidence to last two lifetimes. And I hate him. He's always loved getting under my skin, and one night against my better judgment, I let him in my bed. I've succumbed to his manw**re ways, but that doesn't change a thing. Because the King is about to get played at his own game - and lose.