by Aubrey Rose
Curves For Him
Aubrey Rose, Dez Burke, A.T. Mitchell, Catherine Vale, Marian Tee, Harper Ashe, Eliza Gayle, M.G. Morgan, Shirl Anders, Milly Taiden
Published by Zirconia Publishing, 2014.
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
CURVES FOR HIM
First edition. June 14, 2014.
Copyright © 2014 Zirconia Publishing.
Written by Aubrey Rose, Dez Burke, A.T. Mitchell, Catherine Vale, Marian Tee, Harper Ashe, Eliza Gayle, M.G. Morgan, Shirl Anders, Milly Taiden.
Table of Contents
Me, Cinderella by Aubrey Rose
One kind deed can change your life forever...
Brynn Tomlin could never afford to follow her heart. But when she sees a stranger shivering in the snow outside of the college library, an inexplicable urge leads her to buy him a hot cup of coffee. It's just a small act of kindness, a few words of conversation. Brynn should be focusing on her finals, after all, not on the man who looked up at her gratefully with piercing blue eyes.
He could have been anyone - a janitor on break, a graduate student, a bum. But the man standing outside in the cold turns out to be Dr. Eliot Herceg, one of the most brilliant minds in mathematics and heir to a fortune. After years of reclusive isolation, he now finds his heart awakening to the kind girl whose name he does not know.
Brynn has spent her life trying to forget her desires, and Eliot's deep wounds have taken nearly a decade to heal. After so much hurt, will either of them be able to open their hearts again?
Burned by Passion by Dez Burke
Even good girls make mistakes. Kira Taylor was shocked to meet her boss's handsome, long-absent son and find him even more lethal in the flesh. He'd always been just a face in a photo - and nothing had prepared her for the way they clashed and burned when they finally met. Blake Carter returned to America for a reunion with a father he hadn't seen since he was ten. But Blake had never bargained for falling for his father's sexy secretary, the beautiful and impressionable Kira Taylor... Blake caught one glimpse of the gorgeous beauty from across the crowded room and felt the primal taste of desire like he'd never known. The sparks were more antagonism than attraction on her part as they collided over differences about the way he treated his father. But Blake had very strong persuasive skills when it came to bringing the vulnerable Kira to bend to his carnal passions...
I Married a Bear by A.T. Mitchell
SOME HEARTS ARE MEANT TO BE, EVEN IF THEY DON'T KNOW IT YET...
He's the big bad Alpha husband she never wanted. She's a sharp tongued tigress with really dangerous curves.
Laura Hisch can't believe she's marrying him. Him!
She's not cut out for the brutish, tough talking, tattooed head of the Denali werebear clan. If only she wasn't bound by a pesky old treaty with an arranged marriage clause...
One look at the voluptuous lady from Tiger Bay drives James Roark insane. Obsession, passion, and hunger only have one cure. He's got to make the sweet stubborn werecat at the altar his wife for real.
If only he knew marriage is just a ruse for her real mission. Get close to him, find his weakness, and then give Tiger Bay everything it needs to drive the bears away once and for all.
Easy, right? Wrong. Yielding her heart to this bad boy means betrayal, and either James or her clan are going to pay big time.
Will James turn a sham marriage into something beautiful – or will loving Laura lead to all out war? And if that's not complicated enough, there's a jealous female werebear standing by to make sure these fated mates never become one.
Wolves Next Door by Catherine Vale
When plus size single Julie moves into a strange town, nothing could prepare her for the dangerously handsome strangers next door who want nothing more than to claim her as their own. What she doesn't know is that Caine and Ryan both hold a wickedly dark secret that threatens to change her life forever.
The Greek Billionaire and I by Marian Tee
When the powerful, sexy, and gorgeous Greek billionaire Mykolas Sallis finds a misplaced cellphone and reads its messages, he becomes intrigued with its owner, a woman who seems to possess the rare combination of beauty, wit, and lots of snappy comebacks.
13:15 How about going for a movie tomorrow night?
13:16 Thomas, you’re a good guy, so I’m going to tell you the truth once and for all.
13:17 What is it?
13:18 I’m a lesbian. I want your d*ck – but not for the reasons you’re hoping for.
When curvy 24-yar-old schoolteacher Velvet Lambert speaks with the Greek billionaire the first time, she knows right away she’s out of her league. She does her snarky best to resist, but in the end she still finds herself saying ‘yes’ to a marriage of convenience, pretending she isn’t head over heels with him, and trying not to lose hope even if she knows Mykolas only sees her as a prized possession.
Sweet For Him by Harper Ashe
When the past and present collide, will they take a second chance on romance?
Claire Branson is confused about life. So, when her sister asks her to housesit during her honeymoon, she jumps at the chance for a change in scenery. Claire expects to spend her month-long stay at Blake Mansion figuring out her future. What she doesn’t expect is to come face-to-face with the high school hunk who broke her heart.
Rob Halliday caters to the rich and famous. For the successful, high-end remodel contractor, life is pretty much all work and no play. Until he starts his latest project: a kitchen and bath remodel at Blake Mansion. That’s when Rob comes face-to-face with the curvy girl who got away, and is forced to rethink his life’s priorities.
Being under the same roof for an entire month won’t be easy for Claire and Rob, especially when their memories of the past spark fireworks in the present. With time running out, will they risk everything to take a second chance on love?
Sweet for Him is a BBW second chance romance with a HEA ending. It’s a sweet, feel-good novella that will make you believe that true love is worth waiting for!
Their Obsession by Eliza Gayle
Marc and Aidan are Guardians sworn to protect and defend the witch placed in their charge. When curvy Jayde arrives, they end up as anxious to get her into their bed as they are to fulfill their destiny—until they see the necklace they’ve been searching for around her neck. Now they have to take things slow, seducing her before they reveal the duty to which she has been called.
Jayde has returned to Hickory Falls to settle her grandmother’s estate without a clue as to what she is in for. A secret antique puzzle box with a necklace and a note that only says Beware of the Obsession. A bakery everyone is anxious to see reopened despite her inability to cook and a pair of hunky too good to be true tenants living in the same house.
When the feisty witch denies her calling, the protectors will do anything in their power to convince her, but in the end, it has to be her choice. Will she sacrifice her heart to do what is right?
Sometimes free will is a bitch.
Breaker’s Point Rogue by M.G. Morgan
When Stuart Reynolds arrives in Breaker's Point he hopes a new job will be the fresh start he needs to clear his head of the girl he left behind. What he doesn't expect is for the fiery, wickedly curvy waitress in the diner to accuse him of being someone he's not. Ellie Blair's life has gone from bad to worse and when she meets Stuart for the first time, she assumes he's wo
rking for Grey Mattheson, the man who has made her life a living hell. When Stuart's new job forces him into working with Grey, he's drawn into a web of deceit and corruption that only Ellie can help him untangle. With everything beginning to crumble around Ellie, she quickly realises the only man she can trust is Stuart. But can Stuart put the past where it belongs and take the chance Ellie offers him? Or will Grey just be one step ahead and tear them both apart?
Their Ex’s, Redrock Serial Bundle 1-4 (Texas Alpha) by Shirl Anders
A man and a woman find themselves drawn to each other after they discover their spouses' affair.
Tess is set to catch her husband. She runs toward the hotel in a thunderstorm seeing a couple in a clench on an outside balcony. She opens her mouth to scream at them when a man grabs her, shutting off her scream. Tess learns the tall, dark, and powerful man is Vincent Whitehorse and it's his wife having an affair with her husband.
Vincent and Tess find themselves drunk in a rainstorm trying to cover their pain, then they find they have an amazing and instantaneous connection of the lips. When Tess falls into bed with Vincent they combust like nothing Tess has felt before. However both their ex-spouses are crazy. Tess' ex-husband has unwittingly hooked up with the mob while Vincent's ex-wife thinks she's the next Cher.
Can Vincent convince Tess to believe in him when things around them are unbelievable in this hot and very sexy second chance at romance?
Scent of a Mate by Milly Taiden
Mission: Scent a Mate Jordan Alvarez knew that a promise to her best friend involved staking out the local wolf pack’s scenting ceremony and recording the graphic details, but she was the writer and the only one with the balls to finish the task. No one would know that four human women had sneaked proof of their rituals, or at least, that was the plan until Aric Wolfe showed up. Mission: Stake a Claim Aric Wolfe knew his baby sister was up to something, and expected her best friend, Jordan, to be in on the chaos. He finally had an opportunity to lay claim to a mate that had been under his nose for years. Jordan’s scent called to both the man and the animal, and he was done fighting the call of the beast. It was time to mark his mate. Mission: Survive an Alpha When a good intention creates a problem for the Wolfe family, Jordan finds herself being stalked by a woman intent on claiming Aric as her own. Battle lines will be drawn, love will be put to the test, and Aric will have to fight Jordan’s strong personality to keep her alive. Two alpha hearts seeking control will either find the balance or risk losing their love forever.
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Me, Cinderella by Aubrey Rose
Before my mother died, she told me stories. I sat on her lap and listened to her spin golden fairy tales through the air. We never had much, but I didn’t notice the cracks in our plaster walls when she talked about Cinderella putting on her crystal slippers and waltzing all night with Prince Charming.
“Once upon a time”...the stories always begin the same way, but from these beginnings my mother wove new tales that danced in all directions of the compass. She told me stories of castles and dragons, stories of men who flew above the clouds to reach the sun and gods who rained jealous fury upon their rivals. Stories of lovers whose passion rose above earthly desire and changed their fate to a different end than the world had meant for them. Stories of hope and of death.
None of those stories were true, but mine is.
CHAPTER ONE
“A mathematician is a device for turning coffee into theorems.” -Paul Erdos
My grandmother told me once that luck multiplies if you share it. So long deprived of good fortune, I had almost forgotten what luck looked like before I met him. I was only eight years old when I lost my lucky star, and thirteen black years stood between me and my younger self. When a slip of happy fate landed at my feet that night, my Nagy’s voice echoed in my ears: Hand it along to the next person. Let Fortuna’s wheel spin past, and it will come back all the sooner. May my luck be yours. May it multiply.
By a whim of the universe, Southern California lay trembling that winter in the middle of a freak snowstorm, the likes of which had not been seen for decades. I certainly had never known anything like it. Only the old-timers of California, pioneer grandchildren whose blood ran cool like the blood of lizards in the desert night could remember the time when it had snowed so much. Later I thought that the snow might have been meant for me. A sign, I guess. I did not believe in signs.
A high wind blew the clouds in over the mountains, washing snow over the unsuspecting city sprawl even as the sun shone down through the white haze. News reporters stood amid snow-dusted palm trees and talked for hours about low-pressure zones while intrepid tourists milled around on the chilly beaches, goosepimpled under their optimistically short beachwear.
Everyone at Pasadena University marveled at how strange the weather had decided to become this winter. Students from more northern states rolled their eyes at the in-state native kids who shivered through their fleeces, unused to the chilly stuff. Everybody wore boots and scarves and other fashionable cold-weather attire that they had been itching to take out of the closet for god knows how long.
Shuffling across the sidewalk toward the library cafe, I heaved my backpack up over one shoulder and tried not to look as clumsy as I felt. The sky was still pale with snowy clouds even as evening fell. My number theory study group had started ten minutes ago, but I needed a coffee before I could even start thinking about cosets and bijections.
A thin layer of snow covered the lawn in front of the university library, each snowflake turning end over end in perfect hexagonal symmetry until it hit the ground and was lost among the others.
That’s how I felt nowadays. Lost amid a blanket of snowflakes, each more perfect and pristine than me. Completely, utterly, bafflingly lost.
School had been a walk in the park for as long as I could remember. Some grades I deserved. Some, though, my teachers gave to me for being a nice, quiet kid they never had to worry about. Inside I seethed at my reputation as a good girl. I wanted adventure. I wanted danger and challenge. I wanted to do terrible and honorable things and prove myself to be brave, just like the mythic Greek heroines I admired in my childhood - Athena, Eurydice, Artemis.
University certainly challenged me, but rather than hunting golden-horned stags or transforming mortals into boars, I labored to figure out proofs for combinatorial theorems while juggling two jobs. Instead of being at the top of my class, I struggled to even pass. Everyone said I was supposed to find myself in college, but I seemed to be straying farther and farther away from who I was, running faster and faster just to stay even with everyone else.
As I got closer to the library, I saw a man sitting outside on a bench, looking just as lost as I felt. He was bundled up in a black coat, his knitted hat pulled down over his ears, and he stared down just in front of his feet, as though trying to count the snowflakes that fell around him. I smiled as I walked by the bench, but he didn’t even look up. I paused at the door and looked back at him, thinking that maybe I ought to ask if he needed directions, but he didn’t move an inch, his gaze unwavering, his shoulders slumped. Must be the weather.
Pulling open the heavy glass door of the library café, I reveled in the blast of warm air that greeted me. My nose began to run and I pulled a handkerchief ou
t of my pocket to wipe my face, feeling the sweat already starting to form on my neck under my scarf. God, I hated the cold. Everybody talked about how glorious the seasons were in the northeast, but I would just as soon have moved to the equator and forgotten what fall colors ever looked like. It was just my luck that I had moved to Southern California and gotten a freak snowstorm.
“One coffee, please,” I said, pushing over my student card. The café barista swiped my card through the register.
“Sorry,” she said, handing back the card. “There’s not enough on here.”
“Not enough?” Dammit, I didn’t get my next paycheck until tomorrow. I dug through my pockets for change, pulling out a handful of nickels and dimes and dumping them on the counter. The barista looked at me disdainfully under lidded eyes.
“Um, let me see,” I said, counting out the change. Shit. I didn’t even have enough for coffee. I didn’t have a damn dollar to my name after tuition and books.
“One second,” I said, turning to dig into my backpack. I dropped the nickels that were in my hand. “Shit, shit, shit.”
I bent down to pick up the nickels and got my first lucky break of the night. Right next to my shoe was a five dollar bill, just sitting on the floor! I picked it up reverently and looked around to see if there was anybody who might have dropped it, but the café was empty apart from me and the barista. She coughed and shifted her weight onto her back foot, evidently irritated at waiting for me to get my act together.
Five dollars! Five whole dollars! This was a windfall I couldn’t squander. I looked up at the café menu, my mouth watering at the possibilities. I had gotten into the habit of skipping dinner, but maybe today I could splurge and get a bagel. My stomach growled at the possibility. But no, I should wait and buy bagels at the store. Everything was overpriced here except the coffee.