The Bad Boys of Eden
Read The Bad Boys of Eden Online
Authors: Avery Aster,Opal Carew,Mari Carr,Cathryn Fox,Eliza Gayle,Steena Holmes,Adriana Hunter,Roni Loren,Sharon Page,Daire St. Denis
THE BAD BOYS OF EDEN:
Billionaires, Alphas, Bikers, and Doms
New York Times
Bestselling Authors
Avery Aster
Opal Carew
Mari Carr
Cathryn Fox
Eliza Gayle
Steena Holmes
Adriana Hunter
Roni Loren
Sharon Page
Daire St. Denis
Tawny Stokes
Featuring
Elena Aitken
CC MacKenzie
MASTER OF THE ISLAND by Lauren Hawkeye
When his life takes a dark turn, billionaire Theodosius Vardalos purchases a deserted island in the Bermuda triangle called Eden to hide his scars from the rest of the world. What Theo doesn’t know is that the island has an incredible secret, one that gives him hope… hope to be had in the arms of a mysterious blonde he hasn’t yet met…
WILD RIDE by Opal Carew
While running from her stalker ex-boyfriend, Marissa is rescued by a passing stranger on a motorcycle. Will her knight in supple leather be her saviour or has her dream vacation turned into a nightmare?
BREAKING FREE by Cathryn Fox
Spring Break at college is supposed to be a time of fun and parties, but Alaska Rossi, AKA Janey Smith, is on lockdown thanks to her father’s mafia dealings. She wants only to party down with the rest of her classmates. At least her hot, darkly mysterious bodyguard— deep undercover as her dorm’s resident assistant—gives her something to fantasize about during her boring nights in confinement.
ROUGH DRAFT by Mari Carr
Capture, bondage and fantasies fulfilled. It’s all fun and games until someone gets killed.
ESCAPE FROM REALITY by Adriana Hunter
When curvy single and struggling romance author Leila Connors receives a mysterious invitation to spend an all-expense paid week on a tropical island, it simply seems too good to be true. Before too long Leila finds herself caught up in a game of irresistible obsession, where truths are exposed, and the dangerously blurred line between fantasy and reality threaten to drive her to the point of no return.
SECOND GLANCES by Elena Aitken
An unexpected invitation to an island that knows what you need sends Kylie’s mind racing. But when she realizes things are not as they seem, can she open her body, mind, and more importantly—her heart to someone and something, she’s never considered?
BLURRING THE LINES by Roni Loren
Gretchen doesn’t know how to move on after losing her fiancé a year ago, but her best friend Burke has a lot of R-rated ideas when he sweeps her away to the Island of Eden for a much needed getaway. A sexy friends-to-lovers story with a paranormal twist and a six-foot tall dose of Cajun spice named Burke Brennan.
IVY IN BLOOM by Tawny Stokes
After getting out of a bad relationship and dropping out of university, Ivy Watts finagles an invitation to Eden. She expects to laze around and figure out what she wants to do with the rest of her life, but what she doesn't expect is to learn a few life lessons from the tall, dark, older handsome man in the penthouse suite.
DELICIOUS AND DEADLY by CC MacKenzie
Falling in love can be lethal.
YOURS TRULY, TADDY by Avery Aster
A New Adult erotic adventure of self-discovery on an island where things aren't always what they seem..
HOW TO TEMPT A TYCOON by Daire St. Denis
Tessa Savage has traveled all over the world but she has never been to Eden. Will she accept the invitation from the mysterious tycoon that could change her life? Join Tessa in this sensually charged tale of domination and submission, Tantra and time travel.
HOLD ME CLOSE by Eliza Gayle
Sometimes you need to cut and run and sometimes the ties run too deep to abandon.
SWEET RETURN by Steena Holmes
All Lauren wants is a weekend to say goodbye to the love of her life, but what she gets is the chance to say hello again.
FIGHT FOR ME by Sharon Page
I had to separate from my husband MMA fighter Ryder King because he is so haunted by personal demons he wouldn’t let me into his heart. As I start to fall for his friend, billionaire ex-fighter Xavier Malone, I get a mysterious invitation to the luxury resort island of Eden where both men plan to fight for me--in the ring and in bed.
THE BAD BOYS OF EDEN:
Billionaires, Alphas, Bikers, and Doms
Copyright 2015 Opal Carew
All Rights Are Reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this story are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
First edition: February 2015
For more information contact Opal Carew at
THE BAD BOYS OF EDEN:
Billionaires, Alphas, Bikers, and Doms
MASTER OF THE ISLAND by Lauren Hawkeve
ESCAPE FROM REALITY by Adriana Hunter
SECOND GLANCES by Elena Aitken
BLURRING THE LINES by Roni Loren
DELICIOUS AND DEADLY by CC MacKenzie
YOURS TRULY, TADDY by Avery Aster
Dear Reader,
After more than a year of nonstop Eden, it’s hard for me to believe that this adventure is over. While it was undoubtedly one of the more complicated projects I’ve worked on—actually, probably the most—it was also one of the most fun.
The seeds for Invitation to Eden were sown on New Year’s Eve, 2013. While chatting via e-mail with several other authors, we decided that a multi-author continuity project would be fun (there may have been some wine involved). Venturing forward, we sent out a few questioning e-mails… would anyone else be interested in something like this? Were they any other authors as crazy as we were?
It seemed that there were. We thought we’d have trouble filling twelve spots. Instead we wound up with nearly thirty authors, plus a wait list. And we didn’t even have a concept yet!
After that it’s all a bit of a blur. But before I knew it, our three launch books were being released. And it’s been a whirlwind of fun ever since!
I’ve had some people ask why we participating authors would undertake such a gigantic project on our own. Well… we were hoping for promotion and great sales, of course. But more than that? It was just fun. And it was even more fun for me to see how so many different authors made the concept of a magical fantasy island where anything is possible work for their own stories.
So here for your reading delight are fourteen of the irresistible stories set in Eden. I hope you’ll enjoy your stay on the island… because the island always knows just what you need.
Thanks for reading!
Lauren Hawkeye
Lauren Hawkeye
When his life takes a dark turn, billionaire Theodosius Vardalos purchases a deserted island in the Bermuda triangle called Eden to hide his scars from the rest of the world. What Theo doesn’t know is that the island has an incredible secret, one that gives him hope… hope to be had in the arms of a mysterious blonde he hasn’t yet met…
This story is meant as an introduction to the Invitation to Eden series.
It is not meant to be read as a standalone.
Copyright 2015 Lauren Hawkeye
Table of Contents
“I’ll take it.”
I study the castle standing alone at the top of a lush green hill. An Irish castle. It is built of dove grey stone and rocks that have crumbled with age, but it caught my attention—my imagination—as soon as I saw the photographs. In truth it’s not much to look at right now…but then, neither am I.
Originally home to the wealthy and privileged, the once proud structure shows nothing but decay and disrepair on the surface. But the tallest tower still stands, spearing the dull, misty sky proudly, as if to say
I may not be much to look at anymore, but I’m still here
.
It’s a sentiment that resonates with every fiber of my being. In my gut I know that this is the place I’ve been searching for.
The one that I saw in my dreams.
“I’ll take it,” I repeat firmly, nodding at the realtor and giving one last look at the seven hundred year old ruins, fixing them in my mind before turning on my heel and striding back to the hired car. I hear an exclamation of surprise from the man behind me, but it doesn’t slow my steps.
“Mr.Vardalos.” He is panting when he catches up to me, though the distance between the car and where we were standing just moments before is miniscule. “Don’t you want to look inside, at least?”
I turn to face him, and though I know I appear outwardly calm, inside I still feel the burn of pain when I see him flinch. It isn’t a reaction I’ve been able to get used to. In fact, each time I get that look, the ache inside me intensifies. But he doesn’t need to know that.
He won’t meet my eyes as I regard him calmly. “I’ve seen all I need to see. Draw up the paperwork. You’ll be contacted next week regarding transport of the structure.”
My fingers, clutching the car door, tighten when the man dares to look at me, and can’t quite hide his wince. “Mr. Vardalos. You understand that I can’t be held responsible for the condition of the interior if you don’t care for it after you’ve seen it.”
I focus on him for a moment. He is overweight, and his bald head shines both with sweat and the drizzle of moisture in the air. A man whose opinion would mean nothing to me…before.
His gaze flicks to mine briefly and clings to the only feature he saw before we arrived at the castle, before I’d removed the silk hood that I normally wear over my face. I wonder, briefly, if I should reach into my pocket and put it back on.
As if he can’t bear to look at me, he pulls off his glasses for something to do, polishes them with the hem of his shirt. He’s a bit like a cartoon character to me, out of place in the mystical beauty of Ireland.
But that’s not his fault. I know that to his eyes—to anyone’s—I look like nothing so much as the beast from one of the many fairy tales that haunt this land.
“What do you mean, transport, sir?” He frowns as my words catch up to him. “To where?”
I sigh a bit, inwardly. The billions that pad my bank accounts let me get away with a lot—like wearing a balaclava with my designer suit—but I suppose I was hoping for too much, thinking that I could make a request like this and not be asked any questions. I slip my hand inside my pocket and retrieve the hood, casually concealing myself once again.
The realtor’s shoulders instantly relax and he takes a relieved breath.
“This castle will be reconstructed, stone by stone, on an island off the coast of Florida.” I don’t elaborate, don’t tell him of my plans for it, though the curiosity—and sheer disbelief—is plain on his face.
“Mr. Vardalos. May I call you Theo?”
“No.”
He is clearly startled by my refusal, but I don’t much care. A man who would be sick at the sight of my face isn’t my friend. And if he were, he would know that I much prefer the full form of my name—Theodosius—to the abbreviated version that Americans always want to use.
After a moment’s pause, he presses on, undeterred. “Mr. Vardalos. I would be remiss if I did not tell you…”
He lowers his voice, as though we are sharing a secret. “…I am shooting myself in the foot here. But to buy this castle and move it overseas… it’s worth nothing away from Ireland. Why not just build something new?”
I refrain from rolling my eyes. He won’t actually be losing much if he fails to earn a commission on this building. Though this castle has been such an obsession that I knew I would pay any sum once I found it, in actuality it is not listed for very much at all—likely due to the state of decay.
No one else sees what I do. The beauty underneath.
“If we’re quite finished?” The expression on his face amuses me as he sputters and I close the car door. Once sealed inside the cool, dim interior, I sigh and turn to take one final look at the castle, adjusting the hood as I do.
I run my fingers beneath the silk and over my scars as I study the tower of crumbling stone. How does one explain to someone who hasn’t experienced it that it has to be this castle and none other? That the island demands it?
The island—a small, deserted outcropping of rock in the middle of the soothing waters of the Bermuda Triangle…
It
showed me this place. And there isn’t a single cell in my body, not even the ones that have been horribly altered and maimed, that does not believe that the course of action I have set out upon is not meant to be.
This calms me as I lean back against the smooth leather of the seat, as I order the driver to take me to the airport and leave the sweating, flinching realtor behind. Ireland is beautiful, to be sure, and I now understand why I felt pulled to come here.
But I’ve had enough of travelling. I’m dreaming of palm trees, of the smell of salt on the breeze, and air so thick with heat and magic that its touch feels like a lover’s hand upon my skin.
I’m tired.
I want to go home.