Payton

Running away from home at 17 wasn't easy. Let's face it though, nothing before, or in the ten years since, has ever been easy for me.

And I'm doing okay. Sorta. I just need to keep scraping by, living under the radar. Staying out of people's way, off people's minds.

So when a man walks through my open patio door, stepping boldly into my home, and my life, I should be scared. Frightened. Terrified.

But I must be more broken than I realized, because I'm none of those things.

I'm intrigued.

And I'm wondering if the way to take control of my life is by giving in to him.

Nero

The first time I took a man's life, I knew there'd be no going back. No normal existence in the cards for me.

So instead of walking away, I climbed a mountain of bodies, and created my own destiny. By forming The Alliance.

And I was fine with that. Content enough to carry on.

Until I stepped through those open doors, and into her life.

I should've walked away. Should've gone right back out the door I came through. But I didn't.

And now her life is in danger.

But that's the thing about being a bad man. I'll happily paint the streets red to protect what's mine.

And Payton is mine. Whether she knows it or not.

VAL

When I was nine, I went to my first funeral. Along with accepting my father's death, I had to accept new and awful truths I wasn't prepared for.

When I was nineteen, I went to my mother's funeral. We weren't close, but with her gone, I became more alone than ever before.

Sure, I have a half brother who runs The Alliance. And yeah, he's given me his protection - in the form of a bodyguard and chauffeur. But I don't have anyone that really knows me. No one to really love me.

Until I meet him. The man in the airport.

And when one chance meeting turns into something hotter, something more serious, I let myself believe that maybe he's the one. Maybe this man is the one who will finally save me from my loneliness. The one to give me the family I've always craved.

DOM

The Mafia is in my blood. It's what I do.

So when that blood is spilled and one funeral turns into three, drastic measures need to be taken.

And when this battle turns into a war, I'm going to need more men. More power.

I'm going to need The Alliance.

And I'll become a member. By any means necessary.

Okay, so, my bad for assuming the guy I was going on a date with wasn't married. And my bad for taking him to a friend's house for dinner, only to find out my friend is also friends with his wife. Because, in fact, he is married. And she happens to be at my friend's house because her husband was busy working.

Confused? So am I.

Unsurprisingly, my date's wife is super angry about finding out that her husband is a cheating asshole.

Girl, I get it.

Then, to make matters more convoluted, there is the man sitting next to my date's wife. A man named King, who is apparently her brother, and who lives up to his name.

And since my date is a two-timing prick, I'm not going to feel bad about drooling over King, especially since I'll never see him again.

Or at least I don't plan to.

I plan to take an Uber to the cheater's apartment to get my car keys.

I plan for it to be quick.

And if I had to list a thousand possible outcomes... witnessing my date's murder, being kidnapped by his killer, and then being forced to marry the super attractive but clearly deranged crime lord, would not have been on my Bingo card.

But alas, here I am.

Maddox
Hannah Utley. The name that's haunted me since my senior year of college.
The girl who caught my attention with her wide eyes and freckled nose.
Who spent one week twisting up my insides until she stole a piece of my heart the night we got locked inside the campus library.
The girl who disappeared without a word.
It's the name of the girl I've been trying to forget for fifteen years.
And it's the name looking up at me from the résumé in my hand.
Because Hannah Utley works for the company I just purchased.
And that makes her mine. Whether she likes it or not.

Rosie

I was eight when Nathan moved away.

He was my best friend.

My only friend.

My safe space.

And then he was gone. And my existence became hell.

But I survived.

I broke free and made a life for myself.

And I tried to forget about the boy who grew up to be Nate Waller, the famous retired football player.

I really did try to forget.

But then I opened the door while working at a client's house, and he was there, standing before me.

My old friend.

My unwitting confidant.

My Nathan.

Except... he doesn't recognize me.

Nate

The curvy little redhead captured my attention the second I saw her.

And I knew I needed to have her.

Needed to know her better.

Needed to get my hands on her.

But when I did...

When she moaned my name-my full name-it all came rushing back.

Twenty-five years had passed, but in that moment, I finally recognized her.

My Rosie.

My childhood friend.

I may have forgotten about her, but I remember now.

And this time, I'm not letting her go.

He broke my heart when I was 15.

When I was 18, I promised myself I'd forget about him.

And I did. For a dozen years.

But now he's back home. Here. In Darling Lake. And I don't know if I should give in to the temptation swirling between us or run the other way.

Beckett
She had a crush on me when she was a kid. But she was my brother's best friend's little sister. I didn't see her like that. And even if I had, she was too young. Our age difference was too great.

But now I'm back home. And she's here. And she's all the way grown up.

It wouldn't have worked back then. But I'll be damned if I won't get a taste of her now.

I figured what's the harm in letting passion rule my decisions for one night? So what if he looks like the Devil in a suit. I'd be leaving in the morning. Flying home, back to my pleasant but predictable life. I'd never see him again.

Except I do.
In the last place I expected.
And now everything I've worked so hard for is in jeopardy.

We can't stop what we've started, but this is bigger than the two of us.
And when his past comes back to haunt him, love might not be enough to save me.

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There are a few things that life doesn't prepare you for. Like what to do when a super-hot guy catches you sneaking around in his basement. Or what to do when a mysterious package shows up with tickets to a hockey game because, apparently, he's a professional athlete. Or how to handle it when you get to the game and realize he's freaking famous since half of the 20,000 people in the stands are wearing his jersey.

I thought I was a well-adjusted adult, reasonably prepared for life. But one date with Jackson Wilder, a viral video, and a I didn't know she was your mom incident, and I'm suddenly questioning everything I thought I knew.

But he's fun. And great. And I think I might be falling for him.

But I don't know if he's falling for me too, or if he's as much of a player off the ice as on.

I caught her staring at me from across the quad, eyes fixed on the football jersey stretched across my wide chest. And if I flexed my muscles, showing off the strength of a defensive tackle, it was just to see her blush.

And then she did, and I couldn't get her out of my mind.

Her wide eyes. The freckles on her cheeks.

I needed to know her. The girl who scampered away every time we bumped into each other-by accident and by design. The girl who shyly agreed to come to my game, getting her first taste of football. The girl, Hannah Utley, who worked at the campus library and let me rest my head on her shoulder as she read to me in one of the study rooms.

It was innocent. Mostly.

Until we lose track of time and discover that the library has closed. And we're locked inside.

Now it's me and Hannah in the stacks.

Alone.

With nothing but desire between us.

Then I see him.

John.

He's strength and fury and unapologetic.

He's everything I want. And everything I wish I was.

He won't want me, but that doesn't matter. The sight of him is all the inspiration I need to finally shatter this glass house I've built around myself.

Only he does want me. And when our worlds collide, details we can't see become entwined, twisting together, trapping us in an invisible trap.

But when it all goes wrong, I don't know if I'll be able to break free of the chains binding us, or if I'll suffocate in the process.

Angelo
Watch the girl.
It was supposed to be a simple assignment.
But like everything else in this family, there's nothing simple about it.
Not my task.
Not her fake name.
And not my feelings for her.
But Beth is mine now.
So when the monsters from her past come out to play, they'll have to get through me first.

Yeah, he might have a voice made specifically for wet dreams. And he might have a body and face carved by the gods. And he might have a level of Alpha-hole that gets me all hot and bothered.

But when he presses my buttons, he presses ALL my buttons. And I'm not the type of girl who takes things sitting down. And I only got caught on my knees that one time. In the museum.

But when my decisions gets one of my friends hurt... I can't stop blaming myself. And him.

Except he can't take a hint. And I can't keep my panties on.

My trip to Mexico for my cousin's wedding was only supposed to be a few days of obligation and oceanside.

I wasn't expecting Luke.

Wasn't expecting the hot hockey player, with the smirks and the tattoos, who kept bumping into me.

And I certainly wasn't expecting to spend a night on the beach, under the stars, underneath him.

It was magical, but I thought it would end there.

Instead, we exchanged numbers and stayed in touch.

So when Luke invited me to watch him play in Vegas, I went.

And it was great.

Until we woke up the next morning and found the wedding certificate in my pocket.

Turns out that dance party we snuck into was actually a group wedding ceremony.

And now we're married.

Which is bad.

Because I think our wedding was actually our first date. And if my dad finds out, he'll cut me out of the family business.

So when footage leaks of Luke and me hot and heavy in an elevator, I have to make up a new plan to save my reputation and career.

Now, all I need is for Luke Anders to act like he's madly in love with me.

Should be easy.

Right?

With a dad who is the Head Coach for the Minnesota Sleet, it seemed like an easy decision. My friends have also convinced me that the best way to boost my fragile self-esteem is through a one-night-stand.

A dating App. A hotel bar. A sexy-as-hell man, who's sweet, and funny, and did I mention, sexy-as-hell... I fortified my courage and invited myself up to his room.

Assumptions. There's a rule about them.

I assumed he was passing through town. I assumed he was a businessman, or maybe an investor, or accountant, or literally anything other than a professional hockey player.

I assumed I'd never see him again.

I assumed wrong.

Michael -
I'm starting to think I've been doing this for too long. The screaming fans. The constant media attention. The fat paychecks. None of it brings me the happiness I yearn for.
Yet here I am. Another year. Another holiday special. Another Christmas spent alone in a hotel room.
But then the lights go up. And I see her.

Alice -
It's an honor to be a contestant, I know that. But right now it feels a little like punishment. Because any second Chef Michael Kesso, the man I've been in love with for years, the man who doesn't even know I exist, is going to walk onto the set, and it will be a miracle if I don't pass out at the sight of him.
But the time for doubts is over. Because Second Bite is about to start - in three... two... one...