Crazy About Curves: 10 Luscious Reads Read online

  Crazy About Curves

  Adriana Hunter, Christa Wick, Celia Kyle, Ava Catori, Olivia Rigal, Alexx Andria, Charlotte Summers, Danielle Duncan, Malia Mallory, Marina Maddix

  Published by Zirconia Publishing, Inc., 2014.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  CRAZY ABOUT CURVES

  First edition. May 18, 2014.

  Copyright © 2014 Zirconia Publishing.

  Written by Adriana Hunter, Christa Wick, Celia Kyle, Ava Catori, Olivia Rigal, Alexx Andria, Charlotte Summers, Danielle Duncan, Malia Mallory, Marina Maddix.

  Table of Contents

  Captive Heart by Adriana Hunter

  When Lainey Matthews receives a frantic call from her brother who is being held hostage in a foreign country, she will stop at nothing to rescue him even if that means contacting a dangerous mercenary with a shady past.

  But when Lainey comes face to face with Gideon Wolfe, the only man who is willing to help her, it doesn't take long before she is left to wonder whether she might be the one that needs saving...from him.

  Curve Contract by Christa Wick

  Plus-size business owner Pippa Jones is in dire straits. Before disappearing, her accountant floated himself a big “loan” instead of paying her PR firm's income and payroll taxes. Even if PJ can avoid criminal prosecution, she's going to have to sell everything she has and lay off all her employees, including her best friend!

  Enter billionaire Blake Cross, her firm's biggest client and a notorious playboy. Discovering she's in trouble, he makes an offer that will fix both their problems. All she has to do is marry him and make it look real.

  24/7.

  With Blake calling her baby and love while his unyielding hands and mouth worship her body publicly and privately, Pippa’s starting to realize that the cost of saving her company just might be a broken heart.

  Alpha Marked #1: Scarlet by Celia Kyle

  Thirty and single? Well, getcha ass to the Gathering!

  As if hitting thirty wasn’t enough, unmated Scarlet Wickham is summoned to this year’s Gathering. As a woman Marked to be the mate of an Alpha pair, she’s not going to find happiness anywhere other than in the arms of two Alpha werewolves. So, off she goes with her sisters in tow. ‘Cause yeah, she’s one of the plump Wickham triplets, and they’re all being carted off to werewolf speed dating.

  Keller and Madden, Ruling Alpha pair, can’t believe their luck. They’ve found their mate, and she’s more than they could have ever hoped for. She’s feisty with spirit to spare, and lush curves that they want to trace with their tongues. They can’t wait to solidify their bond and get to know the beautiful woman who is to rule at their side. But first, there’s the minor inconvenience of a challenge to the death...

  Curvy, Crazy, and Confused by Ava Catori

  Samantha, a free spirited, plus-size girl who takes life as it comes finds her uptight neighbor dreadfully boring. Christopher thinks Samantha is loud, boisterous and annoying. Getting trapped in an elevator together drives them both crazy and neither can wait to get out.

  So why can’t Sam stop thinking about her drab and dreary neighbor? And why is Christopher, a man who hates tight spaces, willing to ride the elevator with her again? Opposites attract in this fun, romantic comedy. Nobody said it would be easy to love Sam.

  Ripped by Olivia Rigal

  Lyv is a curvy and optimistic girl who can’t wait to finish high school and run away from her drunk mother. Emotional abuse is what that woman dishes out best in the family’s Long Island diner.

  Lyv’s only support is her best friend Ten, a passionate guy from the right side of the track. But Ten has already moved on to college so there’s only so much he can do to help her get through her senior year and then he’ll soon be going away to study in Europe for a term.

  When the Christmas holidays come around, Ten takes Lyv out for a night on the town.

  That’s how Lyv meets Alexander, a talented rising rock star. Spark flies during this chance encounter.

  Just before the start of his first tour, Alexander shows Lyv how to welcome the New Year with a hot and heavy night of passion.

  Life is finally looking up for Lyv ... That is, until she finds out she’s pregnant.

  With the two guys in her life out of reach, a baby on the way and an abusive mother, Lyv has some tough calls to make. Can she make the right ones?

  Bought By The Billionaire Brothers by Alexx Andria

  Curvy Penny McDaniels, a self-described “bean-counter” is shocked when her bosses at Buchanan Enterprises make her an indecent offer of the most scandalized kind but she finds herself irresistibly drawn into a world where everything has a price — including love. Join Penny and the Buchanans on a dizzying journey filled with lust, dark secrets and ultimately, heartbreak as they each discover what matters most in life. Erotica author, Alexx Andria has bundled her best-selling series in one value-packed package for her readers’ pleasure!

  Bikini Curves by Charlotte Summers

  When magazine layout artist Maddy Davis hits the beach at the Shark Festival, she doesn’t expect the huge t-shirt she wears over her bikini to almost drown her in the sea.

  She doesn’t expect the lifeguard who saves her to be womanizing Hollywood actor Alex Stone or for the embarrassing event to be aired live on TV.

  Alex is on the beach researching a role for his next movie but when fans want to see more of him and the curvy girl he rescued, a PR stunt is arranged to improve his tarnished reputation.

  But how much of Alex’s interest in Maddy is a role he’s playing for the media and how much is real? She doesn’t know who or what to trust anymore.

  And she certainly doesn’t expect to fall for Alex.

  The Reluctant Billionaire by Danielle Duncan

  When BBW Sophie begins her new job as chef in William Blackwell's mansion, she wants a new start. Her last job led to a romance with her billionaire boss which ended in heartbreak. This time, she swears she'll stay away from workplace romance...a vow that's put to the test when she meets the enigmatic Rhys, one of the mansion's gardeners.

  William "Rhys" Blackwell might be a billionaire, but he still loves digging in his gardens. When he meets Sophie he feels instantly attracted to her. But Sophie says she doesn't want to date anyone from the mansion, and Rhys knows that goes double for him, so he keeps his identity quiet. Maybe if she gets to know him first, she'll change her mind.

  In the midst of the growing attraction between Sophie and Rhys, they have other problems to deal with, too...a lawsuit, a billionaire ex-lover and more. In the end, there's just one question: what are they willing to risk for a chance at love?

  Something True by Malia Mallory

  Successful children's musician Shelley Taylor sings for all kids, but especially the sick ones. After her little sister died in childhood, Shelley founded the music charity KC's Kidz to entertain hospitalized children.

  She didn't sign up to babysit a rockstar.

  Irish bad boy superstar Liam Smith is in trouble with the law—again—and needs to perform community service. KC's Kidz seems like the perfect fit, especially since Shelley's as curvy as his favorite guitar and he wants to play her.

  Liam's deep green eyes strike a chord in Shelley, and she makes him want to sing a different tune. But Liam lives in a spotlight so white hot it might burn them both before they discover the true music inside their hearts.
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  Laid Bear: The Kodiak Clan by Marina Maddix

  Curvy bear shifter Veronica Muir is ready for a new mate. It's been six long and lonely years since her husband was killed, leaving her to raise rambunctious twin cubs on her own. And wouldn't you know it, the first time she dips her toe into the dating world, she ends up falling head over heels in love...with a human.

  Marine biologist Jess Slade is still raw from his divorce when he spots Veronica's online profile. Unable to resist her luscious curves, he takes a second chance on love by moving to her hometown of Kodiak, Alaska. But the one thing he doesn't know about her might be the one thing he can't get past.

  When a group of human-hating werebears called The Brotherhood threaten to tear them apart — quite literally — Jess and Veronica, with a little help from Max and Bethany, must decide where their loyalties lie and if their love is worth fighting for.

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  Captive Heart by Adriana Hunter

  Lainey Matthews stared at the phone in her hand, listening to the steady beeping of a disconnected call, her heart thudding along at the same rapid pace, her mind whirling in disbelief. The morning sun sliced through the window, little dust motes caught in the beam.

  Aiden had called her, and all she’d heard between the static and dead air was her brother’s voice, distant and eerily calm, the words ‘kidnapped’ and ‘hostage’ repeated, and then asking for her help.

  Shaking, she closed the phone, absently tapping it on her desk. Where was Aiden this time? What the hell had he gotten himself into now? She stood up, pacing back and forth in her small university office. Three steps took her to the door, three back took her to the desk. There didn’t seem to be enough room to contain her panic. She’d been looking after her little brother since their parents’ deaths, and even though he was a grown man with a career and a life of his own, she still felt responsible for him. She knew she always would.

  Flipping open the phone, she scrolled frantically through the numbers until she found the one she wanted and quickly hit send. Dave Archer, Aiden’s editor, would be able to help. He was Aiden’s boss, after all, the man who’d have sent him on this assignment. The call was answered almost instantly by a gruff male voice.

  “Archer.”

  “Dave? It’s Lainey Matthews. Listen, I just got a call from Aiden...”

  “Well, it’s about time. Why the hell is he calling you? He missed his first deadline and we’re holding space for his story.” The editor’s voice sounded even surlier than usual.

  “Dave, he said he’s been kidnapped...being held hostage. Where is he?”

  The sound on the other end was undecipherable, somewhere between a grunt and a curse. “Damn it. He’s in Central America. Somewhere west of Belize, in the Petén region. That’s about all I know.”

  The panic in her voice seemed to have little effect on the man on the other end of the line, and Lainey’s hopes for help from Dave began to crumble.

  “He said he had a contact with someone there and he wanted to do a human interest story about the impact drug trafficking has in the area. Let me check...” Lainey heard papers shuffling, another muffled curse, and then Dave was back.

  “His itinerary had him flying into Belize, and then he went west into Petén...that’s in Guatemala. He rented a car in Belize, at the airport. That was six days ago.”

  “And that’s it? Nothing else?” Lainey drew a deep breath, struggling to gain some composure. “Okay. So now what? What do we do to get him back?”

  The silence on the other end went on far too long for Lainey’s comfort. Dave finally drew a deep breath.

  “Lainey, there’s not much I can do. We’ll support you in whatever you decide to do, but...you have to understand...”

  “You mean there’s nothing you’re going to do.” In frustration, Lainey contemplated hanging up on Dave, then thought better of it, but just barely. Her statement was met with silence.

  “Thanks, Dave. I’ll keep you posted.” She flipped the phone shut, resisting the urge to fling it across the room. But she drew a deep breath instead, tried counting to ten and only got to five before she decided to make the call she knew she had to make. She dialed the number from memory.

  “Detective Scott Navarro.”

  The voice was the same, professional, deeply masculine...but it no longer held the power over Lainey it once had. Whatever passion – love – she’d felt for Scott had flamed out a long time ago. But in a pinch, he was still the man who could help her, as much as she hated the thought of asking for that help.

  “Hi, Scott. It’s Lainey.”

  A brief pause. She imagined him swiveling in his chair, leaning back, and looking out the window of his office. “Lainey. What a nice surprise. Haven’t heard from you since...well, it’s been a while.” The voice changed, dropping in register, becoming the seductive voice she remembered.

  “It has been...a long time.” The pause between his words held all their history. Since they’d broken up, since she threw him out. Since she’d asserted her independence and they both discovered he wasn’t ready for that.

  She sighed, pushing back the memories. She’d been devastated, had lost the ability to trust, and hadn’t had any type of serious relationship since Scott. But even if she’d shut herself off from any kind of attempt at love, everyone was better off where they were, not where they’d been.

  “Scott, I need your help. Aiden has been kidnapped.”

  “Where? When? Was he on assignment?” The professional voice was back and Lainey was relieved. Scott would always have her back, even if it cost Lainey her pride.

  “Yes. Recently, like during the last five or six days. Somewhere in Guatemala. Petén, I think, west of Belize.”

  “What was the assignment?”

  “Something to do with drug traffickers, the human interest angle. You know Aiden, always looking for the people behind the headlines.”

  “Yeah. I remember. What do you want to do?”

  Lainey sank back into her office chair. “I want to get him back. But I have no idea how.”

  The sounds of Scott’s office filtered over the phone, muffled noises, an occasional raised voice. “Lainey, I might have a favor I can call in. Let me make some calls and get back to you.”

  Lainey smiled, relief washing over her. “Thanks, Scott. Really, this is...”

  “Before you get too excited, know this probably isn’t going to be easy. Or cheap. I know a guy, he’s local...and he’s the best at this kind of thing. But you pay for what you get. Do you understand?”

  “How much?” The relief was gone, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “Probably ten thousand, plus expenses.” Scott paused. “I know that’s going to be difficult for you, Lainey, and I’d like to help.”

  “I can take care of myself.” Her voice was loud, the words out of her mouth before she even realized it. She closed her eyes, massaging her forehead with the fingers of her free hand.

  “I’m sorry, Scott. I didn’t mean that...”

  His low laugh surprised her. “Yeah, you did. And I understand. But this is different, okay? It’s not like...before. This is your brother’s life, not an overdue credit card bill. I want to help.”

  “I know. And yeah, it is different. But he’s my resp
onsibility.”

  “Hang tight. I’ll make some calls, get back to you soon.” The line went dead.

  Ten thousand dollars. She thought back to when she and Scott were living together in her apartment, she as a struggling grad student, he already on the force. He had just gotten promoted to detective and had gotten a pretty hefty pay increase. It had been easy for him to pay the bills, the rent, and take care of her expenses.

  But the more he helped, the less Lainey felt like an equal in the relationship. The money somehow got in the way, and she felt as if she owed him something. With each dinner he bought, each credit card statement he paid, she was falling further behind and always in his debt. Less like a lover and more like a financially irresponsible child.

  The final argument in a long string of arguments happened in a train wreck of events, starting with her graduation and her acceptance of a teaching job at the university. She purchased a brand new car, the first one she’d ever owned. She’d been so excited to show the car to Scott, but he’d given her a disapproving look and the start of a lecture on responsibility.

  “After all I’ve done for you, all the money...my money...that I’ve spent...the first paycheck you get, you blow it on this.” He pointed to the little red car sitting at the curb, as if it represented every textbook or dinner he’d bought.

  “Is that all this relationship has been? You taking care of me? I’m not a child, Scott. I’m a grown woman, not a charity case. If that’s all I’ve been to you, then this is the end.”

  There had been more words, many more angry words, and in the end, she’d asked him to leave. She’d struggled at first to pay her bills, but she’d worked hard and now things were better. Not a lot, but they were better. At least she didn’t feel like she owed anyone, other than the bank and her creditors, anything.

  But ten thousand dollars. She sighed, pulled her laptop across her desk, and logged in to her bank website. A few minutes of mouse clicks and she sat back. If it wasn’t any more than Scott had said, she could do it, barely.