Novels by Krista Lakes

Jack Saunders wanted one last hurrah before taking the mantle of DS Oil & Gas, the billion-dollar company that his father founded. His friend, Owen, let him borrow his mansion on a tropical island so that he could throw a final party before “marrying” the business that would dominate the rest of his life. He brought his secretary, Brandy, hoping that he could kindle a relationship that would last through the long days and nights of running a company. However, while the party was great, the gold digging woman he brought was not, and Jack resigned himself to a lifetime of loneliness. That was until he took a walk down the beach and met her. A woman who didn’t recognize him from the tabloids and only saw him, the man behind the money. Of all the women Jack had ever met, there was nobody like Emma LaRue. With one pretend marriage ceremony, she would change his life forever, and become the only one he ever wanted to give his saltwater kisses to. This novella is the first half of Saltwater Kisses written from Jack’s point-of-view, with a few bonus scenes thrown in as well.

When Charlotte Page first met Leo Westbrook, she was a shy, skinny teenager on the verge of becoming a woman. The moment the naked, chiseled Adonis mistakenly walked into her room, she was lovestruck. Leo was perfect in her eyes, and he proved it by helping create a billion-dollar business with Charlotte's brother. Even before he became a billionaire, Leo always had women throwing themselves at him. But the only woman he really wanted was the one he couldn’t have. Because Charlotte was his best friend and business partner’s little sister, he couldn’t afford to let her get too close. Yet he found himself unable to resist her. With each passing day, her charms threatened to overcome his defenses. After a decade of being his friend's blushing, stuttering little sister, the man of Charlotte's dreams finally noticed her. After one tropical kiss and a night of passion, her fantasy finally seemed to be coming true. However, when a lie from Leo's past caught up with him, it prompted her to question everything she thought she knew about the man she loves. Leo always knew that being with Charlotte wasn’t meant to be. Even if she could forgive him for his decade-long deception, he knew it would be better for her if he walked away. Yet sometimes, love is stronger than lies. Will Charlotte and Leo find a way to be together, or will they be left with nothing but memories of their waterfall kisses?

A concerned sister… Chloe Madison would do anything to find her missing brother. When she stumbles upon some information that leads her to a nearby military science facility, she doesn’t hesitate to sneak under the barbed wire fence and steal some files. Everything seems to be going to plan. That is, until a handsome soldier finds her with her hands in his filing cabinet. Instead of reporting her, he lets her go. She hurries home, his golden eyes all she can think of. A broken soldier… Captain Jackson Wolfe just returned from a hellish tour of duty in Afghanistan. Scarred and hiding terrible secrets, he is sent to a desk job. He just recently found out the hard way that he was a werewolf. Not only that, as far as he knows, he’s the only one of his kind. He knows he shouldn’t be around people and keeps to himself until he sees Chloe stealing files. He knows he should stop her, but her scent and something in her eyes stops him. A coverup worth killing for… When Wolfe follows Chloe to the library, he discovers that he’s not the only one of his kind. Someone doesn’t like that Chloe has been digging around, threatening to expose the secrets of her brother and the wolf shifters. In fact, they’re willing to kill to stop her. Wolfe knows that he must protect Chloe. After all, she may be the only thing that can save him from himself.

Olivia Statler hates Logan Hayes. It's not the fact that he's an executive of a rival travel company, or the fact that he's trying to buy her company, or even the fact that he won't leave her alone. Two years ago, the two of them seemed to have something that was amazing and real, but Logan's ego got in the way. When a new resort offers her an all-expense-paid trip to woo new clients, she figures that a working vacation is just what she needs. As the youngest CEO in the travel business, she's honored and flattered. However, she isn't the only executive that the resort invited. When Olivia sees the broad shoulders and blonde hair of Logan Hayes, her heart races. Half of it is raw sexual attraction, half of it is anger at what he did to her. Logan is determined to reignite their past spark, but Olivia does everything possible to avoid him. However, a hurricane strikes and traps them on the island, making it impossible to ignore the changed man in front of her. Only a storm as powerful as their passion will show them love or hate. Can romance survive the storm – or will their hurricane kisses be swept away forever?

Winthrow Financial. The fastest growing firm on Wall Street, and I had been lucky enough to land a job there right out of college. Despite being the youngest woman on the floor, I quickly made waves in the company. Carter Winthrow, the sexiest boss a woman could ever have, noticed me quickly. When he came to meet me personally, he also took notice of my body. Within days, I was promoted to Carter’s personal assistant. While the job itself was fantastic, the real perk was getting to work with Carter himself. The suave and sexy billionaire playboy managed to exude charm and confidence every time we spoke. And as I proved myself great at the job again and again, he became more and more comfortable with me. As I saw him giving to charities and holding his niece, I realized he was the ultimate alpha male. Those strong, chiseled abs and huge arms was all that the “Sexiest Bachelor” lists saw, but I saw the real man. A family man, just waiting for someone to give him that family. I knew that what I wanted, more than this job, more than a career, more than life itself, was Carter’s to give. I would do anything to get Carter to give it to me. And as he took my fertile body over and over again, I knew that he wanted more than just a business partner. He wanted it all. A wife. A family. But most of all, a baby...

They say life begins after 40, but Cassie ain't feelin' it. Divorced and feeling trapped by her job, she wants to let loose for her friend's tropical beach wedding. She decides to let her hair down and get a little unpredictable. That's when she meets a handsome bartender, Wyatt. Despite a few grey hairs, Wyatt's the liveliest man that Cassie has ever met. She knows that there's got to be more to his life story than just being a bartender, but this is just supposed to be a vacation fling. And after sunny days spent breaking all the rules on the beach together, Cassie realizes that nobody has ever listened to her the way that Wyatt does. His carefree life is enviable, his kisses are intoxicating, and she can almost imagine a life with him. But all vacations come to an end. And when Cassie invites him to visit her hometown, Wyatt reveals that he can never go back. Not to her town. Not to America. Not to civilization. Cassie leaves, confused and heartbroken, wondering just who she got herself involved with. Suddenly, her predictable life gets turned upside down when she sees her picture splashed across the Internet. And when the tabloids come looking for the mature woman who found the lost billionaire, she has no idea what to do... ...until he comes back.

Rich. British. Hot as hell. Elizabeth Bennett has never appreciated any of these traits in a man. So when Mr. Darcy, billionaire British playboy and GQ's Bachelor of the Year, meets her at a function, she's surprised at how attracted she is to him. That is until he puts his foot in his big, arrogant mouth. The slap that she gave him got her thrown out of the biggest fundraiser of the year, but the mark she left on Mr. Darcy won't leave his mind. The second time that they meet "on accident", he turns up the arrogance even more. The third time, he tries flowers. By the fourth time, he's wearing a cup to protect himself. Mr. Darcy is the last man in the world that Elizabeth could ever be with. However, love makes fools of us all, and the one man that she can't stand is the one man she can't resist. Can Mr. Darcy's kiss win over the heart of Elizabeth Bennett? Join New York Times bestselling author Krista Lakes in this modern retelling of Jane Austen's beloved "Pride and Prejudice".

"I thought you were beautiful the first time I saw you in the rain..." Dylan: The sudden death of Dylan's father was a wake-up call. After pouring a decade of his life into his company, Dylan felt like had nothing to show for it. No wife, no kids, no family. With no destination in mind, he sells his company and wanders the world, eventually finding himself in Silver Springs... Bonnie: Bonnie Kincaid is also on the run... for her life. The police can't keep her safe. Things look hopeless when her car breaks down in the remote mountains of Colorado. A handsome man rescues her, fixes her car, but also gives her a reason to stop running. For the first time in a long time, she feels safe. Unfortunately, both Bonnie and Dylan's pasts catch up with them, and in order to put down roots to grow a family, they have to stop running. But they aren't finished with her yet...

“I've wanted this all my life,” he said. “I want you.” Carter Between running a company and a recent attempt on his life, billionaire Carter Williamson doesn't need any more stress. So when a trio of orphan children breaks into the Colorado ranch he's hiding out in, his first instinct is to just let the police handle it. That was before their spunky social worker Mia showed up. Mia Mia Amesworth has worked hard to make sure that the Smith kids aren't separated from each other, but she can only do so much. With her own body unable to produce children, the kids are the closest thing to a family she's got. When the handsome ranch owner offers to let the three troublemakers pay for the damages with hard work over the summer, she happily accepts. When he suggests they go on a date, she can't say yes fast enough. Even though Carter's secret assailant keeps threatening him, he feels like he might be falling for the small town girl. And though Mia knows that a family might not be in the cards for her future, she longs to create a life with Carter. And then, a miracle happens...

Maids don’t ever get to go to the ball… do they? Jace Connors: Stretched thin from running a business and organizing a wedding, the last thing Jace needs is the world’s most eligible bachelorettes trying to sneak their way into his bed. When he meets Ella grooming the inn’s horses, though, she leaves him breathless. Jace knows that he can’t let her get away… Ella McDaniels: What starts as an almost-kiss in the barn ends up captivating Ella, even though she knows that the richly dressed Jace is out of her league. However, when he keeps showing up wherever she is, her attraction to him grows. And if she can outwit her wicked stepmother, she just might be able to dance with him at the wedding reception ball. There’s only one problem… What if Jace is actually the groom?

Who meets Prince Charming in an elevator while carrying their broken shoe? Lena Masterson was having a rough day. Her coffee pot exploded, her favorite heel broke on the way to work, her computer died, and her coworker sabotaged her performance review that she should have aced. To top it all off, she had to stay late. So when she ran into a handsome stranger at work, she was certain that it was the worst day of her life. Instead, it was the start of something wonderful. From the moment she nearly bowled the man over, she thought about him. She didn’t know anything about him, and could only assume that he was someone’s assistant. Still, the encounter left her with new self-confidence. She made a move assertive enough to get the attention of her boss’ boss, and be granted a new position as the personal paralegal of the head partner. This promotion soon led to an important trip to the Caribbean, where she saw a familiar face on the beach… Everything seemed perfect when she was in Aiden’s arms, but he was holding something back. Worse, Lena was keeping a secret from him as well. She knew that she couldn’t keep up her little white lie forever, but it turned out that Aiden’s secret was much bigger. Much much much bigger. A billion times bigger, in fact. Even though he treated her like Cinderella at the ball, it was possible that the billionaire playboy just thought of her as one of his “flavors of the week”. After saying goodbye with one last barefoot kiss and returning to the real world, there was a burning question on Lena’s mind: Did this Prince Charming love her as much as she loved him?

Ava Fairchild was sure that she’d never find love. Seemingly lost in a sea of self-pity, she was delighted when her appraisal company was given a job in the Caribbean. A once-in-a-lifetime trip to appraise Sebastian Belrose’s billion-dollar estate seemed to be exactly what she needed to relax and enjoy herself. A walk to the beach at dawn gave her a first impression of the billionaire himself, paddle boarding on the gentle waves. He was reserved and mysterious, and Ava wanted to know all of his secrets. His evasiveness and the fact that he forbade her from traveling to his Study just added to his allure, while simultaneously reminding her about the secrets that destroyed her last relationship. Still, every sunrise that they shared together made her fall more desperately in love with him. But Bastian had a reason for keeping to himself. And as Ava saw the <b>scars that criss-crossed his body, she knew that what she had found was a soul not unlike herself. A man who had been damaged. A man who deserved to trust. A man that deserved to love, and to be loved. Would this beauty be able to tame the beast, or would they be left with just memories of sunrise kisses?

From New York Times bestselling author Krista Lakes comes a sexy standalone novel about a billionaire and the indecent proposal he gives the local barista. Billionaire CEO Jackson Weathers needs a family for a PR boost, and I've signed a contract agreeing to give him one. A doting girlfriend in public. A wedding ceremony to invite all the socialites to. And finally, a baby for him to parade around, to show he's really a wholesome, down-to-Earth man. I've tried to remain cynical about it. He's going to make all my dreams come true. So what if it's supposed to be a loveless marriage? Only, his tenderness in private has me hooked. The way he kisses me drives me wild. When we make love, I lose myself to him. His body feels like it was meant to be on top of mine, like we fit together like two puzzle pieces. I can't help but begin to fall for him. I can't tell him, or I risk losing everything. And nobody else can find out about our little "arrangement" or it will destroy his reputation. Still, I feel like I have to know how he feels, before the marriage, before the baby, before I give my entire life over to him. Is it still just pretend?

When Isabel Baker agreed to moonlight as a bartender at a private party, she never imagined she'd get anything more than tips. However, on this resort island, nothing was ever that simple. After tending bar with the deliciously handsome Noah who was flown in for the party, Izzy realized that she was about to break her number one rule: never fall for a tourist. But with his quick wit, charming smile and passion for marine life, Noah was the kind of guy that she couldn’t resist. At the end of the night, she barely managed to turn him away from coming home with her. Noah had only come to the island for one of Jack Saunders' famous parties. Yet once he met Izzy, he couldn’t bring himself to leave. After one steamy night together, he knew that he would do almost anything to keep her. Theirs should have been an easy love story, complete with a happily ever after. Except Noah was also moonlighting as a bartender that night and his true identity threatened Izzy’s research. When his billion-dollar company and her marine research project collide, their entire relationship crumbles into the sand. Will they be able to rebuild their beautiful sandcastle together, or will it be washed away by the rising tide, forever just a memory?

The man I love is getting married. And it isn't to me. I've been in love with Jonathan for as long as I can remember. I loved him as a girl. I loved him as a teenager. I loved him as an adult. I love him still. But he doesn't love me. How could he? He's a billionaire and I'm just the butler's daughter. But when I attend a party in my Gucci dress and fancy heels, he sees me in a whole new light. And it couldn't have come at a worse time. His high-powered wedding is in two weeks. It falls to his older brother, Christopher, to protect Jonathan from himself. As always. And this time, that means spiriting me away and tempting me with my dream job on a tropical island. Here, I learn that Christopher is so much more than I ever gave him credit for. He gets me in a way no man ever has. His body completes me in ways I didn't even know possible. And the way he looks at me makes me think he could be the one. I've always been in love with Jonathan, but now that I've been with Christopher, I find I can't choose. Some people go their whole lives without finding one love of their life. Now I have to decide between two.