In The Heat Of The Night By Duty Bound

Maximilian Loxley is a ruthless billionaire, haunted by his past. Ada Turner is the maid who stepped into his mansion with a secret plan to destroy him. But the closer she gets to his guarded heart, the harder it becomes to untangle revenge from desire. As lies unravel and truths emerge, they’ll have to choose—let their dark secrets consume them or risk everything for the love they never saw coming.

From bestselling author Emily Goodwin comes the epic start to a sexy and exciting paranormal romance series... Never trust a vampire. I might have learned that lesson the hard way. But when I find myself in a vampire-owned bar, I don’t have much of a choice. With vampires still trying to assimilate into mainstream society, I’ve done Lucas King a favor by stopping one of his patrons from draining a human dry in the basement of his bar. A favor he'd prefer to repay in bed than in kind. Vampires and witches have had more than a jaded history, and when witches start showing up dead in surrounding covens, all signs point to something old and powerful. Something that knows the ways of the witches.Something--or someone--like Lucas. What's worse than trusting a vampire? Falling in love with one.Dead of Night a vampire/witch romance and is book one in the Thorne Hill series.

It had been five years since I started dating Ross Jenner. His family invited my mother and me to their family home in Fellaton to discuss our wedding plans and to spend Valentine's Day together. It was past 10:00 PM when my mother and I landed, but Ross wasn't there to pick us up because his college junior, Laurel Elledge, had just arrived in Fellaton. He told me to figure out a way to get a cab to the house myself. In a strange place, unfamiliar with the area, it wasn't long before we found ourselves in danger. Just over ten minutes outside the airport, we were robbed. My mother was injured while trying to protect me, and she collapsed, bleeding heavily. Desperate, I held onto her, frantically trying to call Ross. Each call was abruptly cut off, and when I finally reached him, he sounded irritated. "Jennifer, you're an adult, so stop acting like a child. You couldn't even hail a cab on the street? Laurel just got to Fellaton and isn't feeling well. I need to take care of her." Without waiting for a response, he hung up. I tried calling again, only to find that I had been blocked. In the end, my mother's injuries were too severe, and she bled out before the doctors could save her. As I stared at her lifeless body, tears flowed uncontrollably. When I finally checked my phone again, the first thing I saw was a picture Ross had posted on Twitter. In the photo, he was kissing Laurel and holding a bouquet of roses. [Spending Valentine's Day with the one I love most.] I quietly threw the gifts I had brought from home into the trash. Then, I left a comment, which said, [Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness.]

Elena Thompson’s life has never been easy, but she’s always managed to survive. Working long shifts at a small diner, she’s spent years cleaning up the mess her father made—until the day he makes the ultimate mistake. Drowning in debt to dangerous people, he signs away the only thing he has left to offer: her. Alexander Calloway is ruthless, powerful, and dangerously cold. When he steps in to settle William Thompson’s debts, he doesn’t want money—he wants Elena. To him, marriage is just another contract, another deal to control. But what he doesn’t anticipate is the fire in her eyes and the way she refuses to bend to his will. into a world of wealth and secrets, Elena vows to fight for her freedom. But the more she clashes with her formidable husband, the more she finds herself drawn to the man behind the icy exterior. And as an old flame from Alexander’s past resurfaces, determined to ruin everything, Elena realizes that escaping her new life might not be her biggest challenge… Surviving it—and resisting the growing tension between her and Alexander—might be. In a battle of wills, desire, and betrayal, how long can Elena fight the pull of the man who holds her fate in his hands?

Krystal Wallace never thought her life would have any dent on it, until she caught her long-term boyfriend cheating on her with another lady, during their trip to Vegas. Heartbroken, Krystal opted to vent her anger on alcohol at a local pub nearby. A decision that got her drunk and landed her on the bed of a stranger, after a one night stand. Having no recollection of what'd happened, Krystal returned home with a mantra, "What happened has happened and it account to nothing." However, what happened in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas, because, it didn't take long for Krystal to realize that the stranger she'd had a one night stand with, was Lucas Vanowen, CEO of the multimillionaire Vanowen Groups and he'd left his seed growing inside her.

She thought she could endure a loveless marriage to repay her family’s debt—but she didn’t count on the cost of her heart. Once the proud daughter of a wealthy businessman, ELENA BRADFORD watched her life crumble when her father’s betrayal left her and her mother drowning in debt. Desperate to protect her family, she reluctantly agreed to a marriage contract with her father’s former business partner’s reckless son, ADRIAN HAWTHORNE—a man who once loved her during their university days but now only mocks her fall from grace. Trapped in a cold marriage filled with scorn and humiliation, Elena finds herself suffocating under the weight of Adrian’s cruelty. But everything changes at a high-profile dinner when she locks eyes with the one person she never thought she’d see again—LUCAS EVERHART, her childhood best friend, who once confessed his love before vanishing from her life. Now a powerful CEO, Lucas is stunned to see the woman he loved trapped in a toxic marriage. Learning of her misery, he vows to free her from the chains of her past—even if it means clashing with Adrian who refuses to let her go. As old feelings reignite and secrets unravel, Elena must decide: will she fight for the love she once believed in, or will her past mistakes keep her from the future she deserves?

True love never dies. Not even when those around me are trying to kill it. With vampire bounty hunters still out for me, having the Grand Coven accuse me of treason against witches is the last thing I need. No one should tell me who I can and cannot love. Determined not to let anyone or anything get in our way, Lucas and I decide to lay low for a while and let everything blow over with my coven while Lucas hunts for the vampires who tried to kidnap me. But things, of course, don’t go according to plan, and when I stumble upon an ancient evil force hiding out in the underground of Chicago, we realize our forbidden romance is the least of our worries. As we search for a way to defeat unbeatable odds, I start to discover that things aren’t what they seem…including my very existence.

Everything has a cost. I never thought the cost of falling in love could be my life. But when the Vampire Council gets reports of increased magical activity in the surrounding areas, they give the order for vampires to kill any witches they come across. I trust Lucas to never hurt me, but he’s not the only vampire in my life, and let’s just say the others aren’t my biggest fans. While I’m busy trying not to be come vampire chow, something dark and powerful is surrounding Thorne Hill, infecting everything—and everyone—that gets in its path. If the darkness gets to the Ley line, then the whole town is doomed. I won’t go down without a fight, but how can I fight something I can’t even see?

Amelie DaVinci never expected to be stolen from the altar. One moment, she was walking down the aisle. The next, her stepbrothers stormed in, guns drawn, tearing her from the life she never wanted. Luca, the cold and ruthless leader, plays mind games that blur the line between cruelty and seduction. Matteo teases her with whispered promises of pleasure and pain. And Nico, the silent one. As a mafia war ignites and betrayals cut deep, Amelie faces an impossible choice—fight back or surrender to the dark temptation of the men who refuse to let her go. Escape is impossible. Betrayal is inevitable. And surrendering to the darkness might be her only way to survive. Amelie knew she shouldn’t be anywhere near them. But here she was, trapped between Luca and Matteo, with Nico watching from the armchair. Matteo’s fingers brushed against her waist. “You know,” he murmured, “you keep running, but you always end up right back here. With us.” Amelie swallowed hard. “This is a mistake.” Luca hummed in amusement. “Then why haven’t you stopped us?” His fingers wrapped around a loose strand of her hair, tugging lightly. “Or better yet, why haven’t you stopped yourself?” She shivered. “We shouldn’t be doing this,” she whispered, but it lacked conviction. Nico finally moved, his gaze locking on hers. “Then walk away,” he said. “If that’s what you really want.” Amelie’s breath hitched. Her body betrayed her, leaning slightly into Luca’s touch, into Matteo’s warmth. Matteo tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “That’s what I thought.” His lips hovered over hers. “We’re not the ones keeping you here, Amelie. You are.” This was dangerous. It was reckless. But she knew she was already theirs.

Ava, the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy family, has always been treated as an outcast in her own home. Forced to endure daily abuse and neglect, her life takes an unexpected turn when she is compelled to marry Liam Tyson, a billionaire who is mentally unstable. Facing backlash from Liam's powerful and disdainful family, Ava realises that there may be more to this family than meets the eye.