You want to know the secret to everlasting happiness? Never fall in love. That was the wisdom my father imparted to us James boys after our mom died, and it’s a piece of advice that’s served me well. Until dear old Dad asks me for a favor over Sunday brunch. No big deal, right? I love making my old man happy. Except this “favor” is a lot more complicated than picking up his dry cleaning. Dad wants me to marry and provide a few heirs for the James empire, and he’s even done me the courtesy of handpicking my bride\-to\-be. Lucky me. But if I’m being honest, I’ve grown tired of the endless cycle of dating, the constant small talk, and the ever\-shrinking pool of women I haven’t already invited for a sleepover. I’m a lawyer, so contracts are kind of my thing. And that’s all marriage really is—a contract negotiated between two parties. What could possibly go wrong? Enter Melanie Edison, the five\-foot\-four brunette with curves in ALL the right places. A veterinary nurse with the smartest mouth I’ve ever heard. And I have more fun not dating her than I did dating any woman before, even with Melanie’s absurd no\-sex\-before\-marriage rule. But when our business arrangement becomes so much more, I end up breaking my most important rule. And that’s when it all goes to hell. I have no idea how we can ever repair the damage that’s been done. I’m not even sure I want to. And maybe going back to my old life won’t be so hard. Except it’s too late. I broke my rule. And she broke me.

Book 2 in Manhattan Ruthless featuring the James brothers, Drake's story

They say love is all you need. They’re wrong. Sometimes, no matter how much you want to stop it from happening, you have to watch the person you love most in the world slip through your fingers. Even when it feels entirely wrong, you can still find yourself sitting in a lawyer’s office with your spouse, negotiating the terms of your divorce. It doesn’t matter that she’s the only woman I’ve ever loved. Or that we both meant it when we promised each other forever. It matters even less that she can still make my knees weak with nothing more than a smile. None of that is enough to fix the things we’ve spent a lifetime together breaking. We were meant to be together but destined to be apart. So we’re doing just that—separating our joined lives into two distinct, single ones. An amicable uncoupling. Or so it appears on the surface. Only it’s not so easy to extricate yourself from someone who’s been a part of your life for two decades. It’s even harder to deny the physical attraction that’s still there, simmering underneath the surface. If only we didn’t have so much baggage, maybe we could enjoy some no-strings fun to take the edge off the whole divorce situation. That thought is exactly how I wind up doing the unthinkable: having an affair. With my wife. Knee-deep in lawyer negotiations, we’re sneaking around behind everyone’s backs. Secret hotel meetups, burner phones, lying to my family, the works. And despite the physical attraction—and the way she still moans my name—the divorce is going ahead. We’ve made too many mistakes to fix them now. Or have we? Because what’s happening between us seems like it surpasses the boundaries of a physical affair. What if this is our chance to fix everything we got so very wrong the first time around? With my family on one side and my wife on the other, I’m torn between what I should do and what I want to do. Torn between my head and my heart. No matter what I decide, one thing is for certain: There is no such thing as no-strings-attached when the object of your infatuation is also the love of your life. Rebound is a standalone second chance billionaire romance. With a whole lot of angst and a HEA guaranteed.

Mason's story

Mason's Story