Being a single dad while managing one of the biggest businesses in New Orleans keeps me very busy. Any free time I have I spend with my daughter, Bella—reading to her, styling her hair, or choosing nail polishes appropriate for an eight-year-old. But I’m okay with that because she is my whole world. After my divorce, I made myself a promise: I wouldn’t date until Bella was older. Then all my good intentions go up in smoke when I hire our newest chef for the flagship restaurant in the French Quarter. Scarlett Jones is unlike any woman I’d ever met. She’s smart and beautiful and I can’t get enough of her. For more reasons than one, I need to keep my distance. So when I begin flirting… surprising her with beignets and coffee at break time, then king cake after hours, I know I’ve gone too far. And when I join Scarlett on a ridiculous haunted tour of the city, I’m certain I’ve lost my mind. She’s become my addiction. I want to explore those curves, find out her deepest desires—and make them come true. But it’s when she offers to teach my daughter how to bake, I know I’m in wayyyyy over my head. When the three of us are together, I get a glimpse of the family we could be. The question is, are we both ready to put our fears behind us? And to think, it all started with a little flirt.

Julian Leblanc's story is a sizzling fake relationship romance set in the heart of New Orleans. She’s too damn hot, but also rude and unprofessional... yet that doesn’t stop me from becoming her fake boyfriend. I pride myself on never doubting my decisions. It’s why my business runs so smoothly. But when a disgruntled supplier tracks me down, and I discover that she lost business because of me, I’m determined to make things right. First step—I invite Georgie to a Mardi Gras party, to wave the proverbial white flag. Only her asshole of an ex shows up, insulting her. All my protective instincts kick in and I kiss her on the spot. That shuts him up. The only problem is, once I have a taste, I crave more. So I proposition to be her fake boyfriend. My excuse? I’ll help her get her clients back by taking her to elite parties around New Orleans. But this fake dating becomes addictive. Suddenly a kiss is not enough; a touch is only the beginning and Georgie is captivating me in a way no one ever did. Then one evening at midnight, all masks come off. And so do our reasons for pretending. I desperately want her, but I’m not the settle-down-type-of-guy, and Georgie deserves that. With her, I’ve become the man I never thought I ever could be. Our passion is real. But can it be more?

I love my job. So when a grumpy grouch wants to shut us down, I’m ready for the fight of my life. I was heading for serious career burnout until my dream job came true. Making pralines for a living has been the best thing that’s ever happened to me. So it comes as quite a shock when I find out that the owner wants to shut down the LeBlanc-Broussard confectionery because it’s not profitable. My hope is that I can win him over. Once he realizes how integral the confectionery is to the city, to the very makeup of New Orleans he’s bound to agree, right? Wrong. Xander LeBlanc is a grump, and it’s questionable whether he has a heart at all! Though I’m ashamed to admit I was blindsided by how hot he is—definitely a 10+. Unfortunately, his personality is a zero. All he’s concerned about are profits and not the charitable work the business is known for. But suddenly, Xander begins to show up at various events we sponsor. When he arrives at the children’s hospital where I hand out treats during the holiday season, I see an entirely new side to him when he starts playing The Grinch for the kids! When he takes me home later that evening things between us escalate. He confesses that he's been attracted to me from day one and let’s just say, the man has hot skills in bed. But the inevitable closing of the confectionary still weighs heavy on my mind and I don’t know if I can separate the two. Can I love a man who wants to take away the only joy I have in life? But the bigger question is… Can I melt the ice around his heart and find my way inside it for longer than a few nights?