Riley Hart

As next in line for the Evergreen crown, Prince Merrick Davendall's future involves ruling, marriage, and producing an heir of his own. But he's long been tormented by desires that are far from princely. Especially when the beautiful Cassius is promoted to be his new valet, and Merrick is struck by a longing like never before-a longing to know him far beyond royal and servant. After his father's passing, Cassius Havendale's sole duty is to provide for his family. A promotion to serve a pampered prince is something he endures only for their sake. Surely Prince Merrick has no understanding of the true suffering of the common people, nor could he possibly understand what it's like to desperately desire something he cannot have. Except the prince is not at all what Cassius imagined. Kind, humorous, and caring to those in need, he also shares Cassius's affinity for the arts. In fact, Merrick understands his deepest vulnerabilities in a most remarkable way. As their affection deepens, the underlying tension between them becomes unbearable and they're unable to ignore it any longer. But when the queen prepares a lavish ball with all the eligible ladies in the land in attendance, Merrick must fulfill his obligations to his country, and Cassius has the needs of his family to consider. They've long known their stolen moments would have to come to an end, but are they ready to give up one another and the idea of a happily-ever-after? ***PLEASE NOTE: EVER AFTER is a romantic fairy tale-minus the magic-that features one compassionate prince, one brooding valet, and plenty of angsty, forbidden love. It's loosely based on a certain treasured fairy tale in a wintery make-believe setting that wouldn't be considered contemporary but also isn't based on any specific time period and doesn't play by any traditional rules. *Please be sure to read the Dear Reader letter in the book before you begin.

ASHAll stepbrothers need Step Don'ts.Colin and I have ours.Like, don't pit our parents against either of us. Don't hog the TV. And definitely...Don't.Keep.Secrets.These rules have done more than help us keep the peace between us.After all these years since our parents got together, I can't imagine my life without Colin.To most people, he's the hot, straight tight end for Peach State.But to me, he's my backward-cap-wearing, football-loving, piggyback-ride-giving best friend and fellow Alpha Theta Mu frat bro.Life's pretty incredible living together at the same frat house, but suddenly, I find myself keeping a particularly naughty secret.I tell myself Colin wouldn't want to know what his bi bro does in private, but then why do I feel like I'm committing a huge Step Don't?COLINThere's nothing I'm more of an expert in than my stepbro, Ash.He's a quick-witted, nerd-boy genius who's always there to help a friend cram for a test or capture bugs for me when they invade my space.He's my favorite person.Making him happy gives me a rush...but for the first time, he's keeping a secret from me.When Ash cops to his Step Don't-his new extracurricular of doing dirty things on camera-I'm confused.He is too, so we work together to figure out why this excites him so much.In places we're likely to get caught.After all, what's a little exhibitionism between stepbros?I didn't even realize I could be into guys-or be so intoxicated by these new experiences-but exploring my bisexuality with Ash is the best thing that's ever happened to me.And with each touch, each time we up the stakes, I discover I want more than just Ash's body.I want his heart too, even though that surely must be the biggest Step Don't of all.

ASHAll stepbrothers need Step Don'ts.Colin and I have ours.Like, don't pit our parents against either of us. Don't hog the TV. And definitely...Don't.Keep.Secrets.These rules have done more than help us keep the peace between us.After all these years since our parents got together, I can't imagine my life without Colin.To most people, he's the hot, straight tight end for Peach State.But to me, he's my backward-cap-wearing, football-loving, piggyback-ride-giving best friend and fellow Alpha Theta Mu frat bro.Life's pretty incredible living together at the same frat house, but suddenly, I find myself keeping a particularly naughty secret.I tell myself Colin wouldn't want to know what his bi bro does in private, but then why do I feel like I'm committing a huge Step Don't?COLINThere's nothing I'm more of an expert in than my stepbro, Ash.He's a quick-witted, nerd-boy genius who's always there to help a friend cram for a test or capture bugs for me when they invade my space.He's my favorite person.Making him happy gives me a rush...but for the first time, he's keeping a secret from me.When Ash cops to his Step Don't-his new extracurricular of doing dirty things on camera-I'm confused.He is too, so we work together to figure out why this excites him so much.In places we're likely to get caught.After all, what's a little exhibitionism between stepbros?I didn't even realize I could be into guys-or be so intoxicated by these new experiences-but exploring my bisexuality with Ash is the best thing that's ever happened to me.And with each touch, each time we up the stakes, I discover I want more than just Ash's body.I want his heart too, even though that surely must be the biggest Step Don't of all.

TROYSometimes I want to punch that smirk off Atlas McCallister's pretty face.He's cocky. A troublemaker. A pain.And, unfortunately, my stepbrother.We've been fire and kerosene since our parents got together, and to keep from exploding into fistfights, we've used challenges, dares, and bets to battle out our differences.Our past bets have been a little inappropriate-scandalous, even-but Atlas's latest bet has gone too far.Do I really believe if he loses, my straight stepbrother is gonna mess around with a guy? And not just any guy: me, his rival and nemesis?Not a chance.But if he's so confident he's gonna win...well, my big stepbro must not know me as well as he thinks...ATLASI love getting under Troy's skin.Mr. Former Prom King. Mr. Heartthrob. Mr. Infuriatingly Perfect. Messing with him is too easy. Too fun. Maybe that's why I'm a little obsessed with him.Our latest bet is the perfect way for me to test the bisexual waters, and once I dive headfirst into the deep end, I don't want to stop.With Troy. My stepbro.It was supposed to be just a little fun, yet with each touch, I like him more than I should. It wasn't supposed to go this far. Now I want Troy to be all mine.But what we're doing has bigger consequences than our little step bet, and when the stakes are this high, is it worth gambling our hearts when we know this is a game we both could lose?

TROYSometimes I want to punch that smirk off Atlas McCallister's pretty face.He's cocky. A troublemaker. A pain.And, unfortunately, my stepbrother.We've been fire and kerosene since our parents got together, and to keep from exploding into fistfights, we've used challenges, dares, and bets to battle out our differences.Our past bets have been a little inappropriate-scandalous, even-but Atlas's latest bet has gone too far.Do I really believe if he loses, my straight stepbrother is gonna mess around with a guy? And not just any guy: me, his rival and nemesis?Not a chance.But if he's so confident he's gonna win...well, my big stepbro must not know me as well as he thinks...ATLAS I love getting under Troy's skin.Mr. Former Prom King. Mr. Heartthrob. Mr. Infuriatingly Perfect. Messing with him is too easy. Too fun. Maybe that's why I'm a little obsessed with him.Our latest bet is the perfect way for me to test the bisexual waters, and once I dive headfirst into the deep end, I don't want to stop.With Troy. My stepbro.It was supposed to be just a little fun, yet with each touch, I like him more than I should. It wasn't supposed to go this far. Now I want Troy to be all mine. But what we're doing has bigger consequences than our little step bet, and when the stakes are this high, is it worth gambling our hearts when we know this is a game we both could lose?This is the first book in the Peach State Stepbros Series. It can be read as a standalone.

TROYSometimes I want to punch that smirk off Atlas McCallister's pretty face.He's cocky. A troublemaker. A pain.And, unfortunately, my stepbrother.We've been fire and kerosene since our parents got together, and to keep from exploding into fistfights, we've used challenges, dares, and bets to battle out our differences.Our past bets have been a little inappropriate-scandalous, even-but Atlas's latest bet has gone too far.Do I really believe if he loses, my straight stepbrother is gonna mess around with a guy? And not just any guy: me, his rival and nemesis?Not a chance.But if he's so confident he's gonna win...well, my big stepbro must not know me as well as he thinks...ATLAS I love getting under Troy's skin.Mr. Former Prom King. Mr. Heartthrob. Mr. Infuriatingly Perfect. Messing with him is too easy. Too fun. Maybe that's why I'm a little obsessed with him.Our latest bet is the perfect way for me to test the bisexual waters, and once I dive headfirst into the deep end, I don't want to stop.With Troy. My stepbro.It was supposed to be just a little fun, yet with each touch, I like him more than I should. It wasn't supposed to go this far. Now I want Troy to be all mine.But what we're doing has bigger consequences than our little step bet, and when the stakes are this high, is it worth gambling our hearts when we know this is a game we both could lose?This is the first book in the Peach State Stepbros Series. It can be read as a standalone.