Meagan Brandy books in order

They say to keep your enemies close, but 'they' never had to deal with the likes of Alec Daniels, the broody bad boy next door who loved to make my life a living nightmare...up until the day he disappeared.

See, Alec was a thief.

He stole my happy.

My sanity.

My first kiss.

I told myself I was glad the day he went away, and I'm reminded of why not five minutes after his sudden and unexpected return.

Now he stands before me with a heavy glare and hard body.

But those greedy green eyes, they're darker than I remember, and brimming with a secret...

A secret I didn't discover until it was far too late.

Because this time, he didn't steal a simple kiss.

This time... Alec Daniels stole my all.

NB: Previously titled The Wrong Blaze.

Fake.

That's what we are.

That's what we agreed to be.

So why does it feel so real?

I thought it would have been harder, convincing everyone our school's star receiver was mine and mine alone, but I was wrong.

We played our parts so well that the lines between us began to blur until they disappeared completely.

The thing about pretending, though, someone's always better at it, and by the time I realized my mistake, there was no going back.

I fell for our lie.

And then everything fell apart.

It turned out he and I were never playing the same game.

He didn't have to break me to win.

But he did it anyway.

I'm a Monet.

A chameleon.

I'm whatever I must be.

The flawless daughter, a skilled socialite, and the perfect prize to the man of my family's choosing.

Not that I'm complaining.

I knew what my future would hold before I returned to California, and the truth is, I'm all for a loveless life. One that takes little thought and zero devotion.

It's exactly what I want.

Or it was...until I locked eyes with someone from the opposite side of the tracks.

He's the ripple in the rich, the poor punk who doesn't belong...or so the trust fund crew claims.

He's everything I'm supposed to avoid, untamed and unapologetic, reckless and free.

Addicting in ways I can't explain.

I'm aware no good will come of our friendship, yet I can't bring myself to care.

Him and his friends ready to show me the world through their eyes.

The question is...do I let them?

You know how in college there's that one guy everyone wants to be?

That's me.

I'm the top dog.

The number one.

The big man on campus.

Some say those things are solid wins.

My new tutor would disagree.

My title means nothing to her.

My status lost on her.

And now my mind? That sucker is stuck on her.

She was told to make our sessions priority over all, to drop everything when I need her, and come to me. She does.

But I don't want to steal her time anymore.

I want to earn it.

If anyone can do that, it's me.

I'm Tobias Cruz, the king of the curveball. I don't lose.

Not the game, and surely not the girl.

Little did I know, this girl has herself a secret ... and it's the dirtiest curve yet.

If she isn't mine in the end, I'll still be hers.

It's torture, but it's true...

My brothers best friend broke my heart, but what happens when his new teammate wants to put it back together?

For years, I've dreamt of what college life could bring and while some things changed, there was always one constant.

It didn't matter how wild I allowed my imagination to run, it always led me to the same place in the end.

It led me to him.

My future was clear, and he was it.

Until suddenly, he wasn't.

Now there's a new man in my life, one who isn't afraid to go after what he wants, and what he wants ... is me.

They say first loves last forever.

What about the second?

I want her. She wants to feel wanted. Those are two very different things...

I never expected my best friend's little sister to become the one I craved, but it happened anyway.

In the beginning, we were both young, then she was too young, and then suddenly ... she wasn't.

Unfortunately for me, things got complicated, so I took off, but this girl?

She followed.

Now she's sitting across from me, asking me to do something I've thought about more times than I'll admit.

Something I really shouldn't do.

She wants me to take her virginity.

The problem?

No way I could kiss her and not keep her, but she's not looking to be claimed.

She wants to feel, not fall, but walk away and allow someone else take what's meant to be mine?

Yeah, that's not about to happen...

"Girls like you aren't exactly welcomed at a place like this, so keep your head down and look the other way."

Those were the exact words of my social worker when she dropped me in my newest hellhole, a place for "troubled teens".

I didn't listen, and now I'm on their radar.

They expect me to play along in their games of hierarchy, to fall in line in the social order they've deemed me fit.

Too bad for them, I don't follow rules.

Too bad for me, they're determined to make sure I do.

Inconceivably attcactive and treated like kings...these are the boys of Brayshaw High.

And I'm the girl who got in their way.

"You don't belong."

No words whispered in anger have ever rung more true.

They're the Kings of Brayshaw with the world at their feet, destined for greatness and in need of control. I'm the girl from the gutter with nothing to offer and as defiant as they come.

They say it doesn't matter, that I'm one of them now, and nothing could ever change that. Not even me, should I dare try. But they're wrong.

They underestimate how far I'll go to protect them.

Trouble is coming...and they have no idea.

"Trust only those who earn it."

A sentiment I follow without direction but holds more consequence than ever before.

One decision, five lives, three futures.

This is what's at stake.

One night, one choice, four broken Brayshaws.

That is where we're headed.

Unless I stop it.

I have to stop it.

I have to remind him of what he's chosen to forget.

My town.

My choice.

My ending.

Welcome to Brayshaw...

"You might want to sleep with one eye open."

Those were the words whispered to the newest addition to the Brayshaw mansion.

The feisty, rebel blonde I might have overlooked had she not placed herself in front of me.

The second she did, something in me stirred, and I knew right then and there, I had to have her.

But our town is a twisted place, and no move is a simple as making it.

So it should come as no surprise when just as I decide to take what I want, I learn of a lie.

I lie too big to forgive.

The problem is, she's now sleeping down the hall, and my control is running thin.

Hate to want you, Beauty...

I had a plan, and it was solid.

Track down what was hidden away and take pleasure in toying with it.

Toying with her.

That plan, it worked like a charm.

Until it didn’t.

Turned out, the feisty little thing I found was far from what I hoped for.

She was different from all I knew and more than I expected.

She was light, and I’m the bastard who led her into darkness.

But this girl... she followed with a smile.

I told her I break pretty things.

She asked me to promise.

He’s the persistent playboy who refuses to walk away.

I’m the impassive new girl with nothing left to give.

Things are about to get complicated...

After months of refusing, I finally agreed to make the move to Alrick Falls.

My family thought it was best - that a new scene would be good for me - and I was sick of having the same conversation.

So here I am, and the plan is simple.

Smile through each day and avoid her at all costs. It's perfect.

Until the cocky quarterback comes into play.

The last thing I want is his crooked grin and dark brown eyes focused on me. Yet here he is, constantly in my space, pushing me, daring me to care. Telling me what I think and feel, as if he knows.

He doesn’t know anything.

And I plan to keep it that way.

After months of silence, here she stands on my front porch, waiting to be let in again. But it's the same play every time, and I know how this ends - I give her all I have and she carries it with her on the way back to him.I should turn her away, but I won't. Couldn't do it if I tried.Because no matter how many times she pops back up, pulls me in and drags me under, it will never be enough. I'll always want more. More of her. More for us.And she'll always choose him.