Auctioned

Gray Nolan's biggest problem in life was the torch he carried for his closeted coach. He was just another happy-go-lucky dude, a college student and hockey player, when his ordinary existence was interrupted, and he became a human trafficking statistic. He and seven other young men were taken aboard a luxurious yacht where they were to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Gray was beaten, shattered, and almost defeated by the time his buyer stepped out of the shadows in a swirl of his own cigarette smoke. He was Gray's new owner. Darius Quinn had vowed never again to find himself in a situation like this. His days as a private military contractor were over. No more missions, no more risks, no more personal attachments. Yet, here he was, after weeks of searching, face-to-face with his broken prize. It was time to get the knucklehead back to his family. Quick and easy was Darius's plan. Then everything went sideways. Contains mature themes.

"You have my word, Gray. I will get you off this island, and I will bring you home." It was supposed to be an easy in-and-out job. Nothing Darius Quinn hadn't done before. But this job had something none of the others did: Gray Nolan. Like Murphy's Law advised, anything that could go wrong, would. A mission to save one hometown favorite son was turning into a quest to rescue thirteen traumatized young men against odds so steep, he'd need an oxygen mask to scale them. Facing new dangers and an uncertain future, Darius keeps Gray close and is soon forced to accept that this has become much more than an assignment. For a man whose reputation was built on being ice-cold under pressure, Darius is beginning to discover how good it feels to burn. Contains mature themes.

Gray had survived a kidnapping, being stranded on an island, and more pain than most could handle in a lifetime. When it was time to focus on recovery, he wanted to be left alone to fight his demons-and to get over the attachment he'd formed for the man who'd saved him more than once. But in a time when darkness threatened to consume him, salvation arrived as he set out to uphold the promise he'd made to a friend. Eight-year-old Jayden stormed into his life, fresh off the streets of Philadelphia, and lit up Gray's bleak existence. Darius had known that Gray was going to close himself in and run away after everything they'd been through, but the knucklehead could dream. They were in this together, end of story. What started out as a cross-country road trip to guide them home to Washington was quickly turning into a journey with a destination that scared the life out of Darius. He'd never wanted that kind of future before, and now he was gearing up to fight for it. Contains mature themes.

With the help of their ball-busting daughter, some questionable morals, and an important job to get done, Casey and Boone will steal you away to the grit and glitz of Las Vegas in this fast-paced romance. I'm not supposed to do this job without Boone. We may not share genes, but it's been us against the world since his mom took me in as a toddler. The rowdy O'Sullivan boys who raised all the hell that Vegas could handle. Not that all my memories are wild and make my heart race. After all, I realized I was in love with the bastard at some point, so there's been plenty of pathetic yearning and jealousy too. Even so, it's been him and me. Brothers, partners in crime, and, for the past six years, coparents to an amazing little girl. But that's another story. Right now, I gotta focus on the job our cousin gave us, and I need Boone by my side. The problem is we haven't really been on speaking terms for four years now. Contains mature themes.

One last mission. One last operation-and the stakes had never been higher. Truth be told, Darius was exhausted. He didn't want his past mingling with the life he was building with Gray and the kids, but he had no choice. They were facing their biggest threat yet, and in order to even stand a chance, Darius had to revert to the man he'd once been. He had to set aside fatherhood and love and be the grunt, the private contractor, the soldier who went deep behind enemy lines. It was time to rally the troops. With Gray by his side, Darius cashed in the last of his favors and put together a crew that would hopefully help them bring an end to this chaotic year. The desert waited for them. Again. So did Las Vegas. The problem with Vegas . . . ? Just when you thought you knew how to play the game, it played you. Contains mature themes.

The Auctioned Series is a journey packed with action, nail-biting suspense, family, and love. In Gray and Darius's fight for freedom and a future where they aren't haunted by the ghosts of their pasts, they'll make you laugh, cry, possibly yell, and swoon just a little bit. In a race against time, Gray didn't allow himself to consider defeat. He refused. They couldn't lose now. Darius had to be okay. Oh God, he had to be okay. One minute and twelve seconds had passed since the guys in the compound had started collapsing, and Gray could hear Darius in his mind, calling him knucklehead in that sharp tone that demanded attention. Pull it together, focus, get the job done. So with his heart threatening to pound its way out of his rib cage, Gray let this final task become his one and only mission. They were gonna finish the operation once and for all, and they were gonna walk away with a bright future ahead of them. A future that promised family, new adventures, and freaking farm animals. This was it. Contains mature themes.