Try – verb: to make an attempt or effort to do something or in this case…someone.

Sex. Logan Mitchell loves it, and ever since he realized his raw sexual appeal at a young age, he has had no problem using it to his advantage. Men and women alike fall into his bed—after all, Logan is not one to discriminate. He lives by one motto—if something interests you, why not just take a chance and try?

And he wants to try Tate Morrison.

Just coming out of a four-year marriage with an ex-wife from hell, a relationship is the last thing on Tate’s mind. He’s starting fresh and trying to get back on his feet with a new job at an upscale bar in downtown Chicago.

The only problem is, Tate has caught the unwavering and unwelcome attention of Mr. Logan Mitchell – a regular at the bar and a man who always gets what he wants.

Night after night Tate fends off the persistent advances of the undeniably charismatic man, but after an explosive moment in the bar, all bets are off as he finds his body stirring with a different desire than his mind.

As arrogance, stubbornness and sexual tension sizzle between the two, it threatens to change the very course of their lives.

Logan doesn’t do relationships. Tate doesn’t do men. But what would happen if they both just gave in and…tried?

My cock has an appetite. A huge and very particular appetite: Blonde, curvy, and preferably not a fucking liar... (Although, that's a story for another day.) As a high profile lawyer, I don't have time to waste on relationships, so I fulfill my needs by anonymously chatting and sleeping with women I meet online. My rules are simple: One dinner. One night. No repeats. This is only casual sex. Nothing more. Nothing less.

At least it was, until "Alyssa"... She was supposed to be a 27-year-old lawyer, a book hoarder, and completely unattractive. She was supposed to be someone I shared law advice with late at night, someone I could trust with details of my weekly escapades. But then she came into my firm for an interview—a college-intern interview, and everything fucking changed...

Beauty resents being labeled Gift Species. Everyone is way too overprotective, and males aren’t even allowed to speak to her, so far true freedom eludes her.

Then a big, sexy Species officer mistakes her for the enemy and takes her to the ground. Shadow is dumbfounded. He has a Gift pinned under him—a big no-no.

But Beauty is fascinated and wants to know Shadow a lot better. She is full of newly discovered, unrequited passion, and he’s just what she needs to satisfy her curiosity.

For Shadow, sex means pain and revulsion. For Beauty, it was enslavement and ridicule. Two lonely souls who have never known a lover’s touch, together in a cabin in the woods.

Each touch, every discovery brings them closer to a life they never thought possible…beyond even their dreams.

Two strangers... When accountant Makenna James finds herself stranded in a pitch-black elevator, she can't help but wonder about the stranger stuck with her. All she noticed about him before the lights went out was a dragon tattoo; all she knows now is his sexy, gruff voice in the darkness.

Four hours... Caden Grayson is inked, pierced, scarred on the inside and out—and terrified of the dark for reasons he'd rather not remember. Trapped in his worst nightmare, only the sweet voice of the red-headed beauty distracts him from his fear. And, oh, man, as the hours pass and the darkness heats up, that's nothing compared to her touch.

One pitch-black elevator... He's all rough edges and she's pin-striped skirts, but in the darkness they open up and reach out without any preconceptions to hold them back. But as attraction grows and sparks fly, will they feel the same when the lights come back on?

It all starts when Marisa picks up the wrong cell phone. When she goes to return it, she feels something she's never felt before, something a bit like love.

But Marisa and Rene aren't exactly a match made in heaven. For one thing, Marisa is a chola, and she isn't petite; she's a lot of girl, and she's not ashamed of it. Skinny Rene, however, gangles like a sackful of elbows and wears a calculator on his belt. In other words, he's a geek. So why can't Marisa stay away from him?

Award-winning author Gary Soto deftly captures all the angst, expectation, and humor that comes with first love in this swift, lighthearted romance.