Jax Reid is everything I should be afraid of--and everything I crave.

My skin tingled from the first moment I saw him. Temptingly handsome, dangerous, and with a darkness behind his eyes.
He was scarred.
So was I.
His past is complicated. Dark.
So is mine.
When my family stopped believing in me, he never stopped for one second.
He’s stolen my heart. I’m feeling things I never thought I’d feel with a man like him. Vulnerable pleasure. Hope. And contentment.
The only question left is, will this be forever? Or just an adventure.
Either way, Jax is going to take me for one hell of a ride.
And our adventure has a twist I wouldn’t have seen coming in a million years.

My best friend's sister.
A tiny white lie to get a loan.
A fake fiance?
And Clarissa wants more than just free drinks.
Good thing I’m the guy who can give her what she wants.
...as long as her brother doesn't find out what we're up to.
It was just a teeny tiny lie we told the loan officer.
“Together? Yes, we’re together.”
Now, Clarissa and I have to play like we’re engaged.
She’s doing me a huge favor—the bank won’t loan to me unless I have a partner.
Clarissa’s got her own requirements for holding up her end of the bargain, though.
She wants *benefits.*
And I mean more than just free Margarita's on Saturday nights.
She’s heard about my ‘special ability,’ and not the fact that I make the best Martini in town.
So we make an agreement: No feelings, just sex.
Really really hot sex.
Did I mention this was during our very public, very fake engagement?
This is about to wrong in all the ways it can go wrong.
Luckily, I know a guy who makes a hell of a stiff cocktail.
I have a feeling I’m going to need one before this rollar coaster ride is over.

Pregame (verb): To drink alcoholic beverages prior to a social engagement to make it more enjoyable.

Before the men of Blackwell settled down, there was the pregame.

Clarissa Hanks:
Tonight, I was invited to hang out with the boys.
And of course my all-time high school crush Mason Worthington decides to strut his stuff around me.
 And by that, I mean he and his friends are screaming like ogres, running around shirtless in my brothers' garage. Trust me, I never think about Mason as anything more than a friend. It doesn't matter that he can leave me in stitches of laughter like no one else can.
Or that he's outrageously hot--almost comically so--even when he's ten beers deep and running a nudey lap around my house when we shut him out in Beer Pong (hey, it's house rules).
And it definitely doesn't matter that years ago, he stuck out his neck for me in a way that I'll never be able to repay.He was the one who inspired me to go to Harvard. Sorry, I'm getting all choked up here. Let me elaborate a little bit before I get off topic.
In case you're having a hard time believing me, let me tell you all the reasons why I can't be with him:
*He's my brother's best friend
*He's like family
*They've made a pact to never, ever hook up with their friends' sisters
*Mason doesn't DO relationships. And that's very clear by his behavior.
So those are the first four things, already. And also:
*Mason's the hottest bartender in Blackwell. Maybe even in the U.S.A.
*He loves to cavort around my house shirtless and dare me to lick his six-pack
*We may or may not have had a secret make out session in high school we vowed never to tell anyone about
Oh...I'm sorry. I was supposed to be saying all the reasons we can't hook up?
These pregame beers must be affecting me... Basically--my brother Cole will kill me (and Mason) if he finds out we're a thing. But what if it's not just a hook-up? What if it's something deeper? Problem is, once we veer into this territory, there's no going back. Maybe I'll just head to the bar instead to get out of here. Oh wait, Mason's the bartender at my favorite place in town. Well, one drink can't hurt, right? All the men of Blackwell make appearances in this free-prequel that ties the Blackwell series together!