Unlucky 13

After years of drowning myself in parties, hookups, and pain, all it takes is one viral sex tape to be given a choice: Hide out on an island or lose my trust fund. Having to share a room with the one man I let hurt me is my worst nightmare. I’m the broken shell of the boy he walked away from on the worst day of my life. I hate him almost as much as I hate myself.

Welcome to Black Diamond Resort and Spa… Where the rich and famous go to disappear. Some to relax, some to get sober. For me… It's my last shot, my final chance at redemption. I'm hotheaded. Reckless. Self-Destructive. I don't want to be here, but not doing so means losing everything I've worked my whole life for. It means losing my band. The only family and the only constant I've ever known. They say I have a problem. That I need help. I say it's just part of fame. The drugs help numb the pain. Keep the demons away. I'm doing my best to keep my head down and bide my time until I can go home.

Here, it's different from my crazy, loud, glitzy life. It's quiet and peaceful. No one seems impressed with my celebrity. No one is less impressed than the sexy, aloof member of the cleaning crew. He couldn't care less who I am or why I'm here. He's convinced I'm one of the fortunate ones—and I suppose I am. I've had it all—big houses, the best care, money, fame, and shallow adoration... but I've never been loved. I've never known if people like me for who I am underneath it all or just for my money and fame. And to me... that seems awfully unfortunate.

I'm left on this strip of sand after my second round of rehab. Father says I should rest and build my strength back, but I know better. Father is launching his campaign of hate and bigotry in a presidential bid, and I am the black hole for his reputation. And not because I'm an addict. I'm radioactive because I like kissing guys and the paparazzi love catching me in the act. I am of such little importance that nobody bothered to find me a private house on this island, and I'm forced to share one with a dangerously handsome Tiago Alvarez.

When I fled my small town home to fly across the globe for a potential job on a remote island, I did it on a whim. And let's just say my parents were not happy. According to them, the journey of self-discovery is not nearly as important as tending the family farm.

A guy in a skirt wouldn't turn a straight guy on, right? I spent the last decade performing next to him. I've never looked at him as more—until I walked in on him in a skirt. He's as broken as I am. We survived our childhood together. And when he's finally trying to embrace the parts his father tried to beat out of him, I can't handle it. He's taunting me with smeared eyeliner and a filthy smile, singing to a sold-out crowd, and it's getting too hot under these stage lights. I can't look him in the eyes. I can't be with him—not like that—but I can't stop thinking about him.

Growing up in a small town in Georgia, I never dreamed of starting a band that would blow up from a viral video, or that I'd live in a mansion on the beach in Miami, Florida. Since we were seven years old, my best friend Percy had dreamed big enough for both of us. He'd always known this would be our future.

Overwhelmed with work and feeling like I'm being pulled in multiple directions at once, I crave the serenity a private island holds for me. As a very recognizable figure in the adult film industry, I'm used to shelling out parts of myself for the sake of others. Though I've created an empire that has made me lots of money in a business I enjoy, I still desire a break. Sandy beaches, fruity drinks, and turquoise waters are all I expected from this trip. I definitely didn't anticipate running into my high school crush—the jock that never once looked at me the way I wanted him to.

Growing up, I was the problem child teachers didn't know what to do with. The troubled teen whose parents wished was never born. The system's made of cracks, and I fell through each and every one, all in a futile effort to protect the family legacy. They tried to fix me. Doctors… therapists… teachers… pastors... And they failed. Epically. Now, eighteen, and fresh out of Hell, I'm thrown into the last place I ever expected. Rehab. Enter Nolan Dresden. Newly divorced. A recovering alcoholic. Almost double my age.

An ultimatum from my football team manager landed me here on this far-flung tropical island, where I'm expected to work on my issues in a rehab center for the elite. I'm not the only one here to curb their reckless behavior. My teammate, Theo Lewin, has been banished to the island with me. Now, we're supposed to learn how to work together. Otherwise, we risk being transferred to another team. There's one small problem. We've hated each other since the day we met. Forced to confront our issues with nowhere to escape, we're expected to not only spend our days together but our nights, too.