~ 2021 WATTY'S SHORTLIST ~ "I-well, I..." I hesitated with my response. I wanted to let go. To not worry about what would happen in the future. I'd always loved staring into fires. It hypnotized me with its beauty and danger. It was so tantalizing to look at, but one little touch could destroy. I knew the heat between Tyler and I was similar. It started off small but it had only grown in the weeks he'd been here. We'd fed it unintentionally, and it had gone from an ember to a crackling flame. Every nerve in my body wanted to reach out and touch it, even though I knew I'd get burned. *************************************************** Pia Callahan always lived a carefree life with no worries. Her only responsibilities were to attend her college classes (sometimes) and keep herself fed (on ramen). When tragedy strikes, Pia is all of the sudden thrown into a whirlwind of change. She has to grow up and take on more responsibility than she could ever imagine: the custody of her best friend's son. Pia may not believe she is the best person for the job, but she is determined to do it. She'll trade in frat parties for PTA meetings and beer-bongs for apple juice. But what happens when the ruggedly hot motocross athlete Tyler Westwood shows up in her small town? Tyler lives on the fast track, never caring too much about consequences. You can't when your job is to do backflips through the air. Sometimes, you just have to send it and hope for the best. From the second Tyler meets Pia, he knows he wants her. But she is determined to ignore their bubbling chemistry. She has priorities now and a summer fling isn't one of them. Will Pia be able to stay away from Tyler? Or will she decide to hit the throttle? ***************************************************

"I fucking hate you." "You shouldn't really say things like that when my dick is up your ass, Norris." Two hot-headed athletes with overflowing rage and unwinding sex drive is very much never a good combo. Bryce and Ian never see eye to eye on things. Despite being caged in the same group of friends in the same swimming team of the - yes, you guessed it - same high school, the star swimmers of Norton High hadn't exactly made good first impressions to each other on the ill-fated day they met, and let's just say things spiraled horribly from there. The two rage-fueled boys always thought that they're in this feud for the long haul until one argument escalated into something that at no point in any of their lives would they allow to happen if only they did not get a little too out of control. Sex. There's a thin line between love and hate, and Bryce and Ian's barrier just keeps getting thinner and thinner. A.K.A. Bryce and Ian were fuckbuddies... up until they weren't. Status: Editing #1 in wattpride (10/03/20) #1 in bl (10/09/20) #1 in lgbtq (08/02/21) #1 in writtenwithpride (12/26/21)

Sophie Delaney was just minding her own business seeing in the new year from the peacefulness of her own home. Until one wrong number call changed that. Daniel Whitaker is furious. Beyond furious. How dare his girlfriend cheat on him, and with his own brother nonetheless. That bitch. Cue lots of drinking, a drunken call and a huge misunderstanding that would change it all. --- Written as telephone calls between Sophie Delaney and Daniel Whitaker. Sophie is the normal print. Daniel is the bold print. --- Aim? 365 days worth of conversations between one woman and one man. Enjoy the ride. --- 2018 Winner | The Fiction Award | Short Story

When a random phone number is written on your car, what do you do? Obviously, you text it. ••• When Alex Hamilton's phone number gets written on a random Jeep at a party, she doesn't know what she's signing up for. She also doesn't know that on the other end of the phone is Jesse Campbell, the popular, all-star basketball player. Rich, attractive, and the son of the Mayor of Newport Beach; Jesse Campbell's life appeared perfect with the addition of his cheerleader girlfriend. But when Jesse and Alex start texting, the two make a deal to keep their identities a secret and continue texting each other. What started out as a fun joke spins into much, much more as Jesse starts to catch feelings for the mystery girl at the same time as he catches feelings for the real-life Alex, who turns out to be his lab partner, oblivious to the fact that they're one in the same. But what happens when their identities are revealed over Christmas break and everything is suddenly changing? Cover designed by Cil Ojumo

**FAIR WARNING: YOU WILL HAVE TO BE PATIENT WITH CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, BUT IT IS THERE, AND WORTH THE READ. IF YOU ARE OVERLY SENSITIVE, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK* Logan Pierce and Noah Locke are sworn enemies. Both at the top of their class, holding themselves to the highest standards; both captains of their volleyball teams, Logan as the girls captain, Noah as the boys; and both constantly playing seemingly harmless pranks to get back at one another. Or, at least, they're usually harmless... If one thing is true, Noah Locke and Logan Pierce are not friends. But does that mean they could never be friends? Or transcend their title as enemies? Logan might take things too far sometimes, but there's a reason behind the angry front she puts on, and in order to get behind it, someone needs to show her that there's more to life than being the best at everything. Cue Noah Locke. When the two volleyball teams are sent away to a team bonding camp for a week over Fall break, Logan and Noah must learn to get along for the sake of their teams. Partnered up and made to do activities together and bond, the goal is for Noah and Logan to stop this ongoing feud. And when something happens at the bonding camp that brings Logan's vulnerable side up to bat, Noah is the one who has to bring her back. While Logan and Noah explore something other than hatred for one another, there are secrets and people who could be working in toll to bring them apart. But will they be able to transcend those factors and stop fighting for once? Or were they destined to be enemies forever? "Better Than You" challenges the idea that enemies have to stay enemies forever, and proves that if you don't run away from love, you may just find where you were meant to be.

It's been a year since Clay, otherwise known as Porkchop, planned the graduation event in Newport Beach. The event where a handsome Tyler Hamilton caught Clay off guard by kissing him. Clay, up until that day, had never kissed a boy before. At 24 years old, Clay finally has come to terms with his sexuality: he's bisexual and he's ready for love. He doesn't want a fling, he doesn't want a meaningless relationship, he wants love that is going to last. Tyler Hamilton is a year out of high school (thank god). He's spent the year at UCLA studying shit he doesn't care about and playing basketball with a team that doesn't respect him and the fact that he's openly gay. Tyler, to say the least, has had a rough year. And he's ready to change things when he makes the move to Georgia during the summer to get a change of scenery. When Tyler and Clay cross paths, they inevitably remember one another. But it's not as easy as it should be to jump into a relationship together for multiple reasons: 1. Clay knows what he wants and Tyler doesn't know if he can give it to him. 2. Tyler isn't sure Clay is the only option out there for him... ••• *A spin-off of My Jeep Girl and Better Than You characters* (don't need to read the other books to understand, but it's recommended! xo)

"Are you wet for me baby doll?" his whisper feathering my ear, while I could imagine the smirk on his lips. My eyes were shut, the more he teased me the more turned on I was. Stroking my inner thigh delicately with the tips of his fingers wasn't helping either. Sending a spark up my spine tingling my nerve endings in my entire body. What is going on with me? *THIS IS FOR MATURE READERS AS IS CONTAINS SEXUAL CONTENT AND STRONG LANGUAGE* *I do not own the rights to the cover photo* Alex Thompson has always been at the top of the food chain when it comes to intelligence, it has been both a gift and a curse for her. She has been away in UCLA studying and she soon finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her, by catching him in the act. Her older sister's wedding is coming up in the end of summer so she has to go to her second home for thanksgiving in Savannah, Georgia to help her sister plan. While returning to her Savannah home on the beach, she knows the Carter family will be in attendance, their families have been close ever since she was nine. Alex is two years younger than her older brother Kyle, but she was put in the same year as him because she was academically gifted, being the youngest gives her a lot of protection. Kyle best friend with one of the Carter boys, Knox, who grew to be NFL football player and an extremely handsome sex god, and boy does he know it. All his life he has played football, and being a professional footballer has his benefits... especially with the females. He is known for being one of the best players both on and off the field, never sticking to the same girl. Alex and Knox have despised each other for years, but when they meet each other again in Savannah will their feelings have changed for each other?

"You just have no idea." His voice was thick with restraint. "W-what," I breathed. His gaze flicked to my lips as his thumb stroked again. The calloused pad against my soft flesh sent goosebumps down my arms. His once warm eyes were dark as they lifted and bared into my soul. "What you do to... men." His husky whisper weakened my knees. I almost fell but his other hand settled on my hip, pulling me closer to him. "What you do to me," he added on a breath. The hand on my jaw shifted. His fingers left trails of tingles as he slipped them back slowly, under my earlobe and into my curls. *************************************************** As a young girl, Charlotte Avery's favourite pass time was daydreaming about her Prince Charming: Archer Johnson. She never stopped to consider that Archer was her brother's best friend.. Or that he always appeared severely creeped out by her attention. On her 16th birthday, Charlotte received a harsh reality check. Realizing just how embarrassing she had been acting, she swore to never make a fool of herself in front of Archer again. The problem? She is about to head to college and unfortunately it's the same school where Archer is currently the star quarterback. Follow Charlotte during her first year at USC as she juggles new experiences, social anxiety, family drama back home, and avoiding Archer. These are the unintended consequences of an embarrassing childhood crush. *************************************************** Top Ranks: #1 - Hot #1 - Collegeromance #1 - Brothersbestfriend #1 - Football #1 - Brooding #1 - Slowburn #1 - Quarterback #1 - Athlete #2 - Newadult #2 - Player #5 - Badboy #73 - Romance ***************************************************

Hoping for no distractions during her senior year of college, Ryan finds herself in a whirlwind romance following a one-night stand with the last person she expected: the star wide receiver of the football team. ***** Ryan Collins only has two goals: to get into medical school and avoid football players, thanks to her ex-boyfriend and their nasty breakup. But after a one-night stand, she's torn between a notorious wide receiver and the dream she's starting to question more each day. With the NFL draft quickly approaching, Carsen Blake has a lot more to worry about than just football. Managing an alcoholic mother, a stubborn coach, and his grief after his father's passing, Carsen has to convince the one girl he's liked for years that he's worth more than a one-night stand while also proving to himself that he is more than everyone's expectations. Book One of the UNC Series Content warning: This story contains an instance of mild self-harm, themes of addiction and mentions of emotional partner abuse

Nadia Washington spent majority of her life in an overly strict household, being the last child, her parents wanted to protect her from the world and keep her home as long as possible. One day, Nadia decides that she no longer wants to live that life. She wants to be free, experience the world, and make her own choices. So, she packs her bags and moves to New York to live with her sister, Celine. Nadia hopes in doing so, she'll be able to discover herself and experience things in life that she has missed out on. Hunter Reece is the starting Quarterback for the New York Giants, chasing a Super Bowl ring. After a tough Super Bowl loss which resulted in what he calls a "failed rookie season", he decided that he needs to block out distractions as they are what's keeping him from his goal. From that moment on, he lived and breathed football. Hunter has made it clear he wasn't looking for romance. However, love can come at you at the most unexpected of times and he's about to find out just that. ⚠️ Mature Audiences Only ⚠️ -------- Highest ranking: #2 Romance Highest ranking: #1 General Fiction (09/13/18) ----------------- © 2018 Summerdreamin / N.A. Mills All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author, except as provided by U.S.A. copyright law.