~ 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? ***************************************************

"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 ***************************************************

This story is a sequel to Company Ink. Read that first or you'll be confused🤍 *** *** *** It's been a year since Cassie Carrington moved to New York to find herself but now she's back in Seattle and knows exactly what she wants: A job in fashion and Blake Pearson. After a year of sending letters to each other, Cassie and Blake are ready to take the next step in their relationship and finally date. But when Cassie gets offered her dream job at Cavloretta Couture, she once again has to work with Adrian Cavallero, the new CEO. Can Blake and Cassie's relationship withstand jealousy, disappointment, and heightened expectations? Or will Cassie discover that even permanent ink bleeds sometimes? ♡

When college student Emmy joins an online support group at the encouragement of her therapist, the last thing she expects is to connect with the lead singer of the most famous rock group in the world. ***** Emmy has had a rough couple of years, to say the least. So when her psychologist recommends that she joins an online support group, she thinks she knows what to expect. But the back and forth e-mails between her and famous rock singer Johnny Decker are the last thing she ever counted on. Despite the world of differences between them, Emmy can't help but feel like she knows Johnny better than she knows herself. Supportive emails turn into a growing friendship, and Emmy is grateful to finally have someone who understands. Soon, life without Johnny seems unthinkable, but is there hope for them in the offline world? [[word count: 70,000 - 80,000]] Cover designed by Ashley Bandy Spin-off to Holding onto You Trigger warning: This story contains swearing, mature themes, sexual content and references to substance abuse.

[FREE Novel with PAID bonus content] After an awful night out, social worker-Skylar Leighton-believes her life will always be vanilla. Learning to navigate the real world with only her sister by her side, she's made the most out of what she has. But between her string of failed relationships and busy day job, she's resigned to being the forever single sister. Just when her life has reached a steady plateau, someone from her past reappears and throws everything off track. A deviously handsome, brooding man who she only knows as Blondie. As much as she tries avoiding Blondie, something is lurking in his past and she's the only one who can help. Suddenly, Skylar's life is much more than vanilla. Will Blondie choose his past over Skylar, or will he let the past consume him? ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ FREE Novel. PAID bonus content. PSA: My book is not 9999 coins, that is a glitch, the bonus chapter should only be 15 coins total. WORDCOUNT: 75-80k words Copyright of Anna Steffey © -- All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

A honeymoon should be one of the most romantic experiences of your life. For Emilee Sanders, it was - it just wasn't with her husband. ***** An anxious paralegal finds herself where no bride should be on the week of her wedding. Single. Stuck taking a honeymoon alone, Emilee Sanders finds herself trapped at a Bali beach resort that's spilling with couples and romance. However, she's not the only single person on this beach. Mysterious and gorgeous Logan Hodge, a newly graduated physician, is on his own solo vacation to escape realities from back home. Shielding their true identities from each other, the two create new ones as Emmy and Hodge - a couple celebrating their honeymoon. The two weeks of steamy, romantic bliss should end with no more than fake names and lone trips home to their real lives, but life may have more in store for them. Content/Trigger Warning: the story contains scenes of mature sexual content and possibly triggering content around rape. [[word count: 150,000-200,000 words]] Cover designed by April Alforque

Annie Jacobs travels to Ireland for one final college assignment. All is going well until she accidentally insults one of the biggest musicians on the planet - Travis Sparks. One thing leads to another and...what happens in Ireland must stay in Ireland... ***** Determined to land her dream job of scoring soundtracks for major motion pictures, Annie must give everything she's got to land an internship in L.A. Five weeks in Ireland for her last college assignment is her one shot at impressing Alex Sullivan, CEO of Crypt Studios. But after a chance encounter at a local pub, she finds herself spending too much time with an overplayed musician. Travis Sparks is hiding from his career. Annie is trying to snag hers. Neither intends to find love while doing so. Five weeks together might lead to a lifetime of nothing but memories and lost opportunities...or maybe they'll find each other again one day. [[word count: 150,000-200,000 words]] Cover designed by Morgan King

Lacey is just looking for some fun in the Hamptons, but when Lucas Drake, her best friend turned enemy, shows up smoking hot, fun may be an understatement. "Spectacularly crafted with sizzling heat and irresistible drama, this is a romance that will keep you reeling for more." - Carmen Ho @ HQ ***** Breaking the Friendzone is now published as a Paperback, and E-book with W by Wattpad Books! As a Wattpad reader, you can access both the Wattpad Original Edition and Wattpad Books Published Edition here upon purchase.Thank you so much for your support! ***** Lacey Mason spent her happiest childhood summers in the Hamptons with her family. That was where she met Lucas Drake - days of playing on the beach brought Lacey and Luke to become the best of friends, until a dramatic last encounter ended their friendship. Before Lacey's mom passed away, she warned her that the Drake family was nothing but trouble. Lacey took her warning to heart, but now, at the age of twenty-two, a night of partying in the Hamptons lands her in the bed of her old friend Lucas, and he has no clue who she is. Content and trigger warning: This story contains mature sexual content. [[word count: 150,000-200,000 words]] Cover designed by Ashley Santoro