At twenty-four, Cora really believed she knew what her life was going to be like. But when that perfect life threw her a curveball with two pink lines and a suddenly bare ring finger, she's forced to face a new life she didn't know could belong to her. Now five months pregnant and still alone, she's left trying to prepare for a baby while untangling herself from years that have left her without an identity. She isn't looking for a savior, just wishing to be stable enough for her baby. Eric isn't good with words. He never has been. But in every small act of service, every quiet presence, every protective glance when life reminds Cora how vulnerable she still feels, he says everything he doesn't know how to speak aloud. He doesn't try to save her, but somewhere in that silently protective presence of his, Eric becomes something more dangerous than a savior. He quickly becomes someone she begins to trust.

NEEDS EDITING THIS IS A FIRST DRAFT He built a fortress around his heart. She brought a wrecking ball and a secret. Elias Thorne is a mystery in Oakhaven, A solitary figure and the owner of a successful tattoo franchise, his wealth is as carefully guarded as his silence. He is the quiet grump the whole town wants to decipher, but no one ever gets close. Elias likes his life neat, organized, and utterly empty of anything that could remind him of love and loss. Then June Hayes arrives. Burnt out from the new york art scene and pregnant via a donor, June is determined to create a peaceful, new life for herself and her baby. To the locals, she's just a sweet, new artist. They have no idea she's also viral sensation with over a million followers who sells her work to the A-list. June sees Elias's grumpy exterior and smiles. She needs a friend, and she has decided the broody, ball cap wearing man (no seriously I never see him without a hat on - June) across the street is it. She invades his quiet space showing up at the inkwell every Tuesday and spending the day, sharing her music, and poking at his meticulous order. Elias fights it all, clenching his jaw and pulling his cap low to hide the truth: he fell for the Wildflower the minute she crashed into his life. As June begins posting subtle, faceless photos of him, their reluctant friendship turns into an online viral romance that threatens to expose both of their secrets. How do you guard a heart that already belongs to a Wildflower, a baby, and a life you swore you'd never have? And what happens when the most careful grump in Oakhaven blurts out, "That's my wife," just to stay by her side? Tropes: - Grumpy x Sunshine - He Falls First - Protective - Pregnancy - Small Town - Forced Friends - Friends to lovers - Secret Identity CAN BE READ AS A STANDALONE

Four years ago, Juliette Bennett walked away from Mason Brooks, the golden boy of college hockey and the only person she ever truly let in, and never looked back. She rebuilt her life in silence, burying heartbreak under long nights, hospital shifts, and the one secret she swore would never see the light again: her daughter, Maisey. Mason Brooks has spent years becoming everything he was supposed to be, star forward, team leader, the future of professional hockey, without knowing the biggest piece of his life was already missing. When fate drags Juliette back into his world, the past doesn't stay buried for long. Old sparks don't just flicker, they ignite. And the truth doesn't just hurt... it changes everything. Now there's a four-year-old girl with Mason's eyes, a love that never really died, and a history built on a misunderstanding neither of them knew they were living in. Juliette wants to protect the life she fought so hard to build. Mason refuses to walk away from the one thing he never knew he had. And when a daughter becomes the center of everything between them, one question remains- Do you forgive the past... or does it destroy the future you never got to live?

𝐈𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.

Completed • First Draft - not edited. || "You gonna sit there all night?" Luka glances at me, smirking. I glare back. "I was enjoying the last few seconds of peace before having to spend an evening pretending to like you." "That's funny," he says, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Why?" I snap. "Because I was thinking the same thing." || The rules? Easy enough. 1. Pretend to be the perfect couple. 2. Keep it professional. 3. And whatever you do, don't. catch. feelings. Simple, right? Sofia Calloway never planned on going viral for throwing a drink in Luka Mikhaylov's face. But one video, one pissed-off hockey star, and one furious university later... she's suddenly stuck in a fake relationship with the guy she can't stand. He needs to clean up his image before the NHL draft. She needs the free tuition that comes with the deal. All they have to do is smile for the cameras, hold hands at the games, and act like they don't want to strangle each other. Then come the late-night arguments that last too long. The stolen glances that feel too dangerous. The moment where "pretend" starts looking way too real. Because when you break the rules, someone's bound to lose. And this time, it might be both of them.

Sequel to The Cunning * Who's more dangerous: someone with nothing to lose, or someone with everything at stake? In the ruthless London underworld, the rules haven't changed. It's kill or be killed. When whispers of Madison's return reach the game players, alliances shatter, and she's once again caught in the crossfire. But this time, it's not just her survival on the line, someone else is depending on her. Three and a half years after vowing to leave the life behind, Madison is dragged back into the shadows she fought so hard to escape. With old enemies resurfacing and new threats circling, she must navigate a dangerous game of power and revenge. The stakes have never been higher, but this time, Madison isn't just playing to survive - she's playing for keeps.

Everything changed the night they took her. Ripped from her mundane life, Madison is thrust into the violent world of trafficking, where her only choices are adapt or die. Jase, one of her captors, is as cruel and relentless as the men who pay him. Cold, calculating, and fiercely loyal to the underworld he serves, he likes to be in control. But Madison was never going to be anyone's average victim. Beautifully cunning, she ignites something lethal within Jase. As the lines between predator and prey blur, Madison is drawn deeper into Jase's dark orbit, as he finds himself captivated in ways he can't afford to admit. In a world where trust is a death sentence and love is a punchline, there are no heroes, only the willing and the unwilling and Madison needs to decide just how willing she is before her time runs out. *

(This is the second book in the edge series I recommend reading edge of control first) Two years after their explosive breakup, Charlotte Whitmore has rebuilt her life in LA-working with children, and dating a steady Kings defenseman. Cole Keaton, now a star forward for the San Jose Sharks, has a beach house, a new family on the ice, and a past he can't outskate. Then one game brings them face-to-face again. One arena. One loaded glance across the ice. One Jumbotron moment that shatters every wall they've built. Old enemies. Old lovers. Chemistry that never died-it just turned colder, sharper, more dangerous. What begins as clipped words and forced proximity becomes something neither can ignore: rain-soaked confessions, a bruise he didn't cause but can't unsee, a house on the coast built from dreams they once shared. They're not the reckless kids they used to be. She's guarded, disciplined, terrified of losing control again. He's steadier, scarred, carrying more regret than he admits. But every collision-on the boards, in stolen silences, in the space between heartbeats-threatens to either destroy them completely... or finally bring them back together. Some people don't just leave your life. They become the rhythm you can't stop hearing.

Charlotte Whitmore doesn't do chaos. She doesn't do parties. And she definitely doesn't do Cole Keaton. As a former Olympic figure skater with a perfectly controlled life, Charlotte prefers discipline over distraction - especially the kind that comes with Boston University's infamous hockey captain and his reckless reputation. Cole Keaton is trouble. Hot, arrogant, and dangerously charming, he lives for noise, competition, and late nights at Allston House. And for reasons he can't explain, he can't stop clashing with the one girl who sees right through him. Their enemies-to-lovers tension is instant. Their attraction is unavoidable. Their connection feels forbidden. But behind the teasing, the sparks, and the slow-burn chemistry lies a secret that could destroy everything they're building. Because not every love story starts honestly. And not every heartbreak comes without consequences.

Falling for your enemy is the most dangerous game of all, especially when he knows all your secrets. Everyone in Dawston University knows two things. Evangeline Winslow Abberweitch is untouchable. Dawston's golden girl with a lab coat, a sharp tongue, and a smile the whole campus worships. Keeve Malachi Kavanagh doesn't touch anyone. Ruthless, blue-eyed captain of Dawston's hockey team, cold as the ice he rules and Angie's sworn enemy. They've hated each other for years. He calls her Princess just to watch her snap. She calls him an arse because it's easier than admitting he sees straight through her. But one desperate call changes everything... Hate starts to blur into something far more dangerous. Secrets surface, lines are crossed and the spark between ice and fire threatens to burn down more than reputations.