[2024 WATTYS SHORTLISTED] [18+] In the picturesque lakeside town, the calm waters mask the storm within Juniper Jenkins' heart. Betrayed and broken by her cheating boyfriend, she flees to the sanctuary of her friend's lakeside house, to work remotely for the summer. What she doesn't expect? Running into Wells Hansen-her rival from the Seattle Sun Times-of all people. And of all places, he's running the only coffee shop in town with decent Wi-Fi. She's sworn off men for the summer-pinky-promised no boys-with her two best friends. So there's no way she's breaking that pact. Not after what just happened. But fate doesn't care about pacts, and Juniper keeps bumping into Wells no matter how hard she tries not to. She resents him, and the feeling seems mutual. At least, that's what she believes.

[2024 WATTY WINNER][18+] Two best friends. Six weeks. One final shot at love. Since college, Maisie and August have been best friends-frustratingly, perfectly platonic best friends. For nine long years, Maisie has secretly harbored the hope that their relationship could be something more. In that time, Maisie Rhodes has skyrocketed to stardom as a pop sensation, earning the title of Pop Princess from her devoted Rhodie fans. When she hints on The Tonight Show that her love songs are inspired by someone close to her, speculation runs wild. To throw everyone off the scent-and protect her true feelings for August-Maisie's manager hatches a plan: fake a relationship with her best friend. Miraculously, August agrees. Now Maisie faces six weeks of pretending to date the one person she's always loved, all while tiptoeing around the unspoken truth that's lingered between them for years. What could possibly go wrong?

Sophia Honey never expected college to mean sharing an apartment with her childhood nemesis. ~~~ Freshman Sophia Honey never imagined her brother would stick her with Theo Gray-his best friend and her childhood nemesis-as her roommate. But things get complicated fast. Theo, with his shirtless mornings, flirty remarks, and those intense stares, pushes all of her buttons. Just when Sophia thinks she can handle their awkward living arrangement, she discovers he's not just popular-he's one of the hottest seniors on campus. And as the star of the hockey team, his status skyrockets, forcing her to tread carefully around him to avoid drama. But drama comes knocking When Sophia lands a side gig with the seniors in her photography department to make some extra cash, she doesn't expect her first assignment to be Theo Gray shirtless in front of her camera. She definitely doesn't expect him to say yes with that smug grin-and one condition. What he wants in return? Not money. Something else. Something dangerous. As the photo sessions begin, so does the unraveling. Their banter becomes charged. His touches linger. Her defenses slip. And then one night-when he comes home drunk, eyes glassy, words slurred but honest-he breaks every version of him she thought she knew. Gone is the boy who annoyed her growing up. This Theo is raw. Complex. Broken in places she never noticed before. And now she wants things she's never dared to want. His kisses. His hands. His body-yes-but also his secrets, his pain... him. What started as a paycheck becomes a dangerous line they can't stop crossing. And the more she sees him, truly sees him, the more she wonders- What if falling for Theo Gray was the real assignment all along? Book cover done by Lady_whistleup

His lips trail down my neck, sending shivers all over. "I love looking at you," he breathes, brushing the hair off my shoulders. "Will you let me?" My wild heart seeks his. "Yes." For a long moment, I just feel his eyes. Then, his hands. They skim down my spine, bowing my body into his. When his lips find my throat, I lean back into his hands, my eyes closing. He kisses between my breasts, then across them, swirling his tongue and kissing, always kissing. My fingers curling into his hair. His response is a smile against my skin. He pulls my arms out to kiss them, all the way to my wrists...all the way back. He presses affection into my skin, injects trust into my veins. Then he eases me to my back and does it all over again. ******* An obscure tutoring opportunity brings Camila closer to three friends: Noah, Jed, and Fox. After hiding in the shadows for so long, Cam is coaxed to the light. STANDALONE NOVEL Copyright © 2024-present Laurel Montaze (immoralLaurel). This body of work (story, characters, ideas) is available exclusively on Wattpad. If you're viewing it on a different website/platform or under a different username, it has been illegally stolen. Please notify the original author. © All Rights Reserved

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝. 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐭. . . . . . . . . . . Living in The Colony was all Josie knew. To the outside world it was a cult of brainwashed victims all under the spell of Kade Rogers, but to her it was home. That was up until a series of events that led up to her escape. If only fate wasn't so cruel as to lead her away from one monster and put her directly into the hands of another. Now, with a new sense of determination, Josie explores the world outside of The Colony and learns the hard way that trust is a dangerous weapon of destruction. Trying to lead a normal life starting college proves to be impossible after meeting Nico Blaine. He was everything she was suppose to stay away from. But when Josie lay's eyes on the tattooed beauty, she can't help it. What starts out as a innocent infatuation turns into a twisted tale of betrayal. .. . . . . . . . . . - Dark romance - Explicit sexual content - Mature themes - Criminal - Villain - Anti-hero #1 goodgirlxbadboy #1 darklove

Miguel Hernandez has known a few things well: the cushion of an older brother rising to stardom, basketball and sex. His reputation's whispered from the luxury corners of the Upper East Side, spanning over New York City. Debauchery's come to be his middle name. Girls are rarely pictured leaving his side. A comfortable, familiar routine that he doesn't stray from, nor does anyone expect him to. Until her. Eyes that harbour secrets, a tongue sharp enough to cut, passions she's given up and a darkness bearing on her shoulders, Malibu Adams knows nothing but survival. Unapologetic about the trail of messes she leaves behind or the anger festering within her that will only set her on one ruinous path, love had never been on her radar. Nobody knows her enough to understand her nor the pain seeping from wounds she disregards. Until he becomes desperate to. She breaks everything she touches, they say - he isn't afraid to bleed.

Content to live in his superstar twin's shadow, Evan Reed never expected to join the volleyball team-or fall for his brother's best friend. But one accidental collision sets off a whirlwind of spikes, secrets, and unexpected feelings that just might pull him into the spotlight for good. *** Evan has spent his entire life living in the shadow of his twin brother and volleyball prodigy, Ethan Reed. And to be honest? He likes it there. No expectations, no pressure, just quiet. That is, until one day he trips and falls into a boy, and subsequently triggers a highly dramatic series of events that starts with him reluctantly joining the volleyball team, and ends with him dating his brother's best friend. (And unfortunately, after all of it, he's still on the volleyball team.) *** NOW COMPLETED

{𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘒 𝘛𝘞𝘖 𝘖𝘍 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘓𝘖𝘝𝘌𝘓𝘌𝘚𝘚 𝘛𝘙𝘐𝘓𝘖𝘎𝘠} The perfect picture of elegance. It's all Violet Amory's known - the foundation of the image she must preserve. For her, for them. Raised in a distinguished family and moulded to bear modest smiles and tender caresses, the grace she's renowned for is what she's come to accept. Stifling this innate need that nobody in her worlds seems to hold: for more. For thrill and the world beyond. Contained within the weight of reputation and hiding the hurt that lingers, the bruises she masks. Until him. The picture of wildness and impulse, with a devious grin she can't seem to stop herself from falling towards. And a heart all too enticing, Everest and Violet battling the world around them that ordains them to be apart. Misfits, in their own separate worlds. all my love <3

{𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘒 𝘛𝘏𝘙𝘌𝘌 𝘖𝘍 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘓𝘖𝘝𝘌𝘓𝘌𝘚𝘚 𝘛𝘙𝘐𝘓𝘖𝘎𝘠 } Hudson Tempest's an enigma nobody's capable of solving. Darkness has been moulded into his skin, running through him as easily as his blood. More than he's ever allowed anyone to see. Swept up into a world of sin and deviance, Hudson Tempest was broken as a boy and shattered several times over the course of his life. Made to be cruel and forced into a pool of self-destruction, a life that will only ruin him if it continues. Death has been the only thing in sight to him, for a long time. But how hard it is to save someone, who wants to let themselves drown. Val Emerson's the embodiment of light. A heart that outpours warmth like she was made to love, from the very moment she was born. The sunny side up sort of girl with an affinity for the sea, and smiles. When the cruelest of them all and the happiest of them all collide. When her hatred turns into a desperate desire to save the most broken of them all, far past salvation. When his hatred morphs into something he promised not to feel. Opposites. Dark, to light. Whole, and broken. Rivals, in all they do. Until somewhere along the way, they find themselves falling into each other's arms. Somehow, into each other's clashing hearts. <3

{𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘒 𝘖𝘕𝘌 𝘖𝘍 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘓𝘖𝘝𝘌𝘓𝘌𝘚𝘚 𝘛𝘙𝘐𝘓𝘖𝘎𝘠} Ria Romano knew hurt like the back of her hand. She was dealt her fair share of bad cards, more than anyone so young should have to face. A cynical girl riddled with the remnants of her past, a shattered sort of soul. She concealed like it was second nature; her instinct being to suppress. She'd offer you a cigarette with a shrug while you were crying because she never was too great with affection. She didn't smile so often but when she did and it was directed at you, you'd never feel such satisfaction. I was told Aria preferred to be alone, isolated; clouding her mind with inhales of her cigarette and drowning it in alcohol. Until she was dealt her good card, out of the pack of bad. They had a love beautiful enough to last a lifetime, the type directors desire to capture and authors aspire to write. Two souls, shattered by the cruelty of the world time and time again with flames that rekindled each others. They were each other's oxygen. They breathed life back into each other, those two insomniacs. <3