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.

Sugar's addicting. So is she. Graham Davis has two addictions: Hockey-and Gracie Daniels. (Not that he knows it yet.) At St. Brown University, Gracie Daniels is the golden girl. Blonde ponytail, perfect smile, always saying yes. So when she's asked to manage PR for the hockey team, she agrees-hoping to help thaw their notoriously icy captain. But Graham Davis doesn't melt. He's distant, guarded, and doesn't need help from a pink-sweater-wearing perfectionist... until he starts noticing things he shouldn't. Skipped meals. Covered bruises. Flinches too small to be accidental. Gracie is sweet, bright, and hiding more than anyone knows. And Graham can't stop looking.

All around her Stella has noticed everyone in love. Everyone except for her. With a new friend group and a mysterious guy, Stella thinks her life is finally going right. Love comes from unexpected places.. Maybe even people like George.

Emory James has always known she doesn't fit the mold her family built for her. While her parents and older sister thrive in courtrooms, Emory's heart belongs to helping animals and finding her purpose in quiet acts of compassion. Her mother and sister have always been supportive, but her father still insists she's "too smart to waste her life on animals." Now, after years of hard work, she's finally graduating as a veterinary technician and is ready to prove that following her heart was worth it. On graduation day, she's running late while also juggling her cap, gown, and nerves as she races through the city's hockey arena where the ceremony is being held. She ends up crashing straight into Callum Bennett, the hockey star of the BrooksRidge Sparks. Callum Bennett has never had trouble getting attention on or off the ice. With a killer smile, easy charm, and enough confidence to fill an arena, he's the kind of guy everyone recognizes and few really know. The son of a retired hockey legend and a brilliant college professor, Callum's been under pressure since he could walk. After losing his older brother years ago, he learned that keeping things light was safer than letting anyone close. Hookups? Sure. Relationships? Never. Feelings just slow you down. A few weeks later, fate intervenes when Emory's clinic partners with Callum's team for a "Paws & Players" adoption event. One glance and neither can pretend their hallway collision was just a coincidence. Between camera flashes and undeniable chemistry, Emory and Callum find themselves breaking every rule they swore to keep. They both don't do relationships. But sometimes, the best kind of love is the one that wasn't in the game plan at all.

They called her a star. Then they broke her. After a scandal shattered her career and left her trapped in silence, Nova Sinclair swore she would never step into the spotlight again. But when her past resurfaces in the form of the man who once controlled her every move, the walls she built begin to crack. Enter Nate Carter-captain of the LA Titans, her brother's best friend, and the last person she expected to see her as more than a headline. Steady where she's unsteady, fire where she's frozen, Nate refuses to let Nova drown in shadows. But secrets never stay buried. With the media circling, her brother watching, and her past clawing back to claim her, Nova must choose-keep running, or fight for a life she never believed she deserved. And somewhere between the wreckage of yesterday and the fragile hope of tomorrow, she might just discover that love doesn't break you. It saves you.

𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 1 . . . 𝐻𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉𝓈 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓉𝓌𝒾𝓃𝑒, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝓂𝒶𝒾𝓃 𝑒𝓁𝓊𝓈𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝓈. Mila Young is just your average girl hoping for a simple college experience. She found solace in her books rather than loud parties. Then there is Heath McConnell, the enigmatic captain of the hockey team, who seems like everything that Mila wanted to avoid. His haunting gaze pulls her in like an irresistible force, like a moth to a flame, igniting a whirlwind of feelings she never anticipated. Each stolen glance with Heath sends butterflies racing through her stomach, while unexpected kisses leave her breathless. As she gets closer to unraveling the layers of his guarded heart, she discovers that beneath the surface lies a turmoil that could tear them apart. What begins as mere curiosity spirals into a whirlwind romance that collides with her carefully crafted world. Dive into a journey of unexpected love and connection-because sometimes, the heart just knows, even when the path ahead is unclear.

He's the NHL star with a cold reputation--she's the spark that could melt it all. All Lilah wants to do is keep her head down, finish her online college course, chase her dreams of becoming a baker, and survive. But when a photo caught at the wrong time with the NHL's newest star, Cole Becker, goes viral, she's suddenly thrust into the limelight--exactly where she doesn't want to be. And when the person she tried so hard to escape from resurfaces because of her new popularity, Lilah has no choice to run to the safety of fame and Cole Becker as his fake-girlfriend. Because no one can lay a finger on the newest sweetheart of hockey, can they? But Cole makes her feel things she's never felt before and she wants nothing but to be loved by the boy that makes her feel beautiful and safe. Cole Becker needs an out, and fast. A stupid rumor built on absolutely nothing is threatening to destroy the reputation he's barely built. He's only a few games into his rookie NHL season and already he's been nicknamed the NHL's "Ice King;" scary, domineering, and arrogant. So when Lilah crashes her way into his world, he has no choice but to fake-date her, to both help his reputation, and to help the girl who's already got him wrapped around her finger. He wants to show her she's worthy of love. She wants to be loved by him. And when the lines between real and fake start to blur, Lilah has to let go of the secrets in her past holding her down and let herself love the goalie. But someone is lurking in the shadows, ready to steal Lilah away from the life she's tried so hard to build. Past Rankings: #1: cinderellastory #1: hockeyromance #4: loveatfirstsight #2: minnesota #2: waitress #1: slowburn #1: shygirl

"He's not a proper man." "Zach-" "No. He's supposed to be your so called husband, yet I know more about you than he ever will. . .and I love you more than he ever will." My breath hitches. ≪━─━─━─━─◈─━─━─━─━≫ When Aria's husband decides to open their marriage, it seems like the perfect life she built for herself starts to crumble. One night out with her friend leads to her meeting Zach. A man working hard to inherit his family's company. She and him decide to start a friendship, which eventually turns into something a bit more than a casual friendship. She doesn't think much of their arrangement, until Zach actually starts to develop feelings for her over time. Will her 'friendship' with Zach lead to the end of her marriage? Started: [ 1-May-2024.] Completed: [ 11-September-2024] (New chapter upload every Tuesday and Friday.)

ᴵ ᵏⁿᵒʷ ᵉᵛᵉʳʸᵗʰⁱⁿᵍ ᵃᵇᵒᵘᵗ ʸᵒᵘ, ʸᵒᵘ ᵏⁿᵒʷ ᵉᵛᵉʳʸᵗʰⁱⁿᵍ ᵃᵇᵒᵘᵗ ᵐᵉ, ʷᵉ ᵏⁿᵒʷ ᵉᵛᵉʳʸᵗʰⁱⁿᵍ ᵃᵇᵒᵘᵗ ᵘˢ ꧁ [ 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 ] ꧂ 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: In a small town where everyone knows everyone's business, Ocean and Koa have been best friends since childhood. But there's something more between them-a quiet, simmering attraction neither of them dares to acknowledge. As they navigate the ups and downs of their teenage years, the lingering question of what if? follows them everywhere. Things get complicated when Koa starts dating Ocean's best friend, Bethany, in elementary school, and even years later, the past still lingers between them. Their friendship is tested when Ocean starts spending time with a new friend, Johyi, making Koa believe he's being replaced. An argument forces them to confront the growing distance between them, but when they finally reconcile at a party, jealousy flares as they're unknowingly put in a two-man situation, pushing them closer to the truth they've been avoiding. Through stolen glances, near-confessions, and an undeniable pull, Ocean and Koa continue their slow burn until one defining moment-.

COMPLETED. A university student. A professional hockey player. They've proved they can be friends. Can they be more? Although they're both in their early twenties and living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, their lives couldn't be more different. Camille Riccardi is a university student who doesn't feel like she has her life together quite just yet. A scary thought, considering she's graduating in a few months. Taylor Hudson, on the other hand, is exactly where he wants to be in life. Drafted first overall in the spring, he's set to begin his first National Hockey League season with the Winnipeg Storm. When they meet through mutual friends, they realize that they may have things in common, after all. They realize that maybe they could be friends. Maybe they could be even more. But it's not nearly as simple as it all sounds. This is their story. Cover designed on Canva with photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash.