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.

Eve Beckett, the girl with a broken soul. She has just transferred into Pembroke College as a sophomore, craving a fresh start after a rocky freshman year. Growing up in an abusive home with an absent mother and an violent father, Eve is set on never falling in love, using dance as her way of escape from reality. What happens when she bumps into a familiar face on campus, who gave her a bad impression? Carson Blake, the school golden boy. The quarterback of Pembroke college has a perfect life, a perfect family, he's got girls at every turn and is undeniably attractive. But he still feels that biting feeling in his heart that he's felt since he was a kid. In the Blake family, carrying the Blake name makes or breaks your position in the family. What will happen when the stress gets to Carson? Is there such thing as soulmates? And do Carson and Eve fit the criteria? Can they handle just being friends? And when hardships come in the way, rude families, ex crushes, the past. Can they make it out alive? Read to find out more about Eve and Carson's story. Third book in the 'Winning Hearts' series BUT can be read as a standalone. ౨ৎ ౨ৎ ౨ৎ ౨ৎ Started: { 1 July 2024 } Finished: { 15 January 2025 }