PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS "The softest place to fall" "Who did this to you?" The question hangs in the air between us. I can't look at him. I stare at my hands instead. "Ella." His voice breaks on my name. "Please. Talk to me." "I- " The word comes out as barely a whisper. "I can't." "You can. Whatever it is, you can tell me. I'm not going anywhere."

She looks up at me, taking a step forward and smiling slightly, "How can I ever get hurt when I have you here to protect me?" "But you could have gotten hurt," I murmur softly, hanging my head and feeling my shoulders drop, the tension seeping from my body. "No. Stop," She cuts me off sternly but tenderly, "Don't talk like that, Reece. I'm okay, you're okay, we're okay," She speaks softly, reaching her hand up to gently brush her thumb over my cheek, just under the cut that's there. "We're okay," I repeat, taking a small step closer to her. She nods with a small smile, moving her hand down from my cheek and instead placing the palm of her hand on my chest, right over my heart. I know she can feel how fast my heart is beating. I just don't know why it's doing that. ~ Reece Carter is the bad boy of Northwood High. He smokes and he fights. He has countless tattoos covering his body. And he doesn't care about anything or anyone else. Layla Stevens is your average seventeen year-old girl, just trying to get through high school, with the friends she loves and doing the things she loves. When these two cross paths accidentally in an unusual way, they leave and never expect to speak to each other again. But fate has other plans. Layla finds her way into Reece's life and Reece doesn't know what to do about it. This ray of Sunshine suddenly meant something to him. She understood him when it seemed like no one else did. And he protected her from everyone who tried to hurt His Sunshine. Get ready for a story filled with bad pick-up lines, twin telepathy and a lot of fighting. Like, a LOT. Thanks for that one, Reece.

A Sports Romance/Brothers Best Friend/Enemies to Lovers (Hockey) • Two Enemy Hockey Players. One Need For Revenge. • "You seem stressed, princess, want me to help with that?" "My own personal punching bag? I'm all for it." He lowly chuckled as he stepped closer to me. His blue eyes looked up and down at both my eyes and lips. "You know that's not what I meant," He said placing his hand on my waist and I widen my eyes, "What are you doing? My brother can come in any second." "Relax. He won't find us." His lips found mine. And for the first time, I kissed back. • Enemies Aylee and Arius are drawing. Drawing a line between them. • Introduction, Extended Synopsis, & Author's Note inside. • S: 11/09/2023 E: 10/20/2024 • !COMPLETED! A Stand-Alone Hockey Romance (©mimisarai 2023) EXCLUSIVELY ONLY ON WATTPAD

Logan Romano didn't just enter the NHL. He tore through it. Dark. Brooding. Untouchable. With brutal talent and a reputation as cold as the New York winter, Logan dominates both the ice and every room he walks into. He doesn't lose. He doesn't bend. And he certainly doesn't fall in love. Not after the last time. Not until November Levine crashes into his life like a beam of sunlight he never asked for. She's warmth where he's storm clouds. She's soft where he's jagged edges. A walking contradiction to everything Logan swore he needed. When a deal forces the polar opposites under one roof, tensions ignite fast. Teasing turns to feuds. Feuds turn into something dangerously close to desire. And Logan is forced to confront the one promise he's never broken. Because once you step into the light- it's impossible to return. ✩ Grumpy x sunshine • forced proximity • slow burn Will the hockey captain cross that line? ✩ "Nova." I whisper, my voice low and hoarse against her neck. "Stop it." "Stop what." She whimpers back innocently as her thighs tighten around my hips. My teeth nip at the skin on her jaw in warning. "Either stop teasing, or put me out of my fucking misery." November pulls her head back from mine, resting it against the wall, and bats her lashes up at me. "Say please."

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.