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.

Book one in the Westbridge U series Eighteen-year-old Grace Carter has spent her life hiding from the truth of her broken home, enduring the cruelty of an alcoholic father in the small town of Willow Springs, Texas. Her only escapes are the books she reads and the cheerleading routines she uses to mask the scars of her reality. All she wants is a way out, a chance to live her life on her own terms. Enter Jaxon Reed-the charismatic, cocky captain of Westbridge University's hockey team. At 18, he's already a hockey prodigy, and everyone knows it. He's got everything-looks, talent, and the confidence that comes with it. But underneath the bravado, Jaxon carries a past that haunts him, one he's not ready to confront. When they're paired together for an English project, neither Grace nor Jaxon is thrilled. Grace sees Jaxon as just another entitled athlete, while Jaxon thinks Grace is too distant to care about. But as they spend more time together, something unexpected happens. Jaxon begins to notice Grace's hidden pain, the way she flinches at loud noises and keeps people at arm's length. Grace, in turn, starts to see the cracks in Jaxon's perfect exterior-his reliance on hockey as an escape from a past that refuses to let him go. What begins as forced proximity soon becomes something neither of them saw coming-an undeniable connection that neither of them is prepared for. As their secrets unravel, they'll discover that sometimes, the most broken people are the ones who heal each other.

The worst thing about falling for your enemy isn't the rivalry. It's realizing he may have never been your enemy at all. Everyone in Dawston University knows two things. Evangeline Winslow Abberweitch is untouchable. Dawston's golden girl in a lab coat, a future scientist with a sharp tongue, and the kind of girl everyone wants to befriend-except for the one ice-cold hockey captain who seems determined to stay in her orbit. Keeve Malachi Kavanagh doesn't touch anyone. Ruthless, blue-eyed captain of Dawston's hockey team, as 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 wondering why he never leaves her alone. But one desperate phone call changes everything. When no one else answers, he's the one who picks up. Suddenly, the line between love and hate begins to blur. The sparks between ice and fire threaten to burn down more than either of them is prepared for. Maybe the greatest rivalry at Dawston was never a rivalry at all.

10 years. One doorstep. Two childhood lovers meet again.

My best friend Eleanor, wants my college life to be as thrilling as The Bachelorette. I'm open to everything she wants me to do except three things, 1) Writing a haiku 2) Doing tequila shots off of a guy's abs. 3) Aaron Richards Aaron might be an unbeatable player on and off the rink but he's also a triple point scorer of The Jerk Club. When an ill-timed and desperately struck deal lands me in front of his door... Alexis Forte is the last person I want to see on a Friday night, or in any other night for that matter. Feisty, rebellious and a spitfire, the girl could put a tornado to shame with the amount of damage she singlehandedly causes. But my father likes to test me and nothing raises his hackles more than the daughter of his nemesis. So when she strikes a sweet deal on a silver platter which is a recipe for disaster for my stuck up father, I agree. _________________________________________ [Completed] [Mature]

Never in a million years did I think I would cross paths with him again. Michael Woods. The boy who broke my heart. The boy who picked hockey over me. The boy who left me behind. After giving three years of my life to him, it was all over after his college graduation. He went his way and I went mine. But I never imagined landing a job at his agency when I moved to Boston four years later, let alone as his assistant. A job that's meant for me to service him, do as he asks, and give him all smiles. So, I play the part. I play the nice, kind, sweet assistant in public and ignore him like my life depends on it in private. The thought of getting close to him again terrifies me because I know. I know that once I let him again, I'll never be able to let him out. And if I do, it'll be at the cost of my heart, and this time he'll leave it broken beyond repair. I used to think he was forever mine. But hockey changed everything. What would he do now if he had to make that choice? Me? Or hockey? Or both? . . . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TRIGGER WARNING: Mention of death by accident and depression

-- "You think you're so tough hm?" He says, getting closer to me. Both of our eyes lustful, deep and glued to each other's. "I am" I certify the one standing in front of me, our proximity making me nervous, but I'm refusing to show any signs of it. "You're testing my patience, princess." He admits as his hands lay lazily on my neck, I smirk at his sentence. "You're either leaving this place with a black eye or a hickey" He announces. "You wouldn't dare to kiss me." I bark back, his smirk growing as mine fades away. "Try me, Rora." He states, with the goddamn nickname. ---------- !! - It does contain mentions of sexual references, mature themes and strong verbiage. UPDATED WEEKLY!!!!! ---- #1 IN SECRECY (10/18/24) #3 IN COLLEGE (03/20/25) #1 IN HOCKEYPLAYER (07/31/24) #3 IN HOCKEY (10/06/24) #2 IN ENEMIES (03/28/25) #1 IN TEASE (09/03/24) #8 IN BAD BOY (10/06/24) #6 IN ENEMIESTOLOVERS (03/27/25) #3 IN RIVALRY #2 IN FRIENDGROUP

𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬 - a quiet, thoughtful girl who struggles to express her emotions and find trust in others. Shy by nature and cautious from past experiences, she longs for the kind of love she's only seen in movies-a deep, real connection that makes her feel safe and seen. Despite her reserved exterior, Talia has a childlike soul and a heart full of longing, hoping to one day find someone who understands her fully. As she faces the complexities of life and love, Talia must learn to trust both herself and others, realizing that true love might not be the fairytale she imagined-but something even more meaningful. 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 - the tough and cold hockey captain, hides behind a tough exterior, keeping his emotions locked away. On the ice, he's fearless, but off it, he struggles with trust and vulnerability. While most see him as the "bad boy," Grayson longs for something real-someone to love him for who he truly is, not for his reputation. As he faces new challenges, he begins to question what it means to be loved and must decide whether he's willing to risk opening up to the people who could truly care for him.

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