Running from hell isnʼt easy. Especially when someoneʼs dragging you back down into it. Belligerent, brash and always in shades of black, Freya is hardly a lady. Hidden away by her father, sheʼs lived a normal life despite being born into the dark waters of New Yorkʼs underworld. Heʼs cold, cruel and calculating, with a proclivity for destruction. Feared by even Made Men, Torren is the boss of the stateʼs most leachorous crime syndicate. Freya hates his crudity and possessiveness, but she canʼt deny the way her breath hitches at his rough touch, the deep timbre of his voice, and his dark, heated gaze. Torren hates her disobedience, her recklessness, and her chaos. To him, sheʼs only something to be tamed. And after he slips a ring on her hand, snatching away her future, she makes only one vow---to become his biggest torment.

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.

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.

Note: This version of the story is a draft. The complete book has been published in ebook and paperback and available for purchase :) Tessa O'Connell is a girl with an unbreakable spirit and a strength that will get her through anything. Her goal for her first year as a college graduate is to be fearless and make the best of all the opportunities that come her way. That includes adjusting to her life in New York all alone and a brand new job, all whilst missing her boyfriend as he gets through law school. But with Cole's unwavering love on her side, she's ready to conquer the world and build a life together with the man she's going to marry, even if sometimes she's got to do it all by herself. The insecurities and fears that plagued their relationship have now evolved into a love so strong, it can weather anything-even a long distance relationship. After five wonderful years together, there's nothing that's going to get in the way of their happily ever or is there? On their own for the first time in a long time, Cole and Tessa struggle to make sense of their changed reality which threatens to pull the two away from each other. The one thing they know is that they're meant to be and they'll do whatever it takes to stay together, despite the curveballs thrown their way. With old friends and new, one crazy Nana, stepbrothers and former best friends making a comeback, Cole and Tessa are ready to make the transition into their real life as a couple and this is the story of how two people fight the odds to create their forever. Warning: This story comes with a delectable Cole Stone as you've never seen him before. Suited up, a lawyer in the making, still a little reckless at heart and rough around the edges, he's the bad boy you fell in love with but ageing like the finest wine and all the more in love with his Shortcake.