"Why is it that whenever I try to get closer to you, you always shy away from me?" Aiden asks, hurt dripping from his voice I look at him and instantly i'm filled with regret and fear. "You wouldn't understand Aiden." I say pleading with him "Try me," He challenges. "Listen," I pause. "I need you to understand that when I push you away, it's because it's the only thing I know how to do anymore." He opened his mouth to say something but she stopped him, holding her palm up like a white flag. "You need to understand that everyone else has left and my problem," I say raising my voice. "My problem is that I'm scared," "I'm scared of getting too attached to someone, until eventually, that someone has the power to control me. To end my world when they feel like it." Aidens eyes bore into mine but he doesn't say anything. "Are you attached?" He asks. I glance away and then back at him nodding "With you? Too much." I say as a tear rolls down my left cheek "I'm scared that you are going to leave." I whisper as Aiden wraps his arms around me. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• A grumpy figure skater and a golden retriever Hockey Captain.

A campus built on roaring hockey games, crowded parties, and reputations that can make or break you before you even graduate. Sienna Monroe used to know who she was. But after a breakup that slowly stripped her of herself, she's left trying to rebuild something she no longer fully recognises. At Vale, everyone seems louder, more put-together-and Sienna feels like she's constantly one step behind. Grayson Knox, captain of the university hockey team, lives in a completely different world. Confident, cocky, and untouchable on the ice, he's exactly the kind of player scouts watch closely- the kind who is supposed to make it to the NHL. And right now, every decision he makes off the ice matters just as much as what he does on it. Because his image is slipping. Rumours. Rivalries. Headlines that could ruin his draft future before it even begins. So when what's supposed to just be a feature piece written about him by Sienna turns into rumors, he doesn't deny it, not when his career is on the line. What starts as a convenient lie quickly turns into something neither of them fully planned for- fake dating to control the narrative, clean up his reputation, and silence the noise that's threatening his future. No feelings. No complications. No breaking the rules. It's supposed to be temporary. Simple. But at Vale University, nothing stays simple for long. Not when everyone is watching. Not when her ex- boyfriend's biggest rival is still very much in the picture. And definitely not when the line between what's real and what's pretend starts to blur in ways neither of them expected. Because Grayson Knox has spent his whole life learning how to win. But Sienna Monroe might be the one thing he can't control. •.•.•.•.• HIGHEST RANKINGS: #1 in fakedating #1 in sportsromance

Ava Sinclair is desperate. Her father's rare illness is bankrupting her, and time is running out. In a last-ditch move, she joins Velvet Circle-an elite underground agency where powerful men pay fortunes for one night of total control. Xavier Blackwood doesn't do love. He's a billionaire who treats women like transactions: hot, hard, gone by morning. No strings. No repeats. Until Ava steps into his world. One contract. Fifty thousand dollars every time he calls. No feelings. No questions. Just her body on demand. But obsession creeps in fast. His hands can't get enough of her curves. Her moans start sounding like surrender. And the money can't drown out the truth they're both avoiding: What happens when "just sex" becomes something neither can walk away from? A raw, steamy, addictive billionaire romance packed with dominance, possession, and heat that burns everything down.

After the aftermath of a not-so-great one night stand, everything turns around for Andrea and Miles. Andrea Brennan has gone through the entirety of her college career without any trouble and she goes to a party school which is saying something. Andrea is at school on multiple scholorships and her dad is paying for the rest. Growing up, education was the most important to her and so she has spent all her life being perfect. It's been easy for the most part but now-- now Andrea has got herself mixed up with the biggest player (on and off the ice), Miles Watson. Miles Watson is the star player University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and has been for the entirity of his college career. He was recruited right after highschool and has been working hard to keep the best image for himself. College hockey is pretty serious and nothing is more serious than trying to get on a professional team. Miles has been working toward his professional career for the longest time and getting involved with a girl has never been apart of that plan. Oh but it does happen. andrea and Miles have an one night stand and the next day is a different outcome for different parties. The two do not let the night gopeacefully and nsteatd work to make it hard for each other. With spiteful retorts and incredible banter, the two don't realize that they are connected in more than one way, but they will soon find out.

it's simple. Survive, and this is the story of how I learnt to survive in the cruel world of flesh eating zombies. No time for playing nice or sympathy or love, this is the apocalypse... do what you gotta do. A few years in the future things take a turn for the worst. Trying to save the planet sometimes never works. We expect humans to learn from their past mistakes but we never do and now that it's the apocalypse things get 10 times worse. People are desperate. Hungry. Angry and down right savages. Will humanity finally find peace and rebuild a new better society or will they do what they always do. What they do best. Destroy. 🔱 This book is full of suspense, thrill, drama and more. Second book coming out soon. PS- takes place at the same time but different place and people. Best: 14 in #survivalofthefitest Ranking at #71 of 16k

tw's: verbal and emotional child abuse, body shaming, adhd rep After spending my first two years as the college fuck boy, I've decided that I'm done with that reputation for the rest of college. Especially when one of my past hookups starts lurking around and spreading rumours about me that could have me kicked off the team. So when my friend moves out of my apartment, I'm looking for a new roomie. And when my new roomie ends up being my shy, bookworm tutor who's looking to get her ex-boyfriend off her back, how can I resist not asking her to be my fake girlfriend until we're both out of hot water. But I have a hard time trying to remember that this is all fake.

🌟 WATTYS 2026 SUBMISSION 🌟 After her boyfriend cheats and says she's "not good in bed," a type-A psychology student launches a no-strings-attached sex experiment to prove him wrong-only to fall for the one variable she can't control: her ex's best friend. ********* Psychology student Lucy Bennett had her life mapped out with clinical precision: finish her thesis, marry her high-school sweetheart, land a research position, and start the five-year plan they'd been building since senior prom. Then he cheats. And worse, when he ends things, he tells her the reason he strayed was simple: she wasn't good in bed. Reeling from heartbreak, Lucy does the only thing she knows how to do. She turns the wreckage into research. Scrapping her original thesis, she proposes a bold new question: Does sexual satisfaction increase with experience? Determined to prove that sexual desire can be learned, not innate, Lucy becomes her own case study. Enter Mason Reid-her ex's infuriatingly charming best friend, campus jock, and the guy everyone whispers about being very good in bed. With his confidence, rules-free approach to sex, and a surprising respect for boundaries, Mason agrees to help Lucy "test her theory." What starts as an experiment in confidence and control quickly becomes something messier. And as the lines between research and reality blur, Lucy must decide whether proving she's "good in bed" matters more than discovering what and who actually makes her feel whole.

Liv Sutton has been surviving for years, fiercely independent and holding onto a dangerous secret, and falling for her best friend could ruin the only safe thing she has left. . . . . England, 1960. As a closely kept secret threatens to swallow Liv Sutton whole, she finds solace in her best friend, Theo Callaghan, and his rising band. And as the gritty music scene pulls Liv and Theo into smoky clubs, ambition, and tangled dreams, something shifts between them. Friendship with Theo begins falling into something deeper, risking everything they've built together. "The person who had always been by my side had somehow shifted into the center of my heart." (Extended Summary Inside) . . . . This is a mature story, and as such, there is swearing, shagging, some drug use, violence, angst, and explicit adult situations (all characters will be over 18). Please note the *trigger warning* for physical abuse in the early chapters. I do promise that happier times follow. . . . . Comments, feedback, and votes are always very much appreciated. I will reply to you as quickly as possible! Thank you so much for reading! x

[2023 Wattys Shortlist] When a feud between siblings goes too far, Solana finds herself falling into the hands of his enemy. Two university state teams have been fighting for generations, and unfortunately for Solana, her brother happens to be the quarterback for the Hawks, while his ex-best friend and current enemy leads the Tigers. She's normally supportive, but after an argument goes too far with her brother the night of a party, she finds herself welcoming a certain player into her bedroom. Christian Kane knows all about loyalty, and that it was his loyalty to others that got him screwed over. While he hides his anger behind his smooth words and flirty smile, the one person who can't fall for his charm is the little firecracker he's known for ten years. But with his loyalty to his team, he knows that surrounding himself around Solana will only lead to issues he doesn't need. But as the unlikely pair come to a mutual fake dating agreement to stir some problems, it's only time until things shatter into pieces. t r o p e s: faking dating, brothers enemy, one bed, banter, sleepover, college fiction, football romance, past history

Emmaline Bennett is a dedicated ballerina with dreams of dancing on the world's greatest stages. At college, she balances her intense training with her studies, all while maintaining her sweet and generous nature. Her best friend, Hannah, is her polar opposite-wild, fashion-forward, and always ready for a party. Despite their differences, their bond is unbreakable. Enter Tyler Henderson, the campus heartthrob and star hockey player. Cold, wild, and with a reputation as a massive player, Tyler is the exact opposite of the type of guy Emmaline would ever fall for. Beneath his drop-dead gorgeous exterior lies a tumultuous soul, burdened with deep-seated daddy issues. When Hannah's boyfriend, also a hockey player and a close friend of Tyler's, introduces them, Emmaline and Tyler's worlds collide. Emmaline would never fall for a guy like Tyler, and Tyler would never fall for a girl like emmaline. She's not his type at all, and he's not hers. As they navigate the challenges of college life, intense training schedules, and their personal ambitions, they each struggle with their own battles and their preconceptions about love and relationships. In a story of passion, ambition, and unexpected encounters, emmaline and Tyler must navigate the complexities of their lives and discover whether they can remain true to themselves while facing the unexpected twists fate throws their way.