After the accident, Noah Archer built a wall around himself. But Riley Dawson is curious about him, and she's determined to meet the man behind his defenses. ***** Riley Dawson has always noticed Noah. He was the most popular guy on campus, until he lost his parents in a car accident. Now he's withdrawn and silent. Mustering up the courage to give her condolences, the two end up talking, and Riley grows determined to help Noah find himself again. Every time she coaxes a smile from him, she can feel the ice around his heart melting. But Riley knows that Noah's loss is still close to him. She's opening up her heart, but can Noah do the same? He's got so much to lose, but now, so does she. [[word count: 70,000-80,000 words]]

Lilah James has never had any troubles with getting into a club, even though she was not 'of age' yet. Still, no bodyguard ever demanded to see her ID. That all seemed to change when a handsome, tall and not to forget tattooed-to-his-neck bodyguard came in the game. Before she knew it, he had denied her entrance to the city's local club. She was beyond embarrassed, but over all angry at him. He was just doing his job, she knew. Yet she couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more behind it. Especially after seeing him let teenagers in. He didn't ask for their ID's, but Lilah could swear they looked like ten! She's never met him before and really wasn't planning on getting to know that handsome, ink covered devil. But after she discovered what he did when he wasn't guarding the club, she knew she would never hear the end of it. Especially because of her brother's interest in fights and his unmistakable admiration for one specific fighter: Prince Charmink. »»» "Jason." I hissed at my brother. "What?" He asked absentmindedly. "That's him." I whispered, eyeing the three men in the cage. Prince Charming stood tall and proud with a knowing smirk on his face. "Yes, I know. He's my favourite too." He informed me and I scoffed. "No, you dumbass. He's the bodyguard I was talking about." I snapped at Jason and his eyes widened. "You mean he was the one who didn't let you in?" He almost stuttered. "Yes." I nodded and looked back at the man who hadn't left my mind in a week. I could feel my anger rising again as I glared at his smug facial expression. As if sensing my eyes on him, his confident look faltered and it got replaced by a surprised one as his eyes settled on me. My eyes widened and I looked away. Jason's breath hitched. "He's glaring at you." He whispered and then he gulped. "Now he's glaring at me."

FREE STORY WITH EXCLUSIVE CONTENT. This is *not* a Paid Story. Eighteen-year-old hockey prodigy Elliot Wexler has three goals for senior year. One: somehow graduate with a 3.5 GPA. Two: hide his bipolar disorder from his peers. And three: make it into the NHL with no scandals. Piece of cake. What he doesn't expect is to find Lucy, a homeless girl, hiding from the winter frost in his dad's shed. Elliot's busy, complicated life doesn't permit room for error, and falling in love with a girl from a totally different world sounds like the opposite of a good idea. But Elliot can't help but be drawn to Lucy and her elusive ways--even when she seems to vanish from his life non-stop, each time leaving him with a bigger hole in his heart. But Elliot is determined to break down Lucy's barriers. And when he does, he discovers that her life is more complicated--and dangerous--than he could have imagined. With drafting season approaching, and Elliot's fragile mental health deteriorating, he's forced to face a difficult question: Is first love supposed to hurt so much? *** PLEASE DO NOT ADD THIS STORY TO GOODREADS.