[COMPLETED] [2025 Wattys Shortlist] Danny's neighbor should be illegal. There's no way someone should be that attractive. They've lived next door to each other for over a year. As a skinny, clumsy, sweater-loving, Modern Poetry professor, Danny never believed someone like him could catch the eye of someone as perfect as Brett. But when Danny (accidentally) RSVPs to a destination wedding he never wanted to attend, he realizes he's in a bind-he needs a plus-one. And somehow, Brett becomes his unexpected solution. Brett's MMA career was on the brink of greatness until an injury stopped him cold. Now, trying to reclaim his spot in the octagon and live up to heavy expectations, the last thing Brett expected was to build a friendship with the neighbor he's been crushing on. However, Danny is undeniably gorgeous and way out of his league, so he needs to maintain realistic expectations. But, when Danny needs a date for a destination wedding, Brett's first instinct is to offer his help. Being his fake boyfriend would not be a hardship. A romantic beach, a fake relationship, and one bed... what could go wrong? Genre: Contemporary Romance / Fake Relationship / Friends to Love / HEA Guaranteed / Dual POV There will be mature scenes between two men that I will mark accordingly. These scenes are intended for mature audiences. This is a spin-off of the worlds of King of Hawkings/Death & Tequila and A New Song/Beats of the Heart, but it is a stand-alone novel, so reading the other novels is unnecessary. However, some old characters will appear, so you may enjoy it more with the full background.

THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF LUCIAN AND GRAY'S STORY. If you haven't read book five, this book will NOT make sense. Book Six of the Chaotic Hearts Series --- LUCIAN SULLANO: I'm starting to think I'm cursed or something. Maybe the universe is trying to level out my happiness to make sure I don't reach too much happiness. I have no idea. Here's the thing, right? I have the most amazing boyfriend in the world. I'd protect him with my life, and I've proved that to be true already. But then, Dante returns, trying to test my relationship! Does it work? No. But after Dante is arrested, my relationship with Gray continues to be tested in unexpected ways. Can we make it? Yeah. Well, I'd sure hope so anyway! Only, I might have hit a major snag when I went against Asher Adair and told him he was incompetent once or twice. Honestly, though? The second time, I was more than in the right for what I said. Another confrontation with Asher Adair leads me to ACTUALLY lose my job. No, Asher didn't fire me, but he seemed to insinuate that he wanted to. So, as a result of that fiery conversation between Asher Adair and me... I quit my job with The Adair House. But you know what? Maybe it was for the best because if I wanted a happy future with Gray, I couldn't work under Asher Adair, who happens to be Gray's father. Only, I might have screwed up any potential relationship I could have forged with Gray's family after my outburst. Will that cause my relationship to take even more damage? Or can we make it out of this trial, too? It might not be easy, but this time? I'm not the one who needs to apologize. Asher Adair destroyed my confidence and made me believe I didn't have what it took to do the job he put me in. So, it's time to find my purpose and prove that I am far better than I think. It's time to do something for me. It's time for me to forge my own future. I do know one thing for certain. I will never work for The Adair House ever again.

Book Five of Six in the Chaotic Hearts Series. BOOKS MUST BE READ IN ORDER. THIS IS BOOK ONE OF TWO OF LUCIAN AND GRAY'S STORY. THEY HAVE A SEQUEL "DON'T LOSE ME" LUCIAN SULLANO: I did it. I hacked into Asher Adair's mainframe. Listen, hear me out! I'm sorry! I did what I had to do! I might have been a little overdramatic with my delivery, but I didn't know what else to do. I have always been taught the importance of protecting the peace of those you care about, and if I have to go to epic proportions to achieve it, then I will. I knew I'd have to sacrifice my job and my friendship with Gray, but I'd rather be penniless and alone than watch Gray deal with the fallout of what could have happened. I thought I covered my tracks enough, but I didn't. Asher Adair sees me on the cameras using Gray's badge to purposely set off the alarms, implicating myself, and now everyone is confused. He comes to ask me what happened, and I no longer have a reason to hide it. I tell him. He drops the charges, but that leaves Gray. I'm afraid he'll never forgive me, and I'd deserve it, but I tell him what happened anyway. I still don't know what's going to happen with our friendship when I leave his apartment. So, why is it that when I arrive at Levi West's house, everyone asks me why I hid my relationship with Gray Adair from them? Hold on, what?! I'm in a relationship with Gray Adair?! Since when?! Oh, things just got a whole lot more complicated...

Book Five out of five in the New Beginnings Series. OLIVER PIERCE: I've always waited for the darkness to consume me. Every day, I open my eyes, and I wait for it to hit. It never does. I cry for hurt animals, mourn the loss of life, and hurt in the name of others. Empathy is something I have, and it's stronger than I thought. There wasn't any kind of darkness in me, but I still feared it would pop up. Five years ago, my girlfriend of three years completely abandoned me when she found out about my past. And I made the vow to never open myself up to anyone romantically again. It was better this way. But there is this irritating "bad boy" who thinks the world owes him. I've known him for the last four years, and he won't leave me alone! He made a bet to win my heart. Our friend group is going on a road trip, and I'm stuck with him as a roommate. I'm straight. I'm closed off. I don't like him! I swear! Shit, I might have been wrong about that because why does he feel so right? MALACHI REEVES: The bet is to win his heart. That's the prize. I'd have his heart. I'd have him. And he's all I've ever wanted. However, Oliver swears he's straight, but I noticed the way he looked at me through college. The curiosity in his stare. So, I want to show him what I have to offer him during this damn road trip across the United States. Things don't go at all how I planned. Something dark and haunted lives within Oliver Pierce, and I want to help him through it. The sweet smiles, the soft laughter, and everything in between-I want it to be mine. I have two months to prove to him that we're meant to be. No matter what darkness lingers behind him, I'll help him battle it all. I'll keep him safe. Protected. But only if he lets me.

Book four of five in the New Beginnings Series. VALENTINE PIERCE: My dearest cousin is going on his honeymoon, leaving me jobless for two weeks. Maybe that's a little dramatic, but it left me open and needing something to do. Allison Yates, the CEO of the label August works for has tasked me with helping Vesper Quinn adapt to the changes in his life. Which means, I have to be his temporary manager until they can find him one. Normally, I would have jumped for joy at the opportunity, except, Vesper decided I'm nothing but a snobby rich kid, who does whatever he wants. If I want it, I get it. It stemmed from Vesper finding out that I showed his videos to the company. He was signed, and he wasn't the least bit appreciative. See, I followed him for years. I was once intrigued by him. We even... went on dates. I thought he liked me, and I even thought we were headed somewhere. But then he vanished for almost two years. He stopped making music. He changed his number. He didn't contact anyone. Until he finally showed up for his audition, and he was signed. Sure, I thought, maybe we still had a chance. Until it evaporated that night in the stairwell. So, why is he being kind to me? I'm not falling for his tricks. I won't let him in again. I tried twice. I even gave him a chance after he vanished on me-but then I saw the way he looked at me when he not only found out what I'd done to help him, but who I was related to. But something is going on with him. I see it in his eyes. The mistrust. And then I find out he's suffocating, and he's been alone. It's dangerous to fall after the soon-to-be superstar, but I want him. I desperately want him, and I have for years. Hey, it's Christmas-anything can happen, right?

Book Three of Five in the New Beginnings Series. **You do NOT have to read Inhale, Exhale, & Breathe to enjoy these stories** AUGUST LUNA: Fake dating my nemesis, what a twisted web we have weaved, isn't it? I want to get under Davis Adler's skin, and what better way to do that than by feeding the media about my secret romance with his son, Kayax Adler? Shiny, glittery, superstar-Kayax Adler. Something is going on with Kayax, and the more time I'm forced to spend around him, the more it gets harder for me to ignore. He was supposed to perish, and now I wonder if I was too focused on the wrong Adler. Kayax needs my attention. More than I realized. When Davis gets arrested after an anonymous tip sent in to the police station, I close in on the sassy superstar. There's darkness under his gaze. Heaviness. Hatred. And it's not for me. He's not the one who needs to perish. KAYAX ADLER: I don't mind my fake relationship to a Luna. Not at all. Not when he starts mindlessly... caring about me. I'm supposed to hate him, I know. My Dad drilled that in my head ever since the forced me into the industry the moment I turned eighteen. But I'm hiding a lot of secrets, and they don't all have to do with the abuse of my father. The one who didn't even raise me. But when someone-my father-leaks a video of my eighth grade talent show, I'm shoved into the spotlight even more. Because it was never about the fact I had an impeccable singing voice for as long as I could remember. It was the song choice. An Elijah Luna song. August is confused. I'm losing myself in August and getting confused myself. I can't fall in love with him. But it's too late. I fall in love with August Luna, and I can never have him for real. Only for fake.

Book Two of Five in the New Beginnings Series. **You do NOT have to read Inhale, Exhale, & Breathe to enjoy these stories** SALEM LUNA: Does anyone ever feel like they're riding a mechanical bull that is never ending? No matter how many times you get thrown off the thing, you appear right back on it? No? Just me then? See, I have this best friend. Former. Best. Friend. It's taking my brain a while to get used to it. Whatever. I'm hopelessly in love with him, and I tried desperately to admit my feelings out loud. So, I did. Raven Fox told me not to love him, and the look he seared into my skin when he said it was now branded into my brain. Now we're on the university book club Christmas retreat. Who did I get roomed with? Raven because of course I was given the bird. The damn bird that didn't love me in return. Which would have been fine had he not looked like the idea disgusted him. Six months have gone by since that day, and our tension is growing with more animosity each second. Now, we're doing activities together, and Christmas is my favorite holiday. He's not screwing this up for me. After a snowstorm starts hitting, though, I end up stuck in the middle of nowhere, out of gas in my snowmobile. I'm terrified as the wind starts picking up and snow starts whipping my face. I thought he wasn't listening. That he didn't care. So, why did he become the one to save me? Why does he look so distraught? His words say one thing, but his eyes are telling me his words are lies. Raven is lying to me. He loves me. But he doesn't want me to love him. All I want to know is why because I can't breathe without him anymore.

Book One of Five in the New Beginnings Series. **You do NOT have to read Inhale, Exhale, & Breathe to enjoy these stories** #1 in bxb tag: 09/21/2024 #4 in friendstolovers tag: 9/21/2024 CYRUS PIERCE: I'm content in my almost soundless world. I prefer to live through the romance stories I weave and post online. Hardly anyone reads my books, even if they're free, but I do have one fan, and he's supported me since I started writing two years ago. Except, my writing started to take a depressing dive when I realized that you simply couldn't prevent nor protect your heart from falling for someone. For him. For the one who had no interest in me. When I fell in love with him, I thought we had a chance. It was an accident. Turned out, I couldn't be more wrong. He doesn't want me, and I wasn't supposed to have him. It didn't matter if he showed up in the bookstore every day, talking to everyone else except me. Nor did it matter at all because he didn't know sign language. He couldn't learn. We couldn't communicate. But after I go on a date and it ends in putrid disaster, he makes his appearance known, and he's angry. Then he's doing things for me that confuse me. My stories are filling up with pages of content, dreams that I want to come true, and my mystery commenter encourages me to continue-to reach my happiness. To take what I want. But the activities planned start sparking familiarity-like I lived it before, or maybe dreamed it. Or maybe, just maybe, I'd written it before? My mind is spiraling, but I can't stop myself from getting closer and closer to him. I'm not supposed to have him, but my heart craves him. Sage Monroe, I'm in love with you, and I'm scared now because I have a feeling that you've been communicating with me in more ways than one.

LENNOX HART: I understand that my impulses get the best of me sometimes. I tend to regret my actions after everything is said and done. But I do not regret quitting as Elijah Moon's manager. Whatever dark and twisted entity lives within Elijah, it's clear I can't exorcise it. After he yells at me in front of the world, I choose to raise my white flag and run. Landon welcomes me with open arms, except he has a devious plan brewing. I see it forming and taking shape when Elijah shows up on Landon's doorstep carrying suitcases full of animosity. I refuse to bend; I refuse to break. But when I'm made to play house with the mini Devil, I start to realize there are more ways to break than I initially thought. ELIJAH LUNA: There has been a dark cloud over my head since I found out what fame could really do to my family. My brother suffered at the hands of my fans, and I haven't figured out how to forgive myself. I made a vow never to let another person fall victim to the cruel nature of my fame. I didn't want to push him away, but if I let him any closer than our metaphorical ten-foot distance, they would hurt him. Lennox is far too precious to me and I won't watch the world tear him apart, too. Then he quits in the middle of a heated argument, and suddenly, it feels like the sun fell out of the sky. I recluse. Until I get an angry phone call from my brother. Now, I'm decorating Christmas trees and playing house with Lennox. Every single one of his words has a bite, and he's made it perfectly clear that he won't forgive me. But that was said before we both broke apart into a million shards of our past.

LANDON LUNA: Someone is directly targeting me-making me out to be Elijah Moon's stalker. I'm not. And in an attempt to combat against the person who accused me, I also make choices I immediately regret. Elijah has been instructed, by me, to stay out of it. I can handle this. Choices are a funny thing when they're made in the name of protection. I needed to protect him. Then GlimmerOfHope pops back up, and they're defending me against the madness. Who is Glimmer? Should I just tell everyone the truth? Wait, don't send me to Vegas with Everest while I'm drunk. Mistakes aren't made, but we definitely make some choices this time. EVEREST PIERCE: When I told Landon I loved him without limits and expectations, I saw the glint of uncertainty. And how could I blame him when the world is attacking him so brutally? My softhearted, compassionate, loving ray of sunshine has a dark cloud looming over him. Landon kept trying to convince me everything is fine when it clearly is not fine. No matter. I promised him I would stand beside him. And I don't go back on the promises I make. I waited too long to give up. Every time I look at him, I see our happy future together. I'm a man who's remained silent for far too long, though. So, when Landon hits his breaking point quickly because the world refuses to leave him alone, I know what I need to do. I might have been a man who remained silent... But maybe it's time I break my silence. And fight for and beside the one I love.