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.

After being cheated on by their long-term partners, can a pro-wide receiver and a PR agent remain friends with benefits without falling for each other? I've been in love with Ava since I was fifteen. She was my first, my only, my everything, destroying my heart when she betrayed me. Without her, half of me is missing. Unable to confront the truth, I'm pivoting my frustrations into football. A last-chance tryout to play pro football in Seattle and my high school reunion offer enough time for my redemption plan - professional first, personal second. Thousands of miles from home, living with my best friend and his wife leaves me with homesickness and the worst case of third-wheeling. Only Maya, the gorgeous, put-together PR rep for our team knows how I feel, but when our friendship line blurs beneficial to recover our confidence, I struggle with developing feelings for her. This free story is ongoing, with weekly updates. Please add to your reading list for notifications of new chapters!