Piper Rayne
She's got two strikes against her.
Her name is Erickson and her parents own The Bagel Place.
It wasn't always that way. When we were nine, we were best friends. But then a feud between our dads ripped their successful business apart—and my best friend was ripped away too.
Our paths were bound to cross again. When both our families vie for the same spot on a Food Channel's reality show,
...I love him.
I loathe him.
It's like plucking daisy petals in my head, but he'll never know.
When Miles Cavanaugh, the best safety in the league, was traded to the Chicago Grizzlies football team last year, I could finally breathe. Temptation was miles away.
How naïve to think it would end there because when the opportunity to write for a national magazine based in Chicago lands in my lap months later, I can't turn it
...Do it.
Don't do it.
Never in my life did I think I'd wager in my head whether to sleep with Chicago Grizzlies wide receiver, Damon Siska.
He's the perfect package—hot body, killer smile, and flirts like he earned a doctorate in it. But anyone who reads gossip blogs knows he is looking for one amazing night and nothing more.
I'm not the usual type of woman he beds. I'm a middle school teacher who cherishes her
...I was only looking for a roommate...
I'm the town widow.
Not the only one, but the youngest by far.
My husband died one year after our wedding, casting me as the charity case in my small Alaskan town.
Since then, everyone—including my big family—try to keep me busy as if that will stop the haunting memories from resurfacing.
Do I know it's time to move on? Of course, but that's easier
...I should not still be hung up on my high school girlfriend.
I'm a billionaire, with a penthouse in New York City, a private plane, and was recently crowned one of Manhattan's most eligible bachelors.
She's engaged to my rival. A real prick of a guy whose family is about as famous as mine. So, pictures of the happy couple are plastered everywhere, and it's driving me insane.
The last time I spoke to her was
...The girl who loves Christmas falls for the Grinch—it's a Christmas miracle.
What started as a dumpster fire of a blind date turns into a deal.
In truth, it probably didn't help that I showed up dressed like an elf but that's a story for another time. Our start was rocky at best which is why it's so frustrating that I can't stop thinking about his sexy British accent. Or the way his chest and arms fill out his
...Brady Banks.
The Kingsmen's best wide receiver.
Rich AF.
Hot as hell.
A stallion in the sack.
How do I know that last fact? I may have shared a one-night stand with him six months ago when I was rebounding from a broken heart.
I didn't forget him, but I was done with him, until I discovered he's the single dad of the boy I've been hired to nanny.
It's near impossible to ignore my
...For Rylan Greene and me, it was simple. Love only got us so far.
I've known him since we were six, long before he became the professional soccer star he is now. We've weaved in and out of one another's lives as rivals, teammates, friends, and lovers. Until three years ago, when my life took a hit and I ran back to my small Alaskan town, Lake Starlight, away from anything or anyone that could hurt me.
He's never far
...Lee f'ing Burrows
The Kingsmen's star quarterback.
Legendary throwing arm.
Six-pack abs.
Kissable lips.
Oh, but don't forget, he's also a lying, heartless egomaniac who broke my heart in college.
It took me years to build myself back up after his deceit, and now I have the dream opportunity to prove myself working as a sports therapist for a professional team.
...11) The Do-Over
She was always the one.
Or so I thought.
Turns out my instincts were dead wrong.
Years ago I was faced with the choice between two women. Both were perfect in opposite ways. One was carefree and against commitment. The other was a woman you'd bring home to mom.
I was young, naïve and stupid. I'm sure you can guess who I chose.
Now, I'm older, wiser and know what the hell I want.
So, when the same two
...Chase Andrews.
The Kingsmen's top tight end.
My brother's friend and teammate.
My new neighbor.
The grumpy to my sunshine.
But underneath that grumpy exterior, there's so much more.
Chase likes to pretend nothing affects him, but I've seen glimpses of his other side in the time we've spent together.
And the more we get to know each other, the more I'm falling for him.
Under
...I've loved him from afar.
Though most times he's only a foot away.
I'm smart enough to know he'll never be anyone's forever.
He checks all the bad boy boxes. Tattoos. Check. Motorcycle. Check. Chip on his shoulder. Check check.
If he wasn't my neighbor and friend I may have thrown myself at him. Okay, yeah. I wouldn't. Because guys like Dylan don't want a woman who writes kid's math textbooks under him
...14) My Bestie's Ex
I can't borrow him.
He's not a sweater or a skirt.
He's not even her favorite dress—the lucky one she wears on first dates. The one she probably wore on her first date with him.
In my defense, I didn't know who he was. To me, he was a cool, calm, confident stranger. He was perfection for the entire hour and a half train ride while the concrete jungle turned into a rolling green landscape.
To an outsider, we probably
15) Claus and Effect
Two strangers who couldn't be more opposite find themselves on an unexpected cross-country road trip days before Christmas where whatever can go wrong, does.
He's an Army Ranger.
She's a baker.
He's organized and ridged.
She's messy and carefree.
He doesn't do relationships.
She's following her heart.
His family chat blows up his phone.
She
...It's the classic story—boy goes off into the world to fulfill his dreams and leaves the girl behind.
Not every boy returns home, and I wish Ben Noughton wouldn't have come back to our small ranching town at all after he retired from playing professional football.
I figure it's a quick layover for him. He always wanted out of this town and off his family's ranch. I just have to bide my time until he turns his back on all of us
...17) Mr. Heartbreaker
I made a deal with my brother a long time ago to never date his teammates.
Technically, Rowan Landry, the hot as hell center for the Chicago Falcons, is no longer my brother's teammate. Or his best friend. Their college days are long behind them, and they barely talk now.
Also, I'm not dating him—we're just sleeping together. There's a difference.
Except there's not a lot of sleeping going on, and neither one of us wants
...18) Mr. Broody
I've loved Henry Hensley since I was seven years old. We've gone from best friends to lovers to nothing.
To most people, he's the Chicago Falcons starting right winger and hot single dad, but to me, he's my first boyfriend, my first kiss, my first love.
Eight years ago, that all changed when our lives took us in two different directions. Our break-up almost broke me, so I kept my distance until our hometown called
...19) A Royal Mistake
He's not your average Joe from the corner bar.
He's the heir to the crown.
I should know, I've followed him for years.
Not in a stalkerish way. Magazines and online gossip blogs are fair game when you're royalty.
But I do know every detail about him, down to the brand of boxer briefs he wears.
All my studying of the man who plays a starring role in my dreams pays off when I win a dinner with him. As if that wasn't
...20) Mr. Swoony
Hockey players were never my type.
At least, that's what I thought—until I met Conor Nilsen. In truth, I didn't know he was the goalie for the Chicago Falcons when he struck up a conversation the night of my bachelorette party.
He proved he wasn't just some hot guy looking to score when he helped me get my drunk bridesmaid safely back to our hotel. That's when he discovered my 30-before-30 bucket list—a list I hadn't
