Faking a relationship with him was supposed to fix everything. Falling for him might break me.

Brixton

My life has always been about pushing limits, but this time, I pushed too far. So when a PR nightmare threatens my band’s reputation, the perfect solution is standing right in front of me—Sam Hartley, the NFL’s golden boy and star tight end who has no patience for my brand of chaos. Hes clean-cut, radiates perfection, and follows every rule.

We agree to fake a relationship for the cameras, convincing the world we’re madly in love while we can’t stand each other behind closed doors. The rules are simple: no strings, no emotions, and definitely no falling for each other.

The problem?

Sam isn’t just a game I can win; he’s a challenge that makes me question every line I’ve drawn. Each fake smile and staged touch feels like a battle, but behind the cameras, the tension between us is raw and real. As time passes, the act starts to crack, and the line between hate and desire blurs.

But when our lies become truth, I know letting him in could be my biggest risk yet.

Will playing pretend cost me the only real thing I’ve ever wanted?

Sam

Being a star athlete comes with rules, and I’ve spent my career following them. Brixton Scott? He breaks every single one. So when our PR teams propose a fake relationship for the sake of both our images, I should have said no. He’s reckless, unpredictable, and seems to enjoy making my life difficult.

Now we’re both stuck in this arrangement, forced to convince everyone we’re the real deal. But off-camera, every exchange feels like a battle I’m determined not to lose and every second with him tests my patience—and my rules. It’s messy, it’s complicated, and it’s becoming dangerously real.

But just as I’m starting to believe in the illusion we’ve created, the past comes crashing in, threatening to expose the truth neither of us is ready to face.

Is the risk worth it when falling for him could be the biggest mistake of all?

Everything about Jase Maxwell rubs me the wrong way…until one night I accidentally rub him the RIGHT way.

Lucas

It was supposed to be a relaxing night out with friends. But somehow it turned into a media circus when a small mob of haters came after me and the tight end I've been secretly fantasizing about since being drafted to the Cincinnati Crusaders.

After videos of us blow up on social media, we're sentenced to community service to “rehabilitate our images.”

Jase Maxwell is cocky, grumpy, and sarcastic, with an air of arrogance that chokes me like bad cologne every time he flies into my airspace. But he's also gorgeous and built like a Greek god, so it isn't long before the air that choked me now makes my heart thrash and my blood burn.

I want him.

But not only is he my teammate, he's also straight.

Or is he?

Jase

Lucas just had to be at the bar that night. And of course, he had to tail me out of the place when those ignorant jerkoffs took off after us with a Louisville Slugger.

I didn't count on the cops showing up…or Lucas trying to hide us by pressing his lips against mine in the darkness…or me loving the barrage of sensations that rippled through me at the unexpected assault.

But what he can't know is why I'll never, ever let him near my lips again and why I could lose everything if he figures out that my true obsession beyond football is him.

My first love is now my sworn enemy, and I'm about to become his new boss.

I'll never forget the last football game of my career.

Instead of getting offers from NFL scouts, my dreams were crushed, along with my leg.

All because of one man.

A man I now hate.

He betrayed me. Broke my heart. Shattered my life.

Now I finally have the chance to destroy his.

It won't be quick and painless.

As the new owner of the Cincinnati Crusaders, I will make him suffer every minute of every day, waiting and wondering how it will all crumble.

Matt Harrison may be even more gorgeous than I remember but even his all-American looks and seductive charm can't hide the real man inside, the one who bullied me out of an NFL career and stole it right out from under me.

Every time we're thrown together, the anger and rage forces me to do things to him…things that make me feel like I'm taking back some of the control I lost years ago.

There's a fine line between love and hate, and it blurs more and more with each day that passes.

But Matt has a secret…and it's big enough to flip my world upside down.

And I don't know we can survive the truth.