[WATTY'S 2026 SHORTLISTS] Sophia Honey never expected college to mean sharing an apartment with her childhood nemesis. ~~~ Freshman Sophia Honey never imagined her brother would stick her with Theo Gray-his best friend and her childhood nemesis-as her roommate. But things get complicated fast. Theo, with his shirtless mornings, flirty remarks, and those intense stares, pushes all of her buttons. Just when Sophia thinks she can handle their awkward living arrangement, she discovers he's not just popular-he's one of the hottest seniors on campus. And as the star of the hockey team, his status skyrockets, forcing her to tread carefully around him to avoid drama. But drama comes knocking When Sophia lands a side gig with the seniors in her photography department to make some extra cash, she doesn't expect her first assignment to be Theo Gray shirtless in front of her camera. She definitely doesn't expect him to say yes with that smug grin-and one condition. What he wants in return? Not money. Something else. Something dangerous. As the photo sessions begin, so does the unraveling. Their banter becomes charged. His touches linger a little too long. Her defenses are violently slipping. ​Then comes the night the mask shatters. When Theo stumbles home drunk, his eyes glassy and his defenses down, he confesses a truth that breaks every version of him Sophia thought she knew. ​Gone is the boy who teased her growing up. This Theo is raw, complex, and beautifully broken in places she never noticed before. ​Suddenly, Sophia wants things she never dared to dream of. His kisses. His hands on her skin. His body-yes-but also his secrets, his pain... him. What started as a paycheck has become a dangerous line they can't stop crossing, forcing her to realize the most terrifying truth of all: ​What if falling for Theo Gray was the real assignment all along?

❝𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐧, 𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞.❞ In which a streamer gets and his viewer get entangled. || MATURE CONTENT || All rights reserved. kingkatewrites Cover by vanillalust

Fair warning- Major plot holes and rushed writing - "Is this for me or him?" He spoke as he traced the waistband of her soft pink lace thong. "Neither of you." She spoke roughly as she rolled her eyes again. Angelo was all about possession and it was something she'd never grant him. Her legs spread as he kissed her through her panties. "Mmm looks like they're for me based on our current situation, no?" He chuckled as he slid them down her legs before they disappeared into his pocket. "Oh shut up and eat me." "My pleasure." -- Serenity Jones, a 29 year old newly hired FBI intelligence analyst and previous NYPD detective, had never planned to sleep with cold hearted Mobster Angelo Costello once- let alone the countless other times it'd happened. *Full description inside* ****WARNING THERE WILL BE MATURE SCENES SUCH AS MURDER, GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS, SEXUAL SITUATIONS, AND HARSH LANGUAGE! TRIGGER WARNING****

[ COMPLETED ] [ 2021 WATTY'S SHORTLIST ] ❝ You've never been loved like this? ❞ Twenty-nine year old Monique Harper is a senior VP travel advisor. Great at her job, she is sent to Valencia, Spain to vet a chain of hotels owned by billionaire Matteo Romano. Immediately taken with the woman with an attitude, Matteo has his sights set on her, and what he wants, he's sure to get. COPYRIGHT © MIDNXGHTSUN 2020

Brennen Bartels was close friends with the captain of his college hockey team, Garrett Gray. He loved Garrett, he was always there for Brennen, but now that Garrett is dating the girl Brennen is in love with, he doesn't know what to do. Julianna Gomez has been causing trouble since she was in high school and is now in college. But once she steps too far, she has no choice but to move in with her best friend's brother, Brennen Bartels, and his friends. Brennen and Jules have a messy history together, one they thought was in the past for good. But what happens when the two of them are forced to reconnect? What will happen when Brennen's sister finds out that her best friend and her brother are hiding so many secrets?

All Sophia ever wanted was for Ashton Maverick to notice her. But he was best friends with her older brother, Patrick, and a hockey star. There was no chance in Hell he'd be interested in her. But when Sophie moves back home for the summer and runs into Ashton for the first time in two years, things start to change. Between stolen glances and secret hookups, they begin to fall deeper in love with each other. But Sophie has something bigger to worry about than her big brother finding out about their secret relationship. Find out more in Hockey Baby by Ariel Hughes 🏒

When Serena enters a new workplace, she has one rule; stay focused- no matter what. It soon turns out to be easier said than done when she meets her new boss. Valentino is strict, the epitome of difficult and much to her dismay; unbelievably fucking hot. She's determined to ignore the attraction she feels to him for the sake of keeping her job. But what Serena doesn't know is that Valentino can't get her out of his his head. He thinks about her everywhere. He feels captivated by her. He wants her. And he hates every moment of it.

Daria Cole never expected her quiet high-school tutor partner to return as the new Mafia King of New York. Nico Costa. Bigger. Colder. Tattooed. And looking at her like she's the only softness he'll ever touch. She thinks they're just friends. He knows better. "Say the word," he murmured against my neck, "and I'll ruin any man who thinks he can touch what's mine." A soft, innocent girl. A very dangerous man. Five years of tension ready to explode. KILL FOR HER IS OFFICIALLY ON PAPERBACK! ❤️ 🖤 LINK IN BIO🖤 A Dark Romance #1 Sunshinexgrump (Dec 15th) #1 bwwm (Dec 17th) #1 mafiaboss (Dec 17th) #1 yearn (Dec 18th) First Book : Kill For Her Book Two : Enzo Wow! You guys have been showing so much love! Thank you! Trigger warning: This story contains sexual content and mature themes. Reader discretion is advised.

❛𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆?❜ he asked, voice low like it wasn't meant for nobody but her. 𝒛𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐡 didn't speak, just tilted her head a little and stepped in close. she traced one of the tattoos on his arm, finger light like a whisper...when she finally looked up, slow and lazy, doe eyes glinting beneath her lashes--she kissed the corner of his mouth. once, twice--then pulled back. 𝒐𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢 smirked. ❛𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒔𝒐.❜ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ She doesn't speak-not out loud, not anymore. Zariah Hart's been quiet since the night she lost everything, and moving to The Palisade at Skyview Apartments was supposed to give her a fresh start. No expectations. No questions. Just peace. But peace gets complicated when a man like Omarion Jordan starts showing up in it. He's nothing like she expected. Tatted, quiet, with eyes that read people better than they speak. A mechanic with a past he doesn't explain-and a presence that says more than his mouth does. He doesn't ask about her silence. She doesn't flinch at his reputation. Somehow, that's enough. What starts as simple glances turns into shared space. What feels like comfort turns to something neither of them planned for. But Atlanta doesn't forget what people try to bury. And sometimes, the loudest truth is the one you never say out loud. 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐃: 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝙎𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙖 𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙙, 𝙨𝙤 𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙚, 𝙎𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙗𝙚𝙡, 𝙨𝙤 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗲, 𝙎𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝙣𝙚𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙚, 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚, 𝙨𝙤 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙞𝙢. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙞𝙢? Their personalities, actions, thinking, and so forth are strikingly similar plus they both had a crappy past. You've probably heard stories about how a good girl falls in love with a bad boy or vice versa. However, in this scenario, despite the fact that they were never supposed to be together, they were asked or, more accurately, told to stay away from each other. He had also been informed that "𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐑𝐒𝐄." It's definitely not a story of a King and his Queen, it's a story of a King and his Knight. And how two people find their way to each other. --- He smirked "Are you trying to seduce me, knight?" he started to play along, he tugged a strand of my hair behind my ear and his thumb caressing my cheek. While his delated orbs never left mine. But I'm not gonna let you win, Ryan, and I'll make sure of it. "Do you want me to seduce you, King?" I seductively remarked raising a brow. He slightly laughed "you can't seduce me, knight" attitude dripping from his voice. I smirked and replied "I'm gonna take that as a challenge" my fingers trailed down to his lips and stopped at his lower lip. "Sure, you have a whole night for it" he smirked. --- IT'S NOT A MAFIA BOOK