Never fall in love with a sports star. That's what my stepfather always said. He told me athletes are complicated and moody - that the higher their paycheck, the lower their morals. As public relations for the New York Stingers, I know exactly what he means, but I can’t seem to say no to a friendship with one beautiful, damaged man. What started out as hate turned into something else. We tried to stay away, to keep our distance, but the pull was too strong.

Becoming a teen mom at 16 was not what I expected, but then again, neither was being a single parent. Still, I wouldn't change my past because that boy is my world. Hockey is the only thing my son seems to care about, so I work two jobs to make sure he can play. I'd do anything to make sure he doesn't suffer because of the bad decisions his father made. When he won a whole summer of hockey training, I knew in my heart he was going to have an amazing time.

They called me the pretty boy on and off the ice. Hockey’s most eligible bachelor. When my teammate asked me to donate one date to his charity, I figured why not. Worst case, I’d spend the night with a fan. Best-case scenario, she would be hot. What I wasn’t expecting was for my dream girl to be the highest bidder. For years, she brushed me off, and now, I finally had a chance to take her out and show her who I really was. With only one shot at this, I really hoped I didn’t mess it up. 

Bella: Meeting him was a fluke. Dating him was a mistake. Watching him become a drug addict put me through hell. Running was my only option. Jackson: I'm running from my demons and when I find out she's trying to escape her past, I know what I have to do. One broken cop. One woman fighting for her life. A fragile love. Sinister secrets that threaten to tear them apart. They've been to hell. The hard part will be finding their way back together.

Being an entertainment journalist was the last thing I thought I would be doing. I thought once I got my degree, I would be reporting on stories that made a difference, but now all I do is report on who broke up with who and who is dating who. I was over it. Then I got my next assignment. He’s Hollywood’s bad boy.

I fell in love with him when I was seven. I scraped my knee, and he helped carry me inside. Our love story was the talk of the town until a woman told everyone she was pregnant with his baby. The only rational solution was to high-tail it out of town and never come back. My best friend needed a place to hide, and you can’t get much more covert than my family farm, so I came back. For her. It was supposed to be temporary, and I wasn’t supposed to see him, but that’s what happens when you live in a small town where everyone knows each other. 

It was supposed to be the best day of my life. But the second I got up, things started to fall apart. The kitchen just caught on fire. Flowers were from a funeral. My bride-to-be just had an allergic reaction, leaving by ambulance. Oh, and my ex-girlfriend just walked into the church. They say you have to see the signs when they are right in front of you. Maybe she was just mine to have.

CrystalI was the strong one, they said, until two words brought me to my knees. It was a secret I didn't share with anyone, a secret that made me promise I'd never fall in love. I no longer wanted that white picket fence of every woman's dreams. But then the unthinkable happened. GabeI thought I had it all with the best medical practice in the state and the woman of my dreams. I wore a smile on my face every single day. I couldn't wait to watch her walk down the aisle and start our forever, except she never did. My runaway bride made me realize love isn't worth it.

Hockey star Max Yearwood was everything I needed at the time - fun, sexy, up for anything, and only around for a few months, since he’d signed with a new team 3,000 miles away. Max proposed we spend the summer helping me forget my ex. It sounded like a good plan. Things couldn’t get too serious when we had an expiration date. Right? Though, you know what they say about the best-laid plans. 

Lucky. The one adjective used to describe my entire hockey career. I prefer to call it hard work - at least I did until my game went to complete crap. I haven’t scored in eight games, and the team owner is talking about trading me. I’ve never believed in superstitions. Never needed one. I suppose I was “lucky” in that way. But now the best way to refer to me is desperate. I’d wear the same socks for an entire year just to be the high-scoring center I used to be. Imagine my surprise when after spending New Year’s Eve with a woman, I score a hat trick in the next game.

Things that suck on my wedding day - walking in on my groom kissing another woman 20 minutes before the ceremony. Things that suck worse? The woman he’s kissing is my mom. I head straight for the bowling alley bar down the street and ask for a double. And in walks a deliciously charming local football hero - Harlan Taylor. Yes, I’ll take another drink in the form of a one-night stand with this hunk of a man. In the morning, he asks if I want to get together again. More rebound nookie? Yes please!

Sometimes I need an escape from the demands, the puck bunnies, and the notoriety that come with being an NHL team captain. I just want to be a normal guy for a few weeks. So when I leave Chicago for some peace and quiet, the last thing I expect is for a gorgeous woman to literally fall into my lap on a flight to Alaska. Even better, she has absolutely no idea who I am.

She's about to make a deal with the college bad boy.... Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she's carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush's attention, she'll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice, even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.

Chloe Cahill's dreams changed after becoming pregnant in high school. She married her high school sweetheart just after graduation, and together they welcomed a handsome son into the world. Now that Alex, her son, is in school, she sets her eyes on finding the perfect job. Chloe feels the need to grow dependent upon herself instead of always relying on her husband. But what happens when her husband goes out for a night of drinking and he doesn't remember what happens?

He's a billionaire heir. A grump supreme. Hater of people. Bigger hater of peopling with people. And my new fake boyfriend. "Emotionally unavailable" doesn’t even begin to describe Hayes Rutherford. He has more defenses than a nuclear missile silo. And he’s the ultimate catch of the century. At least, according to his bank statement. My job’s simple: Keep all interested ladies away from the walled-off heir, by pretending to be his one true love. But you know what they say about fake-dating a billionaire: It’s all fun and games, until the scandals start.