It started with a crush. The best stories always do. Our story sounds predictable, short-lived, and destined for failure. Lincoln Beckett is the star wide receiver at Brighton University—smart, funny, and, like many would guess, heartbreak shines in his dark eyes and is etched across his jaw. He's popular, a guaranteed draft pick, and, worst of all, my brother's best friend. I tried not to like him. I have an entire list of reasons. Reasons that have become my rules for dating. Rules that Lincoln continues bending.

The headline says it all, and my bosses are over the moon when the opportunity of a lifetime lands in my lap. Of course, they aren’t aware that I’ve already met Vince Cool at an all-star gala—and that we were at each other’s throats the entire time.

Knox Maguire is the king of our college campus, the star offensive tight end on the football team. He is the complete opposite of me in every way. I'm quiet. He's loud. I'm shy. He's definitely not. Everyone loves him. No one knows me. Fresh out of a breakup, I don't really trust him, and why should I? Knox is the ultimate player. When I become his English tutor, I tell myself we need to keep things between us strictly business. Watching my mother deal with my ex-athlete father long ago taught me to stay far away from that type of man. Yet Knox is impossible to resist.

I never wanted a wife. No one is safe with me. No one is good enough for my daughter. But if I want to rule over the wealthiest crime family in New York City, I only have two weeks to find one. When Elsie broke into my home, I saw an opportunity, so I forced her into a marriage she didn't want. No one crosses me, not even someone as beautiful as Elsie. She may fight me with that smart mouth, but she will obey me–or return to the hell she came from. I told her she was mine for a year. Then she'd be free.

In the high-pressure world of varsity hockey at Wittmore U, being the team intern means more than overseeing grueling workouts and injuries. It's the colossal egos of the players that truly test my patience. Even if they did see me as something more than another locker room fixture created to tend to their bodies, my boss has made one thing clear:

Pine River was supposed to be a new start for me. And it was, especially attending school with my three overprotective cousins, who were the triplets at the top of the social hierarchy. Except they weren’t alone there, and the first day when I came to school, I saw him. Scout Raiden. Tall. Lean. Tattooed. Mesmerizing. He was a golden god with dark and piercing eyes—looking like he wanted to eat me up. The feeling was mutual, and that was a problem.

Charming. Devastatingly handsome. Ridiculously rich. Kristoff Baldwin came without warning. He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, and before I could even realize the impact he was making, I was too far gone, despite knowing the consequences of falling. A future together was the impossible dream. My past haunted me and even he had ghosts of his own. Then everything changed when his past came after me and my daughters.

I have a type. I love the good guy. Responsible and stable. Safe. So when a beer-drinking, quick-witted, tattooed hockey player asks me to tutor him, I'm suddenly thrust into the world of bad boys and bad decisions. Jordan is a renowned player on campus. He doesn’t take anything seriously, except hockey and partying. But he gives me butterflies. I’m a wallflower tutoring Valley University’s hottest player.

My entire life changed in an instant. One violent moment took my mother and destroyed me. I can't even remember it. All I know is…it was my fault. Now I'm entering senior year after hiding away from the world for as long as I could. The only distraction I have from the heavy weight of my scars is my best friend, Graham. He's been my rock through it all. When his cousin Atlas appears, my world suddenly tilts on its already unsteady axis. Everyone warns me to stay away from the star football player with a bad boy reputation and a chip on his shoulder.

From a young age, the only thing in life I've ever taken seriously is hockey. I'm not the guy anyone—besides family and teammates—can count on. This is all true. At least, until a certain curly-haired, blue-eyed goddess comes to me looking for an easy hookup. And hook her up I do. But what's supposed to be a one-night stand doesn't stop at one night. What's meant to be easy sure as hell gets complicated fast. It becomes clear that Addison LaConte is just as much my savior as she is my demise.

Dancing on bar tops means the night is going great. Exiting the bar hauled over the shoulder of Heston University's infamous hockey captain? Not my idea of a good time. But my would-be knight would have to do. I needed an escape route from my brother… his biggest rival. Easton Blake is the perfect reminder of why I avoid hockey players. Cocky. Frustratingly sexy. Accustomed to every girl in his orbit falling for his charm. With his sultry smile that tells me he knows all the ways to make girls come undone with his touch, I'm almost the next score on his stats.

Hockey with benefits. That was what Mara proposed, and I was down. She said no feelings, and she meant it. Just benefits. No strings attached. Nothing else. Not even friendship. College was her escape, including us. I didn't have time for a girlfriend. I had classes, the team, my family, and the game. It was all working too.... Until somewhere down the line, things got messy. Until somehow we were dealing with threats, secrets, rivals, and so much more. Until I began to want her in ways that weren't part of the deal. Our agreement didn't just get checked into the wall, it got obliterated.

If Renn Brewer would’ve asked me to marry him, I would’ve said no. Why? One, his reputation precedes him. His name is in the headlines at least once a month. Two, he’s not just my brother’s best friend. They’re teammates. And three, I’m in my self-care era. Unfortunately, a version of me equates self-care with bad choices.

I had a foolproof plan. Finish college playing the best sport on earth. Hockey. Get drafted by an NHL team. Make my senator father at least a little proud of me. I was on track to do just that…until Violet Reece and I collided. Literally.

Bastian Bishop. That’s his name. He’s rough, rugged, and utterly unpredictable. He’s not cautious or contemplative. He’s a volcano. Silent and steady one second, and a nightmare in the next. But that’s not the worst of it. This guy? He’s an outsider, and in my world outsiders don’t belong.

It started with a crush. The best stories always do. Our story sounds predictable, short-lived, and destined for failure. Lincoln Beckett is the star wide receiver at Brighton University—smart, funny, and, like many would guess, heartbreak shines in his dark eyes and is etched across his jaw. He's popular, a guaranteed draft pick, and, worst of all, my brother's best friend. I tried not to like him. I have an entire list of reasons. Reasons that have become my rules for dating. Rules that Lincoln continues bending.

I am done with hockey boys. Well, at least done dating them. I can't cut them out of my life completely. Needing a fresh start after heartbreak, I moved halfway across the country. A one-night stand seemed like the perfect palate cleanser before I began my new life. That was until I saw those striking green eyes staring back at me from the podium on my first day as a reporter for the Indy Speed hockey team. I've done some stupid things, but unknowingly sleeping with Maddox freaking Sterling lands at the top of the list.

Before my junior year at Lincoln University, I promised myself three things. Just three. One: Actually dig into the whole sorority girl bit. Two: Stay away from athletes. Three: Seriously, stay away from athletes. When Professor Taylor posted our chem midterm partners, and I got stuck with the captain of Lincoln's Ice Hockey team, I was sure I'd be able to abide by rules two and three. After all, I was immune to Leo's whole "hottest guy on campus" thing. I grew up with him—my brother's best friend... Who I've been obsessed with since I was eight. F me.

Getting Skylar to give me a second chance isn't going to be easy. Good thing I play to win. But what if our past isn't the only thing standing in the way? Second Chance Player kicks off a brand new series from bestselling author R.C. Stephens. Get ready for an adorable five-year-old boy, a hockey player with a broken heart, and a strong heroine who has learned to beat the odds. There is no cheating and a guaranteed HEA because they are soul mates.

I walked away from Quinn three years ago. It was the biggest mistake of my life. I had my reasons, and I thought it was best to let him go. I am too much. But even knowing that, I still crave him. I still miss him. I need him. I love him. But while I've been building an empire he's supposed to be a part of—and pining after him—he's off getting engaged. To someone who isn't me. He thinks I'm going to allow him to marry someone else? Not a chance.

Whit Lancaster burst into my life like a storm. Dark and thunderous, furious and fierce. Cold, heartless, and devastatingly beautiful, like the statues in our prep school gardens. The school with his family name on the sign. He can do no wrong here. This is his domain. He’s a menace on campus. Adored and feared. Hated and respected. His taunting words carve into my skin, shredding me to ribbons. Yet his intense gaze scorches my blood, fills me with a longing I don’t understand.

Fate takes a slap shot at Emma's heart when she finds a driver's license outside a grocery store belonging to none other than Tyler Bowen: the center for her brother's hockey team with looks that scream "plenty of scoring off the ice". Her overprotective brother warns her to stay away, but after a particularly patronizing comment, Emma decides to break free from the defense. Sean has always tried to control her relationships, and at 29, she's had enough.

In a single soul-destroying moment, I discover my husband has an entire other family. And while there are two great men ready to help me heal my broken heart, it's almost impossible to choose which one is the best man for the job: the handsome police detective, or my too-sexy-for-his-own-good teaching assistant.

Devin Walker. He was my new neighbor, and the hottest defensive lineman Covey U had to offer, and I had no idea. Too bad we were in some kind of prank war that meant we had to keep everything a secret from my new roommates.

She's the definition of don’t even think about it. Look up off-limits in the dictionary, and not only is her name there—it’s underlined, bolded, and signed by her dad. And yet, here I am. Kissing my coach’s daughter against a wall where anyone could see us. Easily the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. Starting a fight on the ice? Sure. Taking a slapshot to the ribs and playing through it? Not my brightest moment. But this? It’s the kind of mistake that could end me. And the craziest part? I’d do it again. Because if Sophie Novak is a mistake… She’s the only one I ever want to make.

I let her slip through my fingers—No, that's a lie. I was reckless and pushed her away. I was never supposed to fall for her . . . my tutor, my best friend. My fantasy. I tried to stay away. I failed. Then we graduated and everything changed. All I needed was a step back, a moment to breathe. But by the time I came up for air, she was in the arms of another man. Four years later, everything is different. And when I see her again, I remember why I should have never let her go in the first place.

He’s had his eye on Kat for a while now, and has been waiting for her to come to him. But he’s had enough of waiting. He’s decided it’s time to make her his.

Charlie Hudson is just trying to survive junior year, navigating the halls of school and the chaos of parties like a ghost. But her world is about to become seriously transformed―like world shifting altered―when a classmate mysteriously disappears into the forest, leaving only a pair of shoes and strange symbols carved into a tree. Drawn to the disappearances by forces she can’t explain, she finds herself investigating the mysterious, alluring newcomer in town, Elias Everhart. With piercing eyes and sharp wit, he dances around her questions, only intriguing her further.

Eriu Quinn is off-limits. Too young. Too innocent. And far too forbidden. Her father is the head of the Irish Mob. And I'm just her bodyguard tasked to keep her safe. She's my job, but she's also a maddening temptation. One I need to stay away from. But I underestimate that feisty little spitfire. She creeps under my skin. Pushes all of my buttons. Until I unravel...

Raise your hand if you’ve ever done this. Written a racy message and sent it to—oops—the wrong person. Yeah, me too. Except, I sent my latest Tales of a Naughty Virgin column detailing my fantasies about my hot, charming, thoroughly bangable next-door-neighbor to…my entire company. Did I mention I’m a children’s book editor? Well, I was. *Facepalm.* At least the column goes viral, but I’m still the gal who gets fired for her not-safe-for-work thoughts about the so-called “Mister Sexy Pants”.