That was the night they broke all the rules…Lucky Shot is a free short story. Enjoy it as is, or go on to read the rest of Bess & Tank’s second chance love story in Sure Shot.

    It’s why I don’t date. I don’t need complications. When Zoe crashes her car, she needs help. She’s quirky, independent, hot as sin, and wants to be friends. For the first time in my life, I want more, but when I realize she’s my neighbor...well, that’s one hell of a complication! ZOE CURTISJaxon Parker is huge, he’s hot, and he’s out of my league. His nickname is the Beast and with his fame and talent, he could easily be an a$$hole. Except he isn’t. He’s helpful, kind, fun, and wants to be more than just friends, but I can’t get involved with a man who can leave anytime. When he asks me to be his date for a work function, a Halloween Ball, I can’t refuse the favor. One week in a lakeside resort with my friend will be fun, and nothing has to change. After all, he’s booked two separate rooms, how hard can it be? This October, twenty-four of your favorite contemporary romance authors are bringing you a month filled with sexy-spooky Halloween steam. Get ready for over-the-top love stories sure to set your spine — and other parts *wink* — tingling. Brew some cider, grab your favorite blanket, and snuggle up with these hot shorts. The Halloween Steam series is sure keep you warm and cozy all autumn long.

    But even they have their challenges, mostly outside of the bedroom. With the off-season coming to a close and the boys gearing up for training camp, one more weekend of fun is the perfect way to welcome the new season. The entire crew piles into vehicles and drives to Alex and Violet’s Chicago cottage for a few days of relaxation—and hopefully a chance for Randy to shake the anxiety that’s been plaguing him. Accidental wardrobe malfunctions, typical Violet inspired overshares, and a whole lot of private time round out the perfect weekend getaway.But the moment they return to the city all of Randy’s angst resurfaces with the arrival of a surprise houseguest.

    . .Owen McConnell is used to being ignored. After all, it's only when he appears as the Colorado Avalanche's team mascot that he gets all the attention. When the costume is off, women tend to gravitate toward his famous hockey player friends. But after he meets lovely, damaged Paige Adams, he knows he can be the star player for her. She's raising funds for the hospital burn unit, and Owen's determined to help her out---and sweep her off her feet.The burn unit has been near and dear to Paige's heart ever since the doctors helped her after a vicious attack. Yet the scars---both emotional and physical---haven't faded as much as she'd hoped. She's closed herself off from relationships, and the thought of opening up is terrifying. But Owen's sexy charm might be just the push Paige needs to start loving again.

    I caught my husband, my high-school sweetheart, the father of my children, balls deep in a sordid affair. That was when I gave up on men and love. I didn’t count on the NHL’s golden boy, the beautiful, arrogant Cooper Stone turning my life and my hockey rink upside down. My kids are why I wake up in the morning. Hockey is what Cooper breathes for. We’re from different worlds and places in our lives but when our hearts collided something so wrong and different turned into something so right.

    /jook-t/A slang soccer term meaning: faked out, deceived, confused your opponentSee examples Daniel Zavaro and Quincy Watson:As the rising star in Houston, Daniel has found fame as Captain of his Pro soccer team and the city’s most eligible bachelor. Daniel has everything – except someone special – and that suits him just fine. He doesn’t want, or need, complications.Quincy has baggage, and lots of it. After a tragic accident spins her world on its axis, she finds herself as a single mother, raising a newborn nephew she never knew she had. Between parenthood, her full-time job, and dealing with the suffocating grief of losing her sister, every day is a struggle. When they begin to cross paths unexpectedly and often, an unlikely friendship starts to evolve. Feelings change. Lines get crossed. What happens next surprises them both...Before they know it-- they’ve been Juked.

    However, all that everyone is talking about and wants to know is if this will be the year he retires and says goodbye to the game he loves.But as he contemplates his future, he’s dealt with another upset involving his longtime on-again, off-again girlfriend who will no longer compete with football. When he receives a letter alerting him of her imminent departure, he is forced to reexamine his life and the choices he has made.He’s about to play in the biggest and possibly last game of his life, but first, he has two weeks to try and stop his one true love from leaving him forever and prove to her that she is the one that has his true heart.

    There’s just one little thing...Tara’s a virgin and Zach’s definitely an all-around player.  Can a nerd girl and a jock win this game? WARNING: includes steamy good times, lots of wizard jokes, some serious football action and (obviously!) an HEA.

    And he’s in the perfect position to grant second chances like he’s Santa Claus—even if he never gives himself one. When his friends take matters into their own hands, Jim might just get the holiday surprise of a lifetime.Elaine Sutter is finally ready to forgive her ex-husband for his past transgressions and find a future with him again. So when she discovers his online dating profile, she sets up a secret meeting with the only man she’s really ever loved. Her only goal this holiday season is to stuff Jim’s stocking with a Santa-sized dose of forgiveness and a sleigh full of love. After all, a bit of mistletoe could wipe out all of Jim’s previous misconduct and pave the way for a little fun under that holiday sprig.

    A homebody to the extreme. All it took was one night out for my hermit lifestyle to tailspin into one with a professional hockey player kissing me on my doorstep in a Wednesday Addams costume.I wanted us to be friends, so I became the girl friend—with a space, as he likes to say. Just friends is a tried and true failure. I’ve fallen for a hockey player, and I don’t even like hockey.Brooks I’ve had a lot of random hookups because of my status, but never one made by my dad pimping me out to fans in the crowd at my game. And she rejected me.My hockey career is my only ambition. I don’t date women because, eventually, they always want more. When I think of the future, it’s about career goals,breaking records, and how many trophies I will hold above my head. Now I’m the one who can’t stay away. Out of all the Labelle men, I never expected to be the first to fall.

    Done or accomplished in a critical situation, dependable in crucial situations. The Ultimate Fan Experience, I won it. Would I say that I am? No, I just got lucky at an event and now I get to spend the day with one of the San Diego Hornets players, Gunnar “The Gun” Reynolds. The overly gorgeous catcher for the team! The known playboy and all-American good guy. I’ll act indifferent. I’m not really that huge of a baseball fan after all. Who am I kidding, I’m a sucker and he ducked me right in. However, the media is spreading lies and Gunnar seems to care less – or does he? When rumors leak out about a trade, Gunnar and Sawyer must make some heavy decisions. Will they stay together or go their separate ways? Can they overcome what the tabloids say? You met Gunnar and Sawyer in the short story in Rounding Third, A Baseball Anthology. The story that you may have previously read is new and improved and come find out what happens between Gunnar and Sawyer four years later.

    Tall, Dark and Douchey is causing me all kinds of problems... Working 3 jobs while at college and struggling to maintain my GPA, I crashed pretty hard. The result. I’m being punished and I have to share a room with the biggest name and hearth-throb on campus. The trouble: • He’s the burning hot, bad-boy superstar of the football team • Biggest sports star on campus and even bigger jerk • Sexy as hell My only problem, I’m a SUCKER for a bad boy and damn if his dominant attitude isn’t skin tingling. And now he sleeps on a bed only a few feet from mine! One game day with him and my life changes forever. Will I be able to make it through this semester with my GPA and dignity intact?…

    I’m the homerun king on the field... and off. With a glitzy life full of parties, money, and beautiful women, settling down was the farthest thing from my mind... until I met her. Fiery redhead, Addie, has the kind of luscious curves that turn my thoughts to a line drive up the middle. But every charming pitch I throw at the single mom is a swing and a miss. I soon learn Addison’s son is critically ill and she is willing to make any sacrifice necessary to ensure he gets the best possible care. Our lives are as different as the major leagues versus the minors. Still, this is the one woman I would slide into home for. I was riding the bench of life before her, not really part of the game. Now, I’m stepping up to the plate and I’m ready. Two strikes and the bases are loaded. I refuse to strike out at the challenge of our forever.

     That’s all this was supposed to be. I came to Sin City with my best friend to celebrate my much-needed divorce. For once, I want to be the one with no care about tomorrow. That’s when he catches my eye. I watch as he works the room, and the women in it. He’s everything I hate in a man, but the epitome of what we all want. Sexy. Confident to a fault, and a smirk that will melt your panties. He’s everything my ex-husband is. As our eyes meet, I decide to give him a dose of his own medicine, show him how it feels to be used. Tonight, I’ll be the woman everyone stares at when she enters the room. The one I am in the boardroom, who takes no prisoners. I’ll be the one to bring him to his knees and leave him just as fast. I’ll be that woman. For One Night

     But all that changes the minute Rachel Perry runs into him in the most unlikely of places, right outside the men's bathroom. Vibrant and enchanting, she captures his attention, making it impossible for him to walk away without scoring her number. Their connection is immediate, their attraction palpable, and their relationship undeniable. But Rachel isn't the only girl in Calder's life which scares him, because Calder's daughter already lost her mother. He doesn't want Shea to lose someone close to her again, making Rachel's task of breaking through Calder's wall that much more difficult.