Prologue
Riley Evans had three rules for surviving Los Angeles.
One: keep her little sister from turning every night into a headline-worthy disaster.
Two: stay focused on the cheer squad and not let anything, or anyone, mess with her shot at making it big.
Three: absolutely, under no circumstances, get tangled up with a football player. Let alone two.
Simple enough.
L.A. was supposed to be her fresh start. New city, new squad, new chance to shine. Pro cheerleading wasn’t just pom-poms and glitter; it was her ticket to bigger stages, brighter lights, maybe even the kind of dance career she’d dreamed about since she was a kid.
But life in Los Angeles came with two complications. One had her DNA. Charlie Evans was barely eighteen and already an expert at sneaking into parties, befriending all the wrong people, and dragging Riley’s reputation straight to TMZ. The other complication? Six foot three, devastatingly handsome, and leaning against a doorway like he owned it.
Landon Knox.
She’d seen him everywhere: on magazine covers, in highlight reels, and splashed across gossip blogs that loved cataloguing his every bad decision. The quarterback who couldn’t decide if he loved the game more than the fame. Gorgeous. Infamous. Trouble. And now… her brand-new teammate.
But fate had a twisted sense of humor, because where there was trouble, there was also temptation—the golden-boy kind. Ethan Cole, wide receiver, media darling, steady as they came. The kind of man mothers loved and agents trusted. The exact opposite of Landon Knox in every possible way.
Safe. Dependable. Exactly the kind of guy Riley should want.
But the heart had never been great at following rules. And between her sister’s chaos, Landon’s smirk, and Ethan’s too-perfect smile, Riley’s carefully drawn game plan didn’t stand a chance.
L.A. was supposed to be her big break.
Instead, it looked like she’d just stumbled straight into end zone trouble.
