Ava Reed

Aurora Crestwood has been in love with her best friend Liam for ten years. Ten years of being his shoulder to cry on, his late-night phone call, his emotional support through every breakup. Ten years of watching him chase the same toxic woman who keeps breaking his heart.

When Selena Beaumont announces her engagement to someone else, Aurora thinks she's finally free. But Liam has other plans. He wants to crash the wedding, make one last desperate play for the woman who's never truly wanted him. And he wants Aurora to help him do it.

Against her better judgment, she agrees. What she doesn't expect is to meet Kian Vance.

Liam's estranged brother is everything Liam isn't—dangerous, direct, and completely uninterested in playing games. He's also friends with the groom, which makes him the biggest threat to their sabotage plan. But when Kian looks at Aurora, he doesn't see Liam's reliable best friend. He sees a woman who's been hiding her true self for far too long.

"I'm going to steal her from you," Kian tells his brother with cold certainty.

When Kian proposes a wager—if the wedding falls apart, Aurora belongs to him—she should walk away. She should focus on helping Liam win the woman he's obsessed with. She should stick to being the good girl she's always been.

Instead, she shakes hands with the devil himself.

Now Aurora is caught between two brothers, a wedding that might not happen, and a dangerous man who sees right through her carefully constructed walls. Kian promises to show her what it means to be truly wanted, but his interest comes with a price.

As the wedding weekend spirals toward chaos, Aurora must decide: will she keep playing it safe, or will she finally embrace the fire she's been hiding?


Claimed By The Wrong Brother

The rehearsal dinner felt like a stage for a drama I didn't audition for.


I sat beside Liam at a table adorned with white roses and twinkling candles. The restaurant's elegant lighting cast a soft glow over the polished silverware. Selena and Julian occupied the central table across the room, surrounded by their closest friends and family members.


My new red dress hugged my curves, the silk fabric smooth against my skin. The diamond necklace Kian had sent me felt heavy, like a brand marking me as his. I couldn't stop touching it.


"You're not listening to me," Liam said, leaning closer.


"Sorry, what were you saying?" I forced myself to focus on him.


"I asked if you wanted more wine." His eyes narrowed. "But you're distracted."


I wasn't just distracted—I was drowning in awareness of Kian's presence. He stood across the room, champagne glass in hand, his dark gaze finding me every few minutes. Each time our eyes met, heat pooled low in my belly.


A Brother's Provocation