Who Are The Main Characters In X'S And O'S?

I didn’t come to Westbridge High to make enemies. I came to survive. New school. New city. Just me and my best friend, Joe, trying not to get crushed by a place ruled by rich athletes and their unspoken rules. That plan lasted exactly one day. Because Joe got targeted. And I made the mistake of stepping in. Now, I’m caught between the two most dangerous boys at Westbridge: Jay Vale the untouchable hockey captain who looks at everyone like they don’t matter. Liam Knox the former best friend who used to stand beside him... until a bitter confession broke them apart. Jay says he wants to help me. He offers to tutor me, to protect me. But the way he watches me doesn't feel like kindness. It feels like obsession. Liam notices. And suddenly, I’m the prize in a war between two rivals ready to destroy each other. At Westbridge High, hockey isn’t the most dangerous game. Love is. And boys like Jay and Liam? They don’t play fair.

I’m Oliver Lance. Yes, the Oliver Lance. The one that all men want to be and all women want to be with. Every Sunday a million fans watch me throw a ball down a field, win games, and sign huge endorsement deals. Everything was going perfectly, until a car accident tore it all away from me. I want it back, and only she can help me. At first, I think about ‘Doc’ Elsie the same way I think of every other woman. Just another possible conquest, another notch on my bedpost. Only Elsie is different. She’s not starstruck by me. She’s not interested in my money. She’s the most real woman I’ve ever met, and those tempting curves are making it hard to stay focused on my recovery. Now, I’ll do anything to keep her by my side. I’ll defy my manager, my coach, even lay down my career as quarterback to stay with her. It’s third and long, and I’m gonna make my play Hard and Deep. From New York Times bestselling author Krista Lakes comes this sexy story of sports romance!

Sports journalism student Iris Bennett’s life unravels when she catches her famous hockey-star boyfriend, Mason Hart, kissing another woman after a championship victory. A video capturing her reaction goes viral, turning her heartbreak into a nationwide spectacle. After refusing to reconcile with Mason, Iris suddenly loses the scholarship that has funded her education for years. Convinced the decision is connected to Mason’s powerful father, she takes on multiple jobs to stay enrolled, including an internship with the rival university’s hockey media department. Things become even more complicated when Mercer Athletics offers her a modeling contract. The company’s most recognizable ambassador is Dean Mercer, captain of the rival hockey team and heir to one of the most influential sports dynasties in the country. As Iris and Dean are repeatedly thrown together through work and hockey-related commitments, a cautious friendship begins to form. Over time, that friendship grows into something deeper. While Iris fights to rebuild her reputation and uncover the truth behind her scholarship revocation, Dean struggles under mounting pressure from his father to embrace a future that no longer feels entirely his own. When long-standing tensions between the Hart and Mercer families resurface, Iris and Dean find themselves caught in a battle fueled by money, influence, loyalty, and public image. Together, they must decide whether love is worth the risk of standing up to the powerful people determined to shape their futures for them.

The Jock: Paris Holmes, also known as Hermes. The most popular boy in all of Wystwood High who everyone hates to love. Pros: is an exceptional basketball player, but one of the top ranking students with excellent grades and a pretty face to top it. His Con? He's a narcissist with homophobic tendencies and seems to think everyone is beneath him. The Nerd: Alex Parker, also known as A. She once was the most popular girl in school when she was a freshman but suddenly stayed away from them, focusing only on her studies and herself. Pros: She knows everything about everyone. Is the go-to girl when you need some help with your assignments. She could also pretend to be your girlfriend if you ask and pay well. Cons: Most of the people who claim to have spoken to her once, seem terrified of talking about her again. The Geek: Marcos Gomez, also known as Eros. The most beautiful femboy in Wystwood and every boy and girls dream, even though he doesn't think he's as pretty as they seem to think. Pros: He's soft as a teddy bear, smells like cookies and is the most obedient puppy you'd ever meet. Is good with computers and you can help find out anything you need. Is the perfect person when you want a makeover. Cons: Too good. ~ One day, Paris Holmes walked in on a session between Marcos and Alex and found himself hooked to the girl, even though she already has a boyfriend. But is affection really genuine? Would Alex, who is proceeding with caution fall for him? Or would Marcos fight for what belongs to him? The three most important figures in Wystwood now playing a game with each other. What could possibly go wrong?

This novel contains explicit sexual content and depictions of violence. Reader discretion is strongly advised. **************** College rugby star Andre Williams only has one rule: win at any cost. It is how he stays the golden boy, how he keeps the Bay Tigers on top, and how he keeps his life clean enough to survive the season. Then Richard O’Reilly arrives. No one seems to know where he has come from, only that he is too good, too calm, and too threatening to Andre, who until now has always been the one on top. Richard is not just talented at rugby, he is mysterious and hard to read. He keeps his past sealed up tight because he is hiding something that could blow his life apart. Andre has built his whole life on control. The first time Richard appears, Andre realizes control is not as solid as he thought, and it could slip. It starts as a cutthroat rivalry. Then it turns into obsession. And the obsession grows into a hunger neither of them can explain or control. Rough Play is a slow-burn sports romance about two enemies, one brutal rivalry, and the kind of tension that does not stay on the field.

Liam Carter gave up the game years ago—along with the risks, the spotlight, and the chaos that came with it. Now, as the head coach of a rising football team, control is his currency. Discipline. Distance. And it works… until Noah Hayes shows up. Young, gifted, and reckless, Noah plays with fire—on and off the pitch. He’s a rising star who doesn’t follow rules, especially not the invisible ones. When he starts pushing at the lines Liam draws, the tension turns electric. Liam tells himself it’s nothing. Just heat. A test. A phase. But every lingering glance, every after-practice moment, chips away at the lie. And when desire threatens to upend everything, Liam has to choose: protect the life he’s built—or risk it all for the one person he shouldn’t want. A forbidden connection. A dangerous attraction. A love that could cost them everything.