Pretend Synonym

She swore she’d never touch a hockey stick again. Not after the boy she loved humiliated her on the ice in front of the whole school. But when Ryder Hayes, the new goalie with a criminal record, a reckless grin, and a habit of getting under her skin, asks her to pretend to be his girlfriend, she says yes… for one reason. He’ll help her win a scholarship that could change her life. The deal is simple: she teaches him how to handle the pressure of big games, and he pretends to be the perfect boyfriend in front of the cameras. But the closer they get, the harder it is to tell what’s fake and what’s not. And the more she learns about the secrets behind his smirk, the more dangerous this game becomes.

"I warned you, Lena. No man touches you except me. You're mine now, let that stick." That was his first warning. Delivered with a cold stare and a voice that didn't allow defiance. "Now, I'm going to fuck you till every other man looks like a woman to you." That was her punishment, and she couldn't even lie to herself about how much she enjoyed it. Abandoned by her father, Lena Anderson, whose dream was to become a surgeon, never planned to end up in a mafia-owned strip club. But when your sister is diagnosed with cancer and your mother can barely walk because of a stroke, you do all it takes to keep them alive. All it took was one night to change her entire life. She didn't plan on killing her first VIP client. But when he forced himself on her without permission, she made sure he never touched anyone again. It wasn't her intention, nor was it getting caught. But she was. Not by the police. By someone ruthless, Lucano Baricelli, her boss, heir to the Baricelli family. A mafia don. A man known to break bones before asking questions. He should have turned her in. Instead, he offered her a deal. Pretend to be his wife for five years so he could win his father's trust and take over the mafia empire. In return? He keeps her out of prison and makes sure she never lacks anything. She accepted. But there were rules. Never get pregnant. Never be caught with any man. Rules are made to be broken, so they say. Lena Anderson broke both, and it drove Lucano nuts.