Play for Keeps: Our Pact Was No Feelings. Then We Fell Hard.

By Vivian Reese Clarke

Star college basketball co-captains Sam Carter and Riley Hayes click on the court in a way everyone notices. It’s a problem. In a sport that still side-eyes women who love women, they lock in a pact to protect their futures: keep it professional. No touching. No lingering looks. No feelings.

Then come the late nights. An empty gym. Sneakers squeaking, lights buzzing overhead. What starts as extra reps turns into brushes of skin and long pauses that say too much. The rules fray. Kisses break them clean in half.

Rumors start to circle. Anonymous messages hit harder than elbows. Sam and Riley face the fears they’ve tried to outrun losing their spots, their team, each other. Every choice feels like a gamble with the season on the line.

In a world quick to judge, desire raises the stakes.

When everything’s on the line, do they play it safe or play for keeps?

***

Their journey belongs to Breaking the Rules, where tension sparks, passion deepens, and every ending is worth the risk.

Twelve women. Twelve forbidden desires. One series you won’t forget.

Breaking the Rules brings together bold standalone lesbian romances where tension sharpens, passion burns, and vulnerability finds its voice. Rival athletes. Watchful bodyguards. Former lovers. Surprising new sparks. Each story dives into love that pushes boundaries and heat that refuses to fade.

Perfect for readers who want strong women, layered emotions, and slow-building fire that ends in something real.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Velvet Ink Press
• Release date: Dec 19, 2025

Book preview

Play for Keeps

Vivian Reese Clarke

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Play for Keeps

Our Pact Was No Feelings. Then We Fell Hard.

Breaking the Rules: FF Steamy Romance Series

Vivian Reese Clarke

Copyright © 2025 by Vivian Reese Clarke

All rights reserved. This book, including all individual stories and original content, is protected under international copyright law. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, distributed, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission from the author, except for brief excerpts used in reviews or academic commentary, which must be properly credited.

Fiction Disclaimer:

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

Creative Tools Notice:

Some aspects of this book including cover artwork, illustrations, or other visual and creative elements were developed with the assistance of licensed generative technologies under appropriate commercial-use terms. These elements are original compositions intended solely for this publication.

Thank you for reading this book. I hope you enjoy every page inside.

Table of Contents

Play for Keeps

Description

Chapter 1: The Pact

Chapter 2: Late-Night Sparks

Chapter 3: Breaking Boundaries

Chapter 4: Hidden Risks

Chapter 5: All or Nothing

Chapter 6: Claiming Victory

Epilogue: Years later

Play for Keeps

Description

Star college basketball co-captains Sam Carter and Riley Hayes click on the court in a way everyone notices. It’s a problem. In a sport that still side-eyes women who love women, they lock in a pact to protect their futures: keep it professional. No touching. No lingering looks. No feelings.

Then come the late nights. An empty gym. Sneakers squeaking, lights buzzing overhead. What starts as extra reps turns into brushes of skin and long pauses that say too much. The rules fray. Kisses break them clean in half.

Rumors start to circle. Anonymous messages hit harder than elbows. Sam and Riley face the fears they’ve tried to outrun losing their spots, their team, each other. Every choice feels like a gamble with the season on the line.

In a world quick to judge, desire raises the stakes.

When everything’s on the line, do they play it safe or play for keeps?

***

Their journey belongs to Breaking the Rules, where tension sparks, passion deepens, and every ending is worth the risk.

Twelve women. Twelve forbidden desires. One series you won’t forget.

Breaking the Rules brings together bold standalone lesbian romances where tension sharpens, passion burns, and vulnerability finds its voice. Rival athletes. Watchful bodyguards. Former lovers. Surprising new sparks. Each story dives into love that pushes boundaries and heat that refuses to fade.

Perfect for readers who want strong women, layered emotions, and slow-building fire that ends in something real.

Chapter 1: The Pact

Sam

The buzzer ripped through the arena like a gunshot,