Grace Walsh has a plan for sophomore year: excel at artistic swimming, ignore the frat boys, and stay under her overbearing mother's radar. She doesn't do drama. She definitely doesn't do "bets." But when hockey star Wyatt Jacobs pulls her aside to reveal his fraternity's latest degrading wager—with her as the prize—Grace decides to fight back. Her strategy? A fake relationship with Wyatt. It's tactical. It's temporary. It's the perfect way to burn their game to the ground. Except Wyatt isn't what Grace expected. He listens. He remembers. He asks permission before every touch. And when he looks at her like she's the only girl in the world, Grace starts to wonder if this is still pretend.

Wyatt Jacobs has his future mapped out: hockey, the draft, and keeping his sports-obsessed father happy. He's not looking for a girlfriend. He never intended to be Grace's knight in shining armor—he just wanted to do the right thing. But Grace isn't a damsel in distress; she's a revelation. She's fierce, brilliant, and sees the man behind the jersey. Pretending to be her boyfriend should be easy. So why does every smile she gives him feel like the only thing that matters?

The Bet is a witty, heartfelt, and steamy college romance featuring "he falls first" energy, consent that's hotter than sin, and a love story about choosing yourself—and finally finding someone brave enough to choose you back.