I came back to write a song.

Not to fall for five country stars who make me forget every promise I’ve made.

After a brutal breakup with a powerful music producer who thought he owned everything—including me—I swore I’d never lose myself for a man again.

Then my label sent me back to my hometown…

To a ranch.

To him.

Ryder—my childhood crush, my one unforgettable night, my unfinished business.

Now he’s brooding, beautiful, and very much taken.

Off-limits. Off the table.

But the heat between us still simmers… and the tension is getting harder to ignore.

And he’s not the only one stirring something reckless inside me.

The rest of his band?

Rough. Talented. Magnetic in completely different ways.

And far too tempting to resist.

They flirt like they mean it.

Touch like they’ve already imagined more.

And somehow, each one pulls me deeper—until the idea of choosing feels impossible.

I swore I was here for the music.

But every glance, every brush of skin, every late-night lyric session blurs the line between collaboration and craving.

He has a girlfriend.

I have a life waiting in the city.

And I was never supposed to want any of them—

let alone all five.

So why does this feel like the chorus I never want to end?

Veronica James

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