Sports

Cash Ryatt is a distraction. It's no secret the bad boy race car driver has built a reputation from two things. Winning and fu-front-page headlines. I've read he's the best at both, but I have no intention of finding out firsthand. I have my own plans, and they don't include making the gossip sites as his next one-night stand. My three older brothers, his bosses, would never stand for it anyway. So, how did I find myself daydreaming about the one man I've been forbidden from dating? His mere proximity causes my heart to beat wildly in my chest.

I accidentally bid on a date with hockey star Rake Hanson, AKA Mr. Puck-Head, at a charity auction. Now I’m stuck with him. He’s the mascot for everything I resist in a guy–big, strong muscles, a perfectly chiseled jaw—and someone who'd rather workout than read a book. Not my kind of “prize.” While his grunts and one-word answers drive me up the wall, at least he’s nice to look at with those broad shoulders, strong glutes, and big… hands. Regardless, he’s a shameless grouch. If he ever smiles, his face will probably crack.

The only rule for being a hockey star's nanny: Look but don't touch. But sharing a bedroom wall... Means I can hear everything he is doing. And sooner or later, he might make me crack.

I met the love of my life at ten years old. At sixteen, I gave him my heart. Three years later he was drafted to the NHL and moved across the country. Five years after, he’s back. And he’s meeting his daughter for the first time. I still hate him. Even if my heart says that’s a lie.

Reese Dalton has a secret wife. On a day that was supposed to be pure joy—Violet's birthday and the reveal of my pregnancy—disaster comes knocking. And disaster brought RECEIPTS. In this case, disaster takes the form of a woman named Holly Wilson. Holly has all the papers to prove that she's Reese's legal wife and Violet's biological mother. And what does that make me? The other woman. The second choice. Again.

When it comes to hockey and women, Marty LeBrun is used to coming in second to his best friend and teammate, Zach Pruitt. And that’s okay because Marty’s sole aim is breaking into the NHL, a climb as steep as Mt. Everest—without oxygen—for a guy whose heart is greater than his talent. But all that changes when Claudia Campbell walks into their lives. Suddenly, playing Zach’s wingman is a role Marty is no longer willing to fill.

Nikki Satinn lives a peaceful life running a coffee shop with her best friend. Everything is going according to plan: blend in, keep minimal connections, and find happiness in the simple things. The only problem with her seemingly perfect life is that Nikki Satinn doesn't actually exist. Cam Costello, an illustrious wing of the New York Nighthawks, is a beast on the ice. Having endured enough turmoil and loss, he follows two rules: focus solely on hockey and his team, and allow no emotional attachments.

One night. No names. No numbers. That is the deal we make. After tonight, I'll never see him again, and I want to leave town with zero regrets. But a year and a half later, I'm back with a secret I'm terrified to tell. Turns out the guy from that one reckless night is football royalty. One of Sun Valley's infamous Devils. I didn't tell him I was moving. And he isn't someone who handles rejection well. Something I realized when I bumped into him at my new school. Sun Valley High. Home of the Devils.

When Faye Hollings finds herself stranded at a gas station, the first person she thinks to call is the man she's been secretly in love with for two years. The only problem? Kit Langley is one of her brother's best friends and completely off-limits. After a traumatic encounter had her flee to California, Faye finds herself in a whirlwind summer romance that tests boundaries, pool water, and how far their desires for one another stretch beneath beating hearts.

As any true sports fan will tell you, once you have an allegiance to a team it's set in stone. It's unwavering. It's finite. You never leave. Yet somehow, I've been asked to do just that. To set aside my love for The Yankees and take ownership of The New York Lions—the worst team in Major League Baseball. Oh, yes, and turn them into winners. An impossible job I don't want, from a gift I couldn't get a refund on.

Running into your brother's billionaire ex-hockey-playing best friend at a special kind of party should have been a red flag. Pulling one another's names from a bowl at said party was a coincidence. Having a wild night together that we said we'd forget was probably our mistake. Especially when Declan shows up weeks later as the new owner of the hockey team that practices in Lake Spark, and he has an offer for me. Meet him every day in his hotel room for a week to enjoy a little fling while he passes through town.

It took just one look, and I knew she was meant to be mine. Her body language told me she was onboard, but my job had her slamming on the brakes. She was convinced professional athletes had a puck bunny in every city, but that was far from the truth. I agreed to be her friend for now . . . but how do I make her see we'd be better as lovers than just friends?

Jacob is drowning. Nineteen and a first-time Olympian, he’s in over his head. And the water’s only rising as he crushes harder on his tattooed teammate. Sebastian cost his team the medley relay gold four years ago. He won’t make the same mistakes at this summer’s Olympics. Mistakes like falling for another swimmer at the Games. Jacob needs all the help he can get. His mentor Sebastian can provide it. But when the irresistible rookie asks for his heart, Sebastian is the one left treading water.

The Center for the St. Louis Sires has lived an undeniably good life, but something has always been missing, something he desperately craves a family. The alluring rapper is at the top of her game, talented and adored by her fans, including the Center for the St. Louis Sires, but what she desires most is a real connection—a friend.

I can’t say I don’t deserve the penalty time. I’ve been keeping secrets, huge ones, from those closest to me. I mean, sometimes a girl just needs something that’s solely hers. Something she can hold close to her heart or, more accurately, her greedy little Omega pus… Well, you can probably read between the lines—something is more like someones.