On Thin Ice

I’ve spent fifteen years in the NHL hiding who I really am. One more season—head down, mouth shut, lies firmly in place—and I can retire with my secret intact. Then Stryker Bell crashes into my life.

He’s got hands of gold, a mouth made for sin, and a body that moves like a promise. Ten years younger, he’s cocky, reckless, and everything I shouldn’t want. My problem. My obsession. My undoing.

We clash from the start. But no matter how hard I try to keep my distance, Bell doesn’t back off. He crowds my space. Smirks like he knows exactly what I’m thinking. Every glance feels like foreplay. Every brush of contact, a dare.

And after a brutal loss on the road, I break. One raw, desperate moment, and I’ve got him pinned to the wall, my mouth on his like I’ve been starving for a taste.

Now I’m playing the most dangerous game of my career—falling for the rookie who makes me feel more alive than I ever have, while battling trauma I’ve buried so deep I almost believed it was gone.

I want him, but those old demons don’t let go easy. They’ve got their hands around my throat, whispering every lie I’ve ever believed about what it would cost to be open.

If I don’t fight for Bell now, I won’t just retire in the closet—I’ll lose the only man who’s ever made me want to step out of it.