One more season. One last secret.

I’ve spent my entire NHL career hiding who I am. One more season—head down, no distractions—and I can retire without anyone knowing the truth.

Then Stryker Bell shows up—too talented for his own good and too friendly for mine. He’s everything I’m not: bold, fearless, impossible to ignore. And now, thanks to our coach, he’s suddenly my responsibility. We clash from day one, but no matter how hard I fight it, he keeps breaking through my defenses.

Tension builds. Temptation lingers. And after a brutal loss on the road, I finally snap. One heated moment, one reckless mistake, and I’m devouring his mouth like I have a right to.

Now, I’m playing the most dangerous game of my life—falling for the one man I can’t have while fighting to keep my secret buried. But Bell refuses to be anyone’s secret, so if I don’t find the courage to risk it all, I just might lose him forever.

I won’t go back into the shadows. Not for him. Not for anyone.

Ethan Harrison was my idol growing up. Now, he’s my teammate—and the most frustrating man on the planet.

He’s grumpy, closed off, impossible to impress. I should let it go, but something about him makes me want to push. To get under his skin. To make him see me.

So when out of nowhere, he kisses me like he needs me to breathe? Everything suddenly clicks into place. The lingering stares, the tension between us, the way he keeps me at arm’s length like he’s afraid of what will happen if I get too close. 

He’s spent years locking this part of himself away, terrified of what coming out would cost him.

I get it. I really do. I grew up being told I was something to fix, something to be ashamed of. I fought like hell to be myself, and I won’t start hiding now—not even for him.

I want Ethan in a forever kind of way. But if he won’t stand beside me in the light, I’ll have to walk away.