San Francisco Strikers

Penny Connor is putting the pieces of her life back in logical order. At least that's the plan. Six months ago, her world imploded when she walked in on her fiance with another woman. After calling off her wedding, she spent a week acting completely out of character in the Tuscan countryside with a scorchingly hot man. They didn't even exchange last names. Ethan Hartnell has grudgingly returned home. He's got an image to fix after being traded to the San Francisco Strikers, due to some questionable behavior. He plans to keep his nose to the ice, focusing on the career he loves. Everything is going according to plan, until he walks into a friend's bar and sees her. She'd left him in her bed in Italy, with a note, and run. Which is exactly what she does when they see each other again. It should be a sign. So why does he keep chasing her?

Amanda Pearsall never wanted to put down roots. Six years ago, she put California in her rear-view mirror and set out to travel the world, one adventure at a time. Eighteen months ago she returned home for a family emergency, and she's still here, with no departure date in sight. The job she took to tide her over is stifling at best and she needs to get back out there. To throw caution to the wind and live her life on her terms. Ben Chester, stoic captain of the San Francisco Strikers, lives and breathes hockey. From the tender age of three when his father strapped a pair of skates on Ben's feet, hockey has been his life. What could be more enjoyable than being out on the ice and winning with your team? His nickname might be Cheesy, but he has no time for jokes when he's playing the game he loves. And he has no time for distractions, especially from the media. He learned his lesson years ago to never trust anyone with a press pass, and when he discovers what Amanda does for a living, he wants nothing to do with her. Ben knows they are all wrong for each other, no matter how good she feels in his arms. He likes skating in the lines. But Amanda can't even see them.

Can secrets designed to protect the ones they love end up tearing them apart? From a painful past nobody knows about to aspirations for the future, Sophia Lanzi has learned to lock things away to please those around her and to protect herself. Landing a job working for the top sports physical therapist in the city, avid hockey fan Sophia is taking a step toward fulfilling her dreams. But when sexy hockey player Eric 'Finn' Finnegan enters the clinic for treatment after a devastating injury on the ice, Sophia only has more secrets to keep, as she develops more than a crush on her patient. The last thing Finn needs is a distraction, and especially in the form of Sophia Lanzi, a beautiful physical therapy assistant. Finn is desperate to get back to the game he loves and prove to everyone that their investment in him has been worth it, but the chemistry with Sophia is too strong to deny. Finn and Sophia can't resist each other, and a kiss leads to a secret relationship. Secrets aren't new to Finn, either, and he's holding one that can destroy his family if it's ever discovered.

Sara Randolph is head chef in a bar frequented by the San Francisco Strikers hockey team. With her history of having her heart broken by athletes, she really should be avoiding them. They're her Kryptonite, and left winger Colin O'Sullivan is at the top of the No Touch List, in spite of his delicious flirtations. Colin "Sully" O'Sullivan is tired of being second best. His home team took the Stanley Cup the year after he was traded to San Francisco. He's been on the top line on the Strikers for a few years and now his spot is in question. But when the ginger-haired jokester lands a night in the arms of Sara, he thinks his luck is finally changing. Until she tells him it was all a terrible mistake. Sara can't believe she let herself get carried away with Sully. He's an athlete. A player in all variations of the word. Been there. Done that. Never again. But there's no denying their attraction is hot enough to melt all the ice in the arena. When it comes to a faceoff between them, are they willing to own up to the truth about how they really feel about each other?