That Steamy Hockey Romance

What's a girl to do when her longtime hockey crush offers her a marriage of convenience? Say YES. Obviously. I've spent three years lusting after Grammercy Graves on my (supposedly anonymous) hockey romance podcast-breaking down his stats, his plays, that panty–melting Cajun accent. . . The entire internet knows he's my dream guy. What they don't know? I'm a broke single mom who just lost her job-and the health insurance my daughter needs. When Grammercy finds me crying in a supply closet at a team party, he offers the wildest solution: Fake marriage. Real benefits. One year. No strings. No S–E–X. Just shared coverage and a room with my name on it. But he's so good with my daughter. So generous, so funny, so kind. And when it's just the two of us? He treats me like I'm someone special. Like I'm his. Soon, every kiss for the cameras turns into a kiss we can't stop, and it's getting harder and harder to remember this is all pretend. There's just one secret that could ruin it all-my podcast, the one that proves I wasn't telling the whole story when we first "met." When he finds out, will he walk away. . . Or make my wildest fangirl fantasies come true?

What to do when the sexy hockey player you've been avoiding suddenly becomes your roommate? Make "no touch" rules. Obviously. I've spent months dodging Leo Parker's attempts to score a second date. Yes, he's gorgeous. Yes, he plays for the Louisiana Voodoo. Yes, he kisses like it's an Olympic sport. But he's also six years younger than I am and-plot twist-I used to babysit him when he was twelve. But when a hurricane destroys my restaurant (and the storage closet I've been sleeping in), Parker swoops in with the perfect solution. Move in with him. Temporarily. With RULES: • No sex • Clothes stay ON in common areas • Hugging, but only before 5pm But living with Parker means watching him do everything without a shirt on. Hearing him moan over my cooking like it's foreplay. And discovering he's not just a pretty face-he's funny, generous, and seems to like me . . . just the way I am. Soon we're road tripping to food festivals, winning crawfish mating–call contests (don't ask), and breaking every rule. Repeatedly. I'm starting to think this sweet, sexy, man might be My One. There's just one problem: When it comes to men, I'm cursed. And a blast from the past is about to remind us why falling for each other might be the worst rule we've broken yet.

What do you do when the hot younger hockey player you swore you'd stop banging is the perfect revenge date to your ex's wedding? Pretend to be a couple. Obviously. I was going to take the high road. I really was. But Nix needs image rehab before management benches him, and I need a plus-one who proves I've moved on to bigger and better things. (Especially the bigger part…) Besides, we're adults. We can pretend to be hot for each other without actually getting it on in the great outdoors. Again. Right before one of my employees strolls through the garden gate and catches us on the back porch… Oops. Okay, so mistakes were made. And made again. And again. But it's hard to remember why this is a bad idea when Nix is so…perfect. So funny, smart, and protective. So hot and hot for me in a way that makes a girl think she gave up on love a little too soon. I'm two fake kisses away from asking him to be the real thing when a family emergency blows our plan to pieces. Suddenly, it isn't just our hearts on the line. His career hangs in the balance, my life is under a microscope, and one wrong step could mean we're both in the penalty box for good.

Sleeping with my teammate's sister? Rookie mistake. Getting her pregnant? Career-ending penalty. They call me the Guru-the guy who never loses his cool, never breaks the code, and definitely doesn't knock up his best friend's little sister after one perfect, reckless night. But judging by Beatrice's new baby bump, six months ago, I did just that. Now she's back in New Orleans, gorgeous, glowing, and determined to do this solo. She doesn't need my money, my help, or my suddenly inconvenient feelings. Too bad. Because I'm not the kind of man who skates away from the woman I haven't been able to stop thinking about since the moment she left. So I show up. I prove I'm not just the guy who got her pregnant, but the friend who listens, the partner who's got her back, and the lover who knows exactly how to make her forget why she ever thought romance might be dead. And if keeping us a secret protects her peace? Fine. I'll play along. But secrets have a way of hitting the ice when you least expect it. And when ours does, I'll have to prove to her brother, my team, and the woman I'm falling for that I'm not just chasing a win. I'm playing for forever.