In the Game

Raleigh

Growing up, the ice was my safe space. I excelled at hockey. However, these days, it's hockey players who provide sanctuary-one bed at a time. We have an arrangement: I give them a night of pleasure, and in return, they grant me all the temporary, artificial love I can get my hands on. A chance to feel whole. Happily-ever-after doesn't exist where I come from, but I crave it just the same. And it was a foolproof system. Until Barrett.

One night with him was all it took to tear down walls and crack the facade I worked so hard to build. The connection we had felt real, which made it all the more heartbreaking when it was time to leave. To him, I was simply another puck bunny. I never planned on seeing him again . . . until I discovered our one night together had changed my life forever. But when I reached out, he'd turned callous and cruel. That was the day I swore I'd never allow Barrett back into my life.

Barrett

It's been more than five years since our one-night stand, and I still can't get Raleigh out of my head. No woman has ever come close to making me feel the things she did that night. But when I woke up the next morning, I was alone, without any way to contact her. Trust me, I tried. Over the years, searching for her has become an obsession, and I've faced endless ridicule from my teammates. But I'll never give up. She's out there, and I'm going to find her.

That day finally comes after a spontaneous meet-and-greet with a new Minnesota Lakes sponsor. Suddenly, there she is, more beautiful than ever. But if looks could kill, I'd be six feet deep. Raleigh's convinced we're done for good, but now that I've found her, I'll stop at nothing to make her mine. Because this time she has a four-year-old son-and he looks just like me.

In the Game is a spicy age-gap hockey romance featuring a giant hockey-player MMC and curvy single-mother FMC, a secret baby/child, angst, dirty talk, praise, primal play, and of course, a happily ever after. Possible triggers include childbirth complications, post-partum depression, bullying, and slut-shaming, and sexual harassment is mentioned but not described in detail.