Snapping the Ice

I came for the contract. I stayed for a man who makes me disregard every rule I’ve ever known. Lucas Hopkins I’ve given everything to hockey — skipped college, left friends behind, all for a shot at the pros and a spot next to my brother. The contract is within reach. No distractions. Then the PR team announces a shirtless calendar shoot to drum up buzz. I expect awkward poses and fake smiles. Instead, I find him. Ezra Turner, all broody eyes and soft lips, moves behind the camera like poetry. His rare smile hits me harder than any check...

I came for the contract. I stayed for a man who makes me disregard every rule I’ve ever known. Lucas Hopkins I’ve given everything to hockey — skipped college, left friends behind, all for a shot at the pros and a spot next to my brother. The contract is within reach. No distractions. Then the PR team announces a shirtless calendar shoot to drum up buzz. I expect awkward poses and fake smiles. Instead, I find him. Ezra Turner, all broody eyes and soft lips, moves behind the camera like poetry. His rare smile hits me harder than any check on the ice. I’ve never been attracted to guys. That’s my brother’s story, not mine. But maybe this isn’t about labels. Maybe it’s about him. About us.

Ezra Turner I’ve learned to keep my heart locked tight. A crumbling relationship and years of scars have taught me that lesson well. Then Lucas Hopkins barrels into my life — all cocky charm and surprising tenderness. He wants to protect me, but it’s his own heart on the line. I see it every time he looks at me. He’s fighting something raw and real. And I don’t know if I’m brave enough to fall for someone who’s still questioning. But maybe this kind of love is worth the shot.

Snapping the Ice is a book in the multi-author, Games We Play hockey series (season two) and has ties to the Desert Ice Hockey series. It features a bi-sexual awakening, found hockey family, some forced proximity and a broken man clawing his way to happiness.

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