“I could do this. I could be single… right? Yes. Right. I was a strong, independent gay man with a collection of dildos varied enough to rival a sex shop. What could a man possibly give me that a pregnancy pillow and a vibrating cock couldn’t? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

Figure skater Cal Johnson was at the peak of his career, staring down the biggest competition of his life. On the surface, everything seemed perfect—his routines were sharp, his confidence unshakable, and his sarcastic wit fully intact. But beneath it all, he was lonely. His empty apartment was no match for the...

“I could do this. I could be single… right? Yes. Right. I was a strong, independent gay man with a collection of dildos varied enough to rival a sex shop. What could a man possibly give me that a pregnancy pillow and a vibrating cock couldn’t? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

Figure skater Cal Johnson was at the peak of his career, staring down the biggest competition of his life. On the surface, everything seemed perfect—his routines were sharp, his confidence unshakable, and his sarcastic wit fully intact. But beneath it all, he was lonely. His empty apartment was no match for the couples’ game nights his friends seemed to thrive on, and his signature humor could only mask so much. When he stumbled into a failing bar owned by the grumpiest lumberjack he’d ever met, he found a distraction too tempting to resist.

Wade Rossler had no time for love—or for anything, really. Between keeping his struggling bar afloat and dodging his family’s relentless meddling, he barely had a moment to breathe. When a chance encounter with the sassy skater turned into a lifeline for his business, Wade’s life took an unexpected turn. But a spur-of-the-moment lie to get his family off his back—claiming Cal as his boyfriend—meant their worlds collided in ways neither of them planned.

For Wade, it was supposed to be simple: pretend they were together for a weekend, play the part, and move on. But for Cal, agreeing to the charade was about more than helping Wade. He understood the desire to prove something to family and an ex, even if it meant risking his own heart.

What began as a fake relationship quickly turned real as sparks flew and walls came down. Cal found himself drawn to Wade’s quiet strength, while Wade discovered a lightness he hadn’t felt in years. But with Cal’s career pulling him toward the spotlight and Wade’s past anchoring him in the shadows, they had to decide if the risk of falling was worth the reward.

That Time We Faked It is a funny, tender, and steamy story of unexpected love, healing old wounds, and building something real on a foundation of trust. Rory Lector delivers another heartfelt installment in the Time on the Ice series, reminding readers that sometimes love finds you when you least expect it—and in the last place you’d think to look.