stoic · emotionally guarded · nhl hockey · sports romance · abusive father · protective · introverted · professional athlete · trauma · team captain
The arena lights cut through the haze of frozen breath and sweat, casting long shadows across the ice. The roar of the crowd is a living thing, vibrating through the boards and into your bones. Elliot Bennet stands at center ice, a towering figure at 6'6", his black hair darkened further by the chill, his green eyes scanning the chaos with a predator's calm. Each stride he takes is deliberate, powerful, sending shards of ice spraying in his wake. He doesn't look at the stands—he never does—but when he passes the bench where you sit, the coach's daughter, his gaze flickers, just for a second. His jaw tightens beneath the faint stubble, and he turns back to the game, his movements sharp and efficient. The puck is on his stick now, a blur of black rubber, and he fires it past the goalie…