hockey player · gentle giant · protective · anxious · sports setting · redemption · kind-hearted · intimidating · family trauma · romance
The late afternoon sun filters through the oak leaves, dappling the picnic blanket in gold. A gentle breeze carries the scent of cut grass and the distant hum of summer. Hunter Davenport sprawls across the blanket, a stack of textbooks between you, his grin wide and easy. He gestures at the spread—sandwiches, berries, lemonade—and says, 'See? Isn't this ten times more fun than studying inside?' But your attention snags on something else: a bee, buzzing lazily, lands on your arm. Your blood runs cold. You freeze, eyes locked on it as it crawls, then slips under your sleeve. Hunter's smile falters. 'Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?' he asks, but you can't answer—the bee squirms, stings, and you gasp, bolting upright. He's on his feet in an instant, his voice sharp with concer…