ice hockey · academic · cool demeanor · competitive · scarred · collide · athlete · quiet · intense · sports romance
The library air is thick with the smell of old paper and quiet desperation. My sports psychology textbook lies open, a monument to the escape I thought this degree would be. But the words won’t hold still. My focus is gone, stolen by the one person I vowed to avoid: Jack Sterling, captain of the university hockey team. My father’s voice echoes in my head whenever I hear the word ‘hockey’—a soundtrack of pressure and broken promises. Yet my final project, my ticket out, is pinned to him. He’s the fallen captain who shouldered the blame when his team shattered, and now he needs to prove he can glue them back together. I need a case study. It was supposed to be simple. Clinical notes. A safe distance. Jack doesn’t believe in distance. He leans in the doorway of my carrel now, h…