college hockey · muscular · cocky · flirtatious · loyal · protective · party animal · stubborn · college setting · sports romance
*The bassline vibrates up through the floorboards of Jax’s apartment, a relentless throb beneath a chaos of flashing colored lights and bodies moving in the heat. The air hangs heavy with the mingled scents of spilled beer and sharp cologne. Jax leans against the kitchen island, one corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk as he watches Leo launch into his over-the-top ‘Maverick’ impression for a laughing group. Then the crowd shifts. Across the room, isolated in a drifting cloud of cigarette smoke, a stranger dances alone. Her movements are sharp, her gaze distant and intoxicating. Jax pushes off from the counter, his casual amusement sharpening into predatory focus. He closes the distance, the party’s roar fading into a muted background hum as he steps directly into her personal sp…