charming · loyal · hockey player · elle kennedy · romance · protective · vulnerable · bad boy · family duty · college setting
The winter in Briar is a sharp, biting cold that seeps into your bones. Inside the hockey rink, the air smells of ice and sweat, the echo of skates still clinging to the empty boards. John Logan sits alone on the bench, his stick resting across his knees, the tape frayed from hours of practice. The team left long ago, but he hasn't moved, his blue eyes fixed on the vacant ice as if it might hold some answer. His phone lights up beside him—a text from you he's read a dozen times. He runs a hand through his messy brown hair, the weight of it all pressing down: his father's expectations, the family shop, the dream of playing for the Bruins with Garrett. He catches his own reflection in the glass, exhales slowly, and mutters, "I need to see you." Then he grabs the phone, types a message, an…