Hannah Gray

When I see Cash Hale take the ice, I know right away that he’s different than most players his age. And when his mother Freya comes to pick him up at the end of the session, I find myself immediately charmed. And I know one thing for sure—that won’t be our last encounter. I’ll make sure of that.

Life as a professional hockey player keeps me plenty busy, and yet it often feels like I’m on autopilot as the world passes me by. I suppose I can’t complain. I have the honor of calling myself a New England Bay Shark, so I have more than enough money to buy some form of happiness.

It’s true what they say—you really are wiser when you’re older, because I’ve hated my younger self for years. After leaving behind the girl that I spent my entire life loving from afar, younger me deserves the hate, though.

For better or for worse. When I said those words in front of the pastor, I meant them. But that was before everything changed. Before it became clear that my wife would be better off without me. I had no choice but to sabotage us, and that was exactly what I did.

As a single father, I often feel like the weight of the world sits on my shoulders. When my daughter’s nanny gives me her two weeks’ notice, I’m sweating bullets. Fear that my NHL season with the New England Bay Sharks could be derailed consumes me.

I never looked back the day I left Sunset Drive. If I did, I knew that I would never leave the hellhole I had grown to despise, a place I began plotting my escape from as a child.

Women throw themselves at me, hoping I'll take them home that night. Whispers from the NHL say I'm the one to watch. And the weight of each game is on my shoulders because if our opposing team scores… that's on me. All the things that keep me up at night are probably someone else's dreams.

As my best friend's baby sister, an actual angel sent from above, Haley Thompson is forbidden fruit, and I should stay away from her. Because everything I touch turns to crap. But like all things I'm not supposed to do, chasing her is another temptation I'm not strong enough to avoid.

When my parents took me to a hockey camp as a kid, they never dreamed it would take me off the path of becoming a doctor, like everyone else in the family. Unfortunately for them, the moment I stepped into that arena and onto that ice, there was no going back.

Angry. Wild. Loose cannon. As one of college hockey's most feared defensemen, I've been told I'm all those things and more. The ice is the only place where I can take my anger out on other people and get applauded for it. The rougher I play, the dirtier I am, the more praise I get....

Tate Tracy is about to find out that I'm not the nice boy anymore. Nor am I a forgiving person. She might have been my best friend for eighteen years, but now, she's no one. And if I have to remind her of that, I will. Even if we're going to be stuck living in an apartment… together....

From a young age, the only thing in life I've ever taken seriously is hockey. I'm not the guy anyone—besides family and teammates—can count on. This is all true. At least, until a certain curly-haired, blue-eyed goddess comes to me looking for an easy hookup....

Everyone always says the best way to get over someone is to get under somebody else. Well, I guess I've never been one to believe it. Cheated on by my football-star boyfriend and betrayed by my closest friend, I'm not looking for yet another chance to get hurt....

I never imagined that one night could end the friendship Beau Bishop and I’d had since birth and sever all ties between our families. He left Alabama, hightailing it to Florida without so much as a goodbye. Two years later, we crossed paths again. Only he’s no longer known as Beau Bishop....

Dane Wade is a breath of fresh air. Sexy, charming, and with abs that could melt any woman’s panties. With my rules and boundaries in place, he is the perfect person to have fun with to pass the time. As long as he knows it will never amount to anything more. Which he does…I think....

A babysitter. That’s all I am. But I have my own life to live. Dreams of going to the NFL. And this is a distraction I can’t afford to have....

The world never granted me much. No warm and cozy home to rest my head, no loving parents to cheer at my games or remember my birthday, and certainly no finer things in life. Just a damn good arm to throw a football and a hunger inside of me that I hoped would lead me straight to the NFL....

Five. That’s how old I was when I picked up a ball for the very first time during flag football—something my mom had signed me up for. Nine. That’s when I decided I’d stop at nothing until I played football at the highest level....