The Puck Boys of Brooks University

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. And hook her up I do. But what's supposed to be a one-night stand doesn't stop at one night. What's meant to be easy sure as hell gets complicated fast. It becomes clear that Addison LaConte is just as much my savior as she is my demise.

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. The trouble is, I've only ever had one weakness in life. And it's Tate Tracy.

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. I suppose the same could be said about me in the bedroom. I'm not the dude you want your daughter bringing home to meet you. Because your angel? Well, I'll make sure her halo is crooked by the time I'm done with her. I've met my match.

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.

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 I spiral down, hitting my lowest point, I know I can't take her with me. Innocent, sweet souls like her, they don't belong at the bottom. The trouble is, she refuses to let go of me. Even if it will ruin her. Even if I will ruin her.

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. From the moment I saw Ryann Denver in my Business 101 class, I was intrigued and determined to get to know her. Unlike most girls at Brooks, she hates athletes. When I introduced myself to her, she made it perfectly clear that she was not interested.

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. The only difference was that I always thought she'd be by my side on the day I was finally free. The day I left it all behind was the day my hatred for the entire Wilson family was born. Poppy included. After all, she had lied to the police just to protect her monstrous father after he got my parents killed. From that day forward, I decided she needed to be dead to me.