Some hearts are guarded. Some scars refuse to fade. And some touches change everything.
Noah Vale is the untouchable captain of the Northbridge Devils.
The best defenseman in college hockey.
A leader on the ice.
A ghost everywhere else.
Cold. Guarded. Unreachable.
Everyone thinks he's simply the grumpy hockey captain with walls built too high to climb. No one knows the truth behind the scars he hides beneath athletic tape or why a single unexpected touch can send his carefully controlled world crashing down.
Then Lina Hart arrives.
Bright. Optimistic. Endlessly talkative.
A gifted lighting designer hired to transform the Devils' game-night experience, Lina sees beauty where everyone else sees brokenness. She refuses to mistake Noah's silence for cruelty, and with every patient conversation, every respected boundary, and every tiny act of trust, she begins to reach the man no one else can.
But some secrets refuse to stay buried.
Someone is watching Noah.
Someone knows what happened years ago.
And someone is determined to expose the truth that could destroy his career, his team, and the fragile future he's only just beginning to believe he deserves.
As the hockey season intensifies and the attraction between the grumpy captain and the sunshine girl becomes impossible to ignore, Noah must decide whether love is another risk he can't survive... or the only thing capable of bringing him back to life.
Perfect for readers who love college sports romance, hockey romance, slow-burn romance, grumpy-sunshine romance, emotionally wounded heroes, protective hockey captains, trauma-healing romance, forced proximity, and character-driven love stories.
Welcome to the Northbridge Devils. Where championships are earned on the ice... and the greatest victories happen in the heart.
Ready to melt the ice? Scroll up and click "Buy Now" to discover your newest college hockey obsession today!
