Chicago Blaze

He's known as Father Anton to his teammates-the brooding, sexy captain of the NHL's Chicago Blaze has a reputation for . . . not having a reputation. Just like his diet and sleep routines, celibacy is part of Anton Petrov's on-ice mojo. Or so they say. Anton stays mum on the subject. If the world thinks he chooses to abstain from sex, so be it. Better that than the truth getting out: there is a woman he burns for, but he can never have her. She's his teammate's wife, after all. Mia Marceau is finally on her own. Now that she and her husband are living apart, she's finding the peace she was desperate for. She spends her days in classes and late nights bartending, making her own way in the world at last. After what she's been through, as long as her husband leaves her alone, she doesn't plan to rock the boat. He still has the power to hurt those dearest to her, and she can't demand a divorce with such a high cost. A chance encounter with Mia has Anton hoping for a shot he never thought he'd get. And while she's drawn to the intense, serious hockey center, Mia's leery about playing with fire. That's all Anton has ever known for Mia, though-a living, burning desire that won't be denied-no matter the cost. Contains mature themes.

Abby I only have one love now-the home furnishings business I'm building into an empire. Maybe money and success can't love me back, but they keep what's left of my heart safe. One-night stands are my way of scratching the occasional itch I get for something more. And no one's better for that than a sexy as sin hockey player I'll never see again after one very hot night together. Luca I used to love two things: hockey and women. But now my nieces and nephew are my top priority, because I'm raising them after tragedy stole their parents. Somehow, I balance single parenthood and my career as a forward for the Chicago Blaze. There's no time for women, until I get knocked down by Abby Daniels. She's everything I've ever wanted, but her devastating past may end us before we even get started. Contains mature themes.

Lindy. They don't call me Belinda Boring for nothing. It's my name, after all. And for a twenty-three-year-old with plain brown hair who still lives at home and gets tongue tied over nothing, it's a fitting one. I'm not even one of those quiet girls with a hidden talent, unless making a mean order of nachos at the NHL arena I work at counts. My life consists of working, reading, and harboring a secret crush on a hockey player who doesn't know I exist. At least, until we accidentally meet and become unlikely friends. Victor. I'm living the dream. A poor kid who worked his way into the NHL, I'll never forget where I came from, though I try to. My past follows me, a nagging reminder that I'll never be what everyone thinks I am. As the threat of my secret being exposed looms closer, my game slips, leaving me in danger of being cut from my team-the only family I have. I'm losing my hold on everything when a new friend helps me find hope. She's nothing like the women I'm used to, but by the time I figure out that's exactly why she's right for me, I've lost my chance with her. Somehow, I have to convince a woman who thinks she's invisible that she's the only one I see. Contains mature themes.

Reese I'm done. Getting ditched at the altar is nothing compared to being humiliated there in front of three hundred shocked guests. Apparently I'm no good at spotting the signs your man's a cheating liar. So I set off solo on my honeymoon to Hawaii, where I realize I've got this life thing down just fine on my own. Friendships and laughter? Yes. Adventures? Absolutely. But relationships? Hell no. Never again. Knox I'm a man of few words. My reputation as a moody prick is deserved, but only the handful of people who really know me see the man beneath the professional mask. I'm a protector. A warrior. That part is true. But the world doesn't get to see the rest of me. And women don't seem to mind my gruff exterior-my bed's always warm. I'm content with life-loving it, even-or so I thought. But when I meet a beautiful pastry chef with a broken heart and a smile that softens me down to my soul, I realize I wasn't really content at all before her. I only wish I had the words to let her know. Contains mature themes.

Alexei I guess the party's over-for now. When I wake up in the hospital after a DUI car crash, my new NHL team owner gives me an ultimatum-get sober or get packed for the minor leagues. So I talk the talk and go to rehab. I plan to breeze through, get sprung in thirty days or less and hit the road with my new team, the Chicago Blaze. All I have to do is charm my attractive, uptight rehab group leader into thinking I've changed-how hard could it be? Graysen I see right through Alexei Petrov. My calling to save addicts from themselves before they self-destruct is deeply personal. Alexei's hot and successful, sure. But he's not okay, and he's got a lot of work to do before graduating from my group. No one's ever tested my boundaries like he does, though. I fight my desire and keep things professional, because the stakes couldn't be higher-it's not just my job that's on the line, but also his life. The deeper we fall, though, the more he makes me question the mantra I live by: never trust your heart to an addict. Contains mature themes.

Erik Nothing rattles me. Well . . . almost nothing. As the most even-tempered player on the Chicago Blaze, I take everything in stride-hockey, fame, and life in general. No one knows that deep down, even I've got a trigger. She's a tall brunette with a gorgeous smile and an iron will. The woman who crushed my heart long ago. I never plan to return to Greentree Falls, Wisconsin, and lay eyes on Allie Douglas again-until suddenly, I'm left without a choice. Allie Somehow, I'm keeping it all together. Raising my nieces and nephew alone and working takes everything I've got and then some, but I get by. I don't have time for love, and who needs a man, anyway? I gave up the love of my life a decade ago, and now he's just a distant memory. Until one day, he comes back home. And once I see him, I'm not keeping it together anymore. Not even close. Contains mature themes.