Through the Perilous Fight

One chaotic summer hockey tournament to celebrate the 250th birthday of the USA, a dietary prank gone wrong, and a kitchen they suddenly have to share... Yeah, things are about to get hot in here.

Brooke:

I have two rules: don't date chefs, and definitely don't date hockey players.

As head sports nutritionist and chef for Team West at the elite Stars & Stripes Hockey Tournament, I'm fighting to prove I belong here-and not just because my dad's on the coaching staff. The pressure is relentless, the stakes are sky-high, and the last thing I need is a distraction.

Especially one as handsome and full of sunshine as Jackson Reeves.

He's loud, charming, and somehow always smiling. He needs access to my kitchen to cook his mom's sharp white cheddar mac and cheese for his pre-game ritual, and can't I just slip him my keycard?

No. No, I cannot. And when I'm told last-minute that he's vegan, I'm stuck planning special meals for him...only to discover it's all part of a ridiculous hockey prank.

Now I'm sharing tight quarters-and too many heated moments-with a man who makes my pulse misfire and my carefully built walls start to crack.

I don't do summer flings. I don't date athletes. So why does three weeks suddenly feel like nowhere near enough?

Jackson:

The second I meet Brooke Brennan, I know I've met my match. She's fiery, focused, and completely immune to my usual charm. Which would be fine if I didn't need her kitchen for my pre-game ritual.

A prank about me being vegan gets me exactly what I want: access...to the kitchen, and to Brooke.

While I'm dodging her glares, I'm also falling for her quiet strength and realizing that my biggest game might not be on the ice at all. Because when she looks at me like I matter-really matter-I start to imagine a future that goes way beyond this tournament.

But there's a final buzzer coming on our sweet summer relationship. She's headed to Seattle, and I'm going back to Vermont.

And I don't know how to tell her I want her forever...not just for July.