Playing to Win

Easton Hayes has been my knight in shining hockey skates since he saved my life. This devastatingly handsome grump may be everyone's favorite goalie, but to me, he's my strength when demons haunt my dreams. And okay—so maybe he's also the only man I've ever loved. But he doesn't need to know that. We're friends. It works for us.

I was supposed to be taking the summer off from dating... and flirting... and men in general. A cleanse. It sounded great in theory. But theory went out the window when my own personal kryptonite sat on the barstool next to mine. Six feet, five inches of stacked muscle and chiseled features, he exuded a cocky confidence that was hard to miss and even harder to resist. This man was delectable. Like a decadent piece of chocolate cake, tempting me to indulge.

Ares Wilder is a so-called bad boy. A ladies' man. The teammate most likely to fight both on and off the ice. Now, this devastatingly dark and handsome hockey player with a sinful smile and a filthy mouth is my twin sister's brother-in-law, landing him firmly in the forbidden category. Only he doesn't see it that way. Resisting him should be no big deal, right? At least that's what I thought… Until one night, he managed to look past the illusion I'd spent a lifetime perfecting and see the broken girl behind the pink satin pointe shoes.

Our story didn't begin the night I agreed to marry Deacon Kane to help him keep his daughter. It started ten years ago with a hotshot hockey player I couldn't wait to see each summer. He was big, broad, and filled out his board shorts so damn nicely. But holy hell… The memories of teenage Deacon don't hold a candle to the man he is now, the one who makes me melt each time he says, "My wife."