NJCooke
Jasmine Brooks is done with games.
After a devastating betrayal forced her to pack up her textbooks and leave her college life behind, she has only two priorities: helping her brother, River, care for their sick mother, and keeping her guarded heart under lock and key. The last thing she needs is to be dragged along in the wake of River's professional hockey team, the Charlottesville Kings.
The Kings are ruled by arrogance, ice, and one man in particular: Jaxson Sterling.
As the team's notorious captain, Jaxson is used to getting exactly what he wants- on and off the ice. He's devastatingly handsome, fiercely protective, and accustomed to a world where no one ever says no. But when he meets Jasmine, her razor-sharp wit and total lack of interest completely shatter his expectations. For the first time in his life, Jaxson is rejected. And for the first time in his life, he's utterly obsessed.
An anonymous text exchange begins to shift the ice beneath her feet.
The mysterious texter challenges her. He plays a daily game of high-stakes truth, revealing a vulnerable, human side that slowly dismantles Jasmine's defenses. Little does she know, the man behind the screen is the exact same playboy captain she's trying so hard to avoid in the real world.
When the truth finally collides with reality, a fragile truce is formed: just friends. But between late-night texts, secret run-ins, and the undeniable pull of Jaxson's true character when the "Captain's mask" comes off, the boundaries they set begin to dangerously blur.
When Jasmine's past threatens to resurface and destroy everything the Kings have built, Jaxson proves he will do whatever it takes to defend her. But with River's protective gaze and the team's strict rules hanging over them, falling for the captain isn't just risky- it's a betrayal of the brotherhood.
Can they keep their forbidden romance hidden in the shadows, or will the heat between them melt the ice and ruin it all?