Rule Number 1

Popular star captain of his college hockey team, Nolan Walker, is loved by hockey fans, desired across campus, and known by the entire student body. Once those blades hit the ice, he is self-disciplined, powerful, and flawless. He leaves no room for mistakes. But off the ice, he fights a battle no one sees. Back in his tiny hometown, Oakridge, Seattle, he lives under the shadow of his abusive father, while being the only person able to protect his 15-year-old brother from harm. While Nolan deals with the pressure of building his hockey career, he also survives a mental and physical battle with the man who built him. He knows how to have fun, but hockey always comes first, and emotional attachment has never been part of the plan. Especially not for the girl who slips past every rule he's ever made.

Aria Silvani, an architectural design major, has spent the past year struggling emotionally since her mother's death. Having no real family left in New Jersey, and only an associate's degree in her pocket, her lonely living becomes harder to bear. Dreaming more for herself and wanting a chance to keep building her future independently, Aria applies to a competitive architectural program at Pacific Crest State in Seattle. When she is finally accepted, she decides to pack her bags and move in with her distant uncle. He is also the hard-headed but respected head coach of Nolan's hockey team. She hopes that distance and this opportunity will help her heal, but being the coach's niece comes with rules she knows she shouldn't cross. And falling for the team's star captain means breaking rule number one.