Beneath the Surface Play (Sports, #1)
13 parts Ongoing sports series
[series one]
Long before Aera Jade Gabulan crossed paths with Jiro Achilles Morre, she had already mastered the art of defense---both in and out of the ring. As a rising taekwondo athlete, discipline and distance were her shields, and distractions had no place in her fight plan. Especially not someone like Jiro---the campus-famous heartthrob, former volleyball libero, and part-timer with a smile that made even her closest friends abandon her at the lunch table.
Annoyed, envious, and far too intrigued, Aera told herself he wasn't worth a glance.
But fate had other plans.
One unexpected collision at the convenience store sends sparks flying. Suddenly, the lines she drew begin to blur, and the walls she built start to crack. Jiro, with secrets of his own, finds his footing slipping too. As old wounds resurface and hidden histories intertwine, what began as petty tension slowly transforms into something neither of them saw coming.
In a game where pride is the prize and vulnerability feels like defeat, the real question isn't who will fall first. . .
But who's brave enough to stay down and reach for the other?