Atticus King had his life mapped out—train hard, play volleyball, keep to himself. That is, until Noah Rossi burst onto the scene: charismatic, impulsive, a storm that tore through Atticus's carefully built walls and set his world on fire. They didn't fit—Noah was everything Atticus wasn't—but somehow, they found a rhythm in their shared love for the game and an undeniable pull toward each other. It was everything Atticus never knew he wanted. But just as quickly as Noah entered his life, he disappeared. No explanation. No goodbye. Only silence that left Atticus drowning in confusion and pain.

Captain of his team, the privileged son of a hockey legend, Connor Kennedy is the league’s golden boy. And the one player who can always get under my skin. Our rivalry has been building for years, and when we’re forced to room together as Olympic teammates, I can feel the tension between us reach boiling point. The world might see me as hockey’s most feared enforcer, Alaska’s angriest export, but in our room each night after practice, I can’t maintain my facade.

My new teammate pisses me off. Everyone else is falling over themselves when Golden Boy flashes a fake smile. Me? I just want to wipe it off his face. Off the ice, there's no escaping Nick Sandoval's dimples and plastic grin—because he's my new roommate. And on the ice? We need to get our act together, or else our final year of college hockey's going to waste. I can't ignore him, and I won't put up with that bullshit front he puts up for everyone. Especially when I push his buttons just right and get a glimpse at something no one else has seen—the real Nick Sandoval.

What’s a straight guy to do when he accidentally goes on a date with his brand new gym-bro? Offer to be the best wingman ever, of course! It’s foolproof. Joey needs a man? I’ll find him one. He wants someone who looks, well, kind of like me? No problem! Not into watersports? I’ve got him covered. The issue is, going on all these dates with Joey makes me realize I want more of his time to be spent with me. I like the guy. And his smile. And the way he makes me feel like anything is possible.

There’s a lot I’ve never told my best friend. The fact that I love him. That I miss him every day he’s gone. That, sometimes, I ache for him with a ferocity that leaves me breathless. Lucky Buchanan tore into my life as a boy, wild and daring, my opposite in every way. He drew me in, stole my heart without trying. He hears me, even though I rarely speak a word. But I always knew this place wouldn’t be enough for my free-spirited friend. I knew he wasn’t mine to keep.