Kings of the Ice
A series of interconnected standalones following a team of professional hockey players and the women who bring them to their knees.
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1. MEET YOUR MATCH by Kandi Steiner
SYNOPSIS
One Month with Vince Tanev: Tampaβs Hotshot Rookie. Twenty-four-seven access on and off the ice.
The headline says it all, and my bosses are over the moon when the opportunity of a lifetime lands in my lap. Of course, they arenβt aware that Iβve already met Vince Cool at an all-star galaβand that we were at each otherβs throats the entire time.
It doesnβt matter that heβs the kind of hot that shows God has favoritesβmessy brown hair, heated hazel eyes, the smirk of a rockstar, and a scar over his eyebrow that makes every woman particularly feral. Heβs a rich, cocky playboyβa brand Iβm all too familiar with, and one Iβm determined to never be around again.
But after my coverage of the gala stirs up buzz, the teamβs General Manager and my CEO strike a deal. To help fill the arena at home games, Iβll get up close and personal with Tampaβs new shiny toy. Whether heβs at practice, playing in a game, partying, or drinking coffee half-naked in his condoβIβll be there for all of it.
Vince gets under my skin like no one else. It isnβt long before that paper-thin line between hate and lust blurs, and being around him every waking minute of the day leaves no chance to escape his devilish stare. The air crackles between us. The tension is hot enough to melt my inhibitions. But I know the way this story ends. Iβve lived it once before.
As much as I work to guard my heart, my body is a traitorβand if this man puts his hands on me, I know Iβll submit to desire. I thought one month with Vince Tanev was a game I could win easily. But I might have just met my match.
2. WATCH YOUR MOUTH by Kandi Steiner
SYNOPSIS
My brotherβs teammates know not to touch meβbut that doesnβt stop me from daring Jaxson Brittain to be the first to break the rule.
After one steamy night in Austin, Iβm all too aware of the hot, broody defenseman with icy blue eyes and ink sprawling his muscular arms. He was the one my brother assigned to keep me safeβand I had far too much fun tempting him to be the one to put me in danger.
It was just one night of tip-toeing the line, of teasing and flirting and messing around knowing nothing would ever come of it. But when the universe throws me back into his lap two weeks later and we end up on a secret road trip together, all bets are off.
I canβt help but touch him. I canβt help but pray for him to touch me. And I canβt resist the temptation to test him at every turn. Jaxson is smart and doesnβt have a death wish. So, like a gentleman, he keeps his hands to himselfβ¦ the jerk. But the closer we get on the road and the farther we get from reality, the less those warning signs from my brother seem to deter him.
When we started this road trip, we set a boundary. We promised to keep all arms and legs safely in the friend zone. Now, miles and miles away from all the reasons we shouldnβt, all I can hear is my heart thumping out the resounding reason we should. And the way those heated blue eyes watch me, I know Iβm not the only one.
3. LEARN YOUR LESSON by Kandi Steiner
SYNOPSIS
My mother only wanted me to learn one lesson growing up⦠Men are trash.
Her father left her, and then my father left us. Being raised by her and my grandmother, I was surrounded by the reminder to be independent and guard my heart. After my one and only experience with a boy in college fell flatter than a pancake, I realized they were rightβand I was content to live the life of a twenty-six-year-old cat lady. Until Will Perry blew my quiet world to smithereens.
Starting goalie for the Tampa Bay Ospreys and the kind of hot that scrambles your brain, all I was ever supposed to be to him was his daughterβs kindergarten teacher. Then, in a twist of events, his temporary nanny. But temporary turns to permanent, and when I move into his pool house, everything changes.
Heβs impossibly grumpy and focused on only two things: hockey, and taking care of his daughter. Iβm only focused on using this new income to pay back my student loans. But in that house, I feel his heated gaze beneath that permanent scowl, the way it lingers and warms my skin. And though I know my mother would lose her mind if she knew, my dreams have become midnight fantasies about my long-haired, muscle-lined mystery of a boss.
When the tension becomes too much, we break, and we make a deal. He still needs a nanny. I still need a paycheck and for my matriarchy to not disown me. But Will agrees to teach me everything Iβve always wanted to learn, and Iβm all too eager to be his student.
I can do this. Iβm a grown woman. I can explore my sexuality with the hottest goalie on earth and still remain one-hundred percent professional. And I can definitely do it all without catching feelings. I have to. Otherwise, Iβll end up heartbroken in my motherβs arms while she shakes her head and asks me if Iβll ever learn my lesson.
4. SAVE YOUR BREATH by Kandi Steiner
SYNOPSIS
That was the headline weβd wanted. If only Iβd known the cost to get it.
Aleksander Suter has been my best friend since high schoolβand the only man whoβs ever been able to truly get under my skin. With his reputation for trouble and a smirk that could melt ice, heβs also the NHLβs favorite bad boy. When my publicistβs plan to fix my image collides with his need to clean up his own, we find ourselves in a fake engagement that feels too real from the start.
Now, Iβm releasing my new album, putting on a show for the paparazzi I usually try to dodge, and falling too fast for a man who never falls for anyone. Every stolen glance, every heated touch blurs the lines between us until Iβm wondering where the lies end and the truth begins. And when a hurricane traps us together in his high-rise condo, all my carefully built walls collapse, and resisting the pull between us becomes a losing game.
Suddenly, the stakes are higher than just headlines, and the risks feel more personal than ever. But as our past resurfaces and old feelings reignite, I realize the biggest risk isnβt losing my careerβitβs losing my heart to the one person I thought would never be mine.
5. STAND YOUR GROUND by Kandi Steiner
SYNOPSIS
I wrote up the contract myself. Legally binding. Crystal clear. No strings. No feelings. Just sexβand two million dollars in exchange for my time and expertise.
Carter Fabri may be Tampa Bayβs newest rising star, but off the ice, heβs all Bambi eyes and inexperience. Heβs a virgin in desperate need of lessons in dominance, seduction, and everything in between. And I happen to be just the woman to teach him.
I donβt need his money. But I do need what it can give me. Iβm thirty-two, cut off from my family, and one bill away from drowning in student debt. The fantasy Iβve built around my lifestyle is getting harder to maintain. This pay day would secure the lifestyle Iβve worked too hard to let slip through my fingers and finally give me the chance to save for something Iβve always wantedβsomething Iβve never told anyone about.
So, I take Carter on as my student. I lay out every rule, every boundary, every carefully controlled term of our arrangement. What I donβt plan for is how quickly heβd catch onβor how much Iβd enjoy letting him take the reins.
This was supposed to be a lesson in power. But somewhere along the way, I stopped being the one in charge. I thought I could keep my heart out of it. I thought Iβd accounted for every risk. But some consequences you canβt predictβno matter how carefully you draft the terms.
6. RIGHT YOUR WRONGS by Kandi Steiner
SYNOPSIS
What happens when the youngest, most successful coach in the NHL comes face-to-face with the woman he never got overβonly to find out sheβs married to his new General Manager?
More information is to be announced soon.