Going home for the holidays is never easy. But it’s next to impossible when you’ve just been dumped.

Just when I think it can’t get any worse, my grad school nemesis, billionaire playboy Macallan Blaze, finds me sulking, trying to figure out a Plan B.

Life’s a game to him, so when he offers to stand in as my fake boyfriend, I think hes joking. But hes dead serious.

And it’s not like I can afford to turn him down. My tiny hometown only consists of 600 residents, where everyone knows everyone, and gossip spreads faster than wildfire.

Of freaking course, everyone falls in love with Mac the minute they meet him, and it’s like he grew up in Rust Canyon.

But when he lets the cocky facade slip and shows peeks of the man behind the mask, I start to think that maybe I shouldn’t have been so quick to judge.

The scariest part of all is that I might actually like him.

My heart only beats for her.

Four years ago, half of my heart walked out the door. The piece left behind has sat frozen in time—a time when our love was alive and thriving.

I was luckier than most guys in the league. I met the girl of my dreams before I hit it big, and she stood by my side as my hockey career took off.

She was my cheerleader, my best friend, my soulmate.

I promised my wife the world and then failed to deliver.

But now she's back. And she needs my help.

I've never been able to say no to Evie, and while her plan is crazy, I fully intend to use it to win her back.

Losing her once almost destroyed me. I refuse to let her go again. So I'll move heaven and earth to make sure she gets exactly what she wants while working out a way to keep her for good.

Ever heard of imposter syndrome?

Well, if you look it up in the dictionary, you'll find my picture beside the definition.

I've been living in my older brother's shadow since the day I was born.

Anyone would struggle to live up to the legacy of the great Jaxon Slate, hockey superstar and face of the league. But it's worse for me. Everyone expects me to be Jaxon 2.0, and I'm nothing more than an off-brand imitation.

When I'm out and about, people see me and glance over my shoulder, hoping he's with me.

Until her.

She couldn't get away from me fast enough the day we met. The second she heard I was a professional athlete, she bolted for the door.

I can't remember the last time someone wasn't trying to get close to me because of my career, my athletic skills on the ice, or my famous brother.

Now if only she would give me the time of day.

I'm ready to be seen as more than just a second-rate superstar. It's time to play the starring role in my own life.

One night. No names. What could go wrong?

I am done with hockey boys.

Well, at least done dating them. I can't cut them out of my life completely.

Needing a fresh start after heartbreak, I moved halfway across the country.

A one-night stand seemed like the perfect palate cleanser before I began my new life.

That was, until I saw those striking green eyes staring back at me from the podium on my first day as a reporter for the Indy Speed hockey team.

I've done some stupid things, but unknowingly sleeping with Maddox freaking Sterling lands at the top of the list.

His status may have gone from captain to head coach, but the old adage remains the same: you can take the player out of the game but can't take the game out of the player.