Cross Checking (Off the Bench #2)
S.J. Crawford
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
4.00
· Steam/Spice level: 4 of 5
Explicit open door [?]
· 5 ratings · 313 pages · Published: 25 Jun 2025
Luke
Call me jaded, but dating in Toronto is a nightmare. Erik Norberg doesn’t just wake me up—he manages to make me forget. We didn’t mean to share more than a quick moment after locking eyes in a bar, but nothing about that quiet, attractive hockey player is easy to shake.
I’m crushing hard, in too deep, and I couldn’t be happier. Unfortunately, every good thing I have eventually flies off a cliff, or in Erik's case, off to Sweden.
He was a breath of fresh air. Now that he’s gone, I’m left gasping for more.
Erik
The first time I wore skates, I found my footing within seconds. I wish talking to new people came as easily. Guys tend to take what they want and let go, but Luke Tremblay sticks around.
He’s cool, confident, and I’m hooked from day one—for the first time, I’m not waiting for the other shoe to drop. But when my place in the AHL falls out from under me, staying in Canada isn’t an option.
It turns out Luke isn’t someone I can leave behind. Step one of moving on is wanting to, and that's where I'm stuck.
Cross Checking is a low-angst MM hockey romance with a quick spark. It is the second standalone novel in the Off the Bench series. Reading in order is not required.
While situational challenges do arise, this is not a conflict-driven or high-drama narrative, which may not appeal to readers who enjoy angst and considerable internal tension. But for those who enjoy high-heat pining between guys who can’t help falling for each other, you’ll find that here.
Tropes:
• Quick Spark (Instalove)
• Slice of Life
• Long Distance
• Opposites Attract
• Hockey
• Pining
Sponsored links
Tagged as:
- sports 3
- gay romance 3
- queer romance 3
- contemporary 2
- friends to lovers 2
- friends with benefits 2
- insta-love 2
- second chances 2
- anal sex 2
- sweet/gentle hero 2
- sunny/happy hero 2
- athlete hero 2
- shy hero 2
- new adult 2
- hockey 1
- multicultural 1
- role switching 1
- workplace/office 1
- funny 1
- found family 1
- rich hero 1
- Add topics
- geography
- north america 2
- canada 2
- sweden 2
- europe 1
- scandinavia 1
- Format
- male pov 2
- dual pov 2
- first person pov 2
romance tags
The 'Off the Bench' series
4.00 · 9 ratings
office · anal sex · sunny hero · male-pov · first-person-pov · shy-hero · length-medium · explicit-open-door · friends to lovers · queer · sports · m-m · north-america · canada · dual-pov · new adult · friends-benefits · sweet-hero · contemporary · athletes
Off the Bench reading order and complete book list ❯
