Melting Ice Series by M.M. Phoenix

The contract said "pretend. " My heart didn't get the memo. Groover. The fan fictions were the last straw. As the only openly gay player on the team, I'm used to attention, but when fans start shipping me with my straight teammates, management has a "brilliant" get a fake boyfriend to stabilize my image and secure a major sponsorship deal. Enter Mateo—a broke anthropology student who doesn't know a hockey stick from a broomstick... moreThe contract said "pretend. " My heart didn't get the memo. Groover. The fan fictions were the last straw. As the only openly gay player on the team, I'm used to attention, but when fans start shipping me with my straight teammates, management has a "brilliant" get a fake boyfriend to stabilize my image and secure a major sponsorship deal. Enter Mateo—a broke anthropology student who doesn't know a hockey stick from a broomstick. He's supposed to be the perfect fake straight, temporary, and contractually obligated to keep things professional. But when practice kisses start feeling too real and my heart races every time he wears my jersey, I realize I'm breaking the most important rule in the don't fall for the guy who's only here for the paycheck. Mateo. The arrangement was supposed to be Pretend to date a hockey player for three months, collect enough money to cover tuition, and move on with my life. Easy went out the window the moment Groover's lips touched mine "for practice. ". Suddenly I'm wearing his jersey backward for luck, getting jealous of his ex, and Googling "am I bi? " at 2 AM in incognito mode. What started as research into sports culture for my anthropology thesis is becoming a study in something I never expected. With playoffs approaching and our contract ending, I have to make a Walk away with my tuition paid and heart intact, or admit that somewhere between the fake kisses and real feelings, I've completely pucked up by falling for a man who thinks I'm just acting a part. The Puck Contract is a low-angst, high-heat bi-awakening Hockey Romance. It’s book 1 of the Melting Ice series, and can be read as a stand-alone. less

I wasn’t planning on making out with him. I’m straight. I just…got bullied into it by a talking parrot, okay? Please, you have to believe me…. ACE. None of what happened was my fault, and I’d rather not explain how I ended up in Devon’s bed. First, I’d have to tell people I’m straight, and that would already raise questions. Then I’d have to explain why I set his bar on fire, and then got bullied into making out with him by a talking parrot, and—... moreI wasn’t planning on making out with him. I’m straight. I just…got bullied into it by a talking parrot, okay? Please, you have to believe me…. ACE. None of what happened was my fault, and I’d rather not explain how I ended up in Devon’s bed. First, I’d have to tell people I’m straight, and that would already raise questions. Then I’d have to explain why I set his bar on fire, and then got bullied into making out with him by a talking parrot, and—. You can see how that would be an awkward conversation. In my defense, it was all for charity. The making out part, I mean. Pucks for Paws and all. Well, technically it wasn’t, but it was during this thing for charity. I didn’t actually have to make out with him, I just…. I’m not really making my case, am I? DEVON. Some say December’s the busiest time of the year, and it definitely is for me. This one started with two dozen oversized penguins (also known as a hockey team in formal wear) trashing my bar. And by “my” bar, I mean a bar I work at. Since—checks watch—earlier today. But that’s okay, because I got to lie on top of one of them (the hottest one, thank you)for a minute, so all is well in the universe. Speaking of hockey players… Have you seen a warm-up skate? Because if you haven’t, you definitely should. The way they drop down on the ice, spread their legs, and pump their—. Actually, I can’t talk right now. I have an animal shelter to save, a parrot to thank, a warm-up to catch, and an unfairly hot hockey forward to try to convince to let me lie on top of him again. Like I said, December’s super busy. Low Pucktually is a low angst, high-heat bi-awakening Hockey Romance. It’s a part of Melting Ice series and can be read as a stand-alone. less

Lesson Don't roast your new teammate on a hot mic. Lesson Don't fall for him in a cabin built for one. Becker. Accidentally broadcasting my unfiltered commentary about Kane Marcus's "personality-free" press conference to 700K people wasn't my finest moment. Getting assigned as his roommate immediately after? The universe has a sick sense of humor. Kane's got more issues than Sports Illustrated and a father with enough power to make or break careers... moreLesson Don't roast your new teammate on a hot mic. Lesson Don't fall for him in a cabin built for one. Becker. Accidentally broadcasting my unfiltered commentary about Kane Marcus's "personality-free" press conference to 700K people wasn't my finest moment. Getting assigned as his roommate immediately after? The universe has a sick sense of humor. Kane's got more issues than Sports Illustrated and a father with enough power to make or break careers. He’s the hockey world's golden boy—talented, controlled, and thoroughly straight. I'm the chaos gremlin who just turned him into a meme. We're supposed to become the team's defensive core. Instead, we're one cabin fire away from homicide. At least that's what I tell myself while trying not to stare at him doing his elaborate morning routine. Or when our legs touch during ice baths. Or that night I definitely, absolutely should not have been awake when he thought I was sleeping. .. Turns out the line between wanting to fight someone and actually wanting them is thinner than I thought. And I'm about to cross it in a spectacularly stupid way. Kane. I transferred to escape my father's shadow. Instead, I got Becker—a podcasting menace who turns everything into content and makes me feel things I've spent twenty-four years not feeling. About anyone. Especially not men. But a tiny cabin does things to a person. Things like noticing how Becker's chaos somehow makes sense. How his smile makes my carefully controlled world tilt sideways. How badly I want to kiss the smirk off his face after he calls me a "hockey robot" for the thousandth time. When we finally stop fighting long enough to kiss, everything changes. But my father doesn't do change—he does ultimatums. One hot-mic incident later, and he's threatening to blacklist Becker from the league. And I'm about to break his heart to save it. Puck Your Feelings is a low-angst, high-heat bi-awakening Hockey Romance. It’s book 2 of the Melting Ice series, and can be read as a stand-alone. less