All Sunshine Gardener wants is a night out. Something she’s promised herself after spending her first two years of college hiding away in her dorm.

Beau Anderson knows he’s the best goaltender in the NCAA, and if he wants to go pro, all he needs to do is keep his head on straight and graduate.

The two meet by accident, literally, when Sunshine’s rideshare runs a red light. It doesn’t take long for their friendship to evolve into something more. Unfortunately, secrets relationships are only fun until the secrets start to pile up. Sunshine is dealing with threats from her driver in the accident, Beau is close to failing a class, and the first semester is barely coming to an end.

Will Beau and Sunshine make it to the final buzzer, or will Beau find himself off the ice and without Sunshine by his side?

Excerpt:

A hand comes to my lower back, gently pulling my attention.

“You good?” Beau asks, his voice low.

“Yeah.”

“If you get tired of leaning on the crutches, you can always lean back on me. I know they’ve been hurting you.”

“What if you get tired? We’ll both fall.” I gasp dramatically.

“Me? Get tired? Do you know who you’re talking to?” He flexes his arm muscles.

“No, I don’t.” I squint, pretending to look him over. “Have we met before? You look an awful lot like the guy who hit me with his car.”

Beau’s jaw drops as he stares at me in shock for a long moment, and then he throws his head back and barks out a laugh so loud, it draws attention from everyone nearby. “Oh my god, I can’t believe you said that.”

My cheeks heat. “What? Too soon?”

“Nah, it was funny. Good to know you can joke about it. Lets me know where your head is at with the whole thing.”

“What was so funny?” The new voice suddenly behind me makes me jump.

“Hey, Vicky. Happy birthday, man.” Beau wraps his arm around my waist and gently pulls me back, forcing me to readjust my hold on my crutches so they can support me better. I’m so close to Beau that I could easily shift my weight and be leaning against his front.

Vicky, the birthday boy, is slightly swaying on his feet.

Denver clasps a hand on his shoulder, which I think just makes him sway harder as if Denver is shoving him. “You’re gonna regret this tomorrow.”

“Nah, I’ve never been better,” Vicky slurs.

“Happy birthday, Victor.” Magnus slaps the birthday boy’s back in a way that I think is supposed to be a kind gesture despite the force that makes Vicky nearly fall forward.

Thank goodness it’s Beau right behind me because I flinch to get out of the way and slam right into him. Beau’s arm tightens around my stomach, pinning me to him. Even through our layers, I can feel the solid muscles that make up Beau.

Is it weird that leaning against him has my stomach fluttering? It’s not even an intimate gesture, but I like feeling his strength behind me. Should I stop leaning against him? Maybe. His hold around my waist is still firm, like he’s clinging to me as tightly as I want him to. I might be reading too much into it… I don’t care. I like it.

Vicky shouts in pure joy. “Whoo-hoo, I’m twenty-one, fuckers!”

His happiness, even if alcohol-induced, is contagious. It has a matching grin coming to my face. The way Beau’s body is shaking behind me, I think he’s holding back his own laughter.

I hadn’t even realized Vicky had a bottle of something in his hand until he raises it to his lips, tilting it back so far that he nearly falls backward at the motion. When he pulls it down, he uses his forearm to wipe his lips. “This stuff is so good. Y’all want some?” He raises the bottle like he’s offering it for anyone to grab.

When his blurry-eyed gaze meets mine, his grin gets impossibly wider. “Well, hello there.”

Beau makes the introduction from behind me. “Vicky, this is Sunshine. Sunshine, this is the birthday boy.”

“Ah, guys, you got me a stripper?” Vicky looks ecstatic at the idea.

I bark out a laugh although Beau definitely doesn’t think it’s funny.

“What the fuck?” he demands. “Sunshine isn’t a stripper.”

Vicky just looks confused. “Her name is Sunshine. Isn’t that like Diamond or Trinity or Mercy?”

The other guys are fighting their own smiles and laughter. I can hear the tight clench in Beau’s jaw as he grits out, “No, her name’s just fucking Sunshine.”

“Really?” He looks at me like my name is a true mystery. “What, are your parents hippies?”

That makes me laugh harder. I let my weight fall back onto Beau as I try to get myself under control. I’m honestly not offended. Beau, on the other hand, has tension radiating from him. The other guys can obviously see it, but Vicky must be too drunk to notice.

“Actually, yeah,” I tell him. “They are. My name really is Sunshine. But you can call me Sunny if you want.”