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Puck Love

The Elmwood Stories series

by Lane Hayes

Length: 70,000 words
Prior Reading: not required
Genre: contemporary, sports
Tropes: Light-angst, hockey, enemies-to-lovers
Trigger/Content Warnings: n/a

Blurb:

Jake

Favorite things and peeps: hockey, family, friends.
Least favorite person in the entire history of the universe: Mason Trinsky.

I have my reasons, but since youโ€™re curious, Trinsky is a showboat and a loudmouth. Sure, heโ€™s a great athlete. Good for him. I accept that we have mutual friends, and I grudgingly accept that heโ€™ll be a coach at Elmwood Junior Camp this summerโ€”however, I plan to keep my distance.

Of course, some wise guy pairs us up for a camping expedition, and everything that can go wrong does go wrong.

Guess who Iโ€™m stuck with?

Trinsky

Favorite things and peeps: hockey, surfing, and my kid brother
Least favorite person in the entire history of the universe: Jake Milligan

Look, I might be in the minority, but if you ask me, Jake is a nitpicking diva who wants everything his way. I hope my NHL team crushes his, and this summer, I want my campers to out-prank his. Childish? Nah, itโ€™s all in good fun.

Until it starts to feelโ€ฆcomplicated. I shouldnโ€™t care if heโ€™s happy, should I? I donโ€™t want to be Jakeโ€™s friend. I donโ€™t want to have feelings for him at all.

The only thing that matters is hockey. It’s all about the puck. Not love.

Or is it?

Puck Love is an MM bisexual, small-town romance featuring hockeyโ€™s hottest rivals, a hiking trip gone wrong, and a shot at foreverโ€ฆ

AVAILABLE NOW

*****

Excerpt:

And of course, we had Jake. No description needed, but in case youโ€™re curious, his navy swim trunks matched his ball cap, his backpack, and his Crocs. Yeahโ€ฆCrocs. 

I didnโ€™t actually hate Crocs, but Iโ€™d diss โ€™em โ€™cause I had the maturity of an eggplant, or so Jake inferred. Besides there was really no way I could be expected to be nice for forty-eight hours straightโ€ฆwas there? 

Nah. 

โ€œLookinโ€™ Croc-tastic, Milligan,โ€ I whispered. 

Jake frowned and shushed me, which made me want to step on his toes. โ€œI donโ€™t know if this is possible, but we need to come up with a plan to stay out of each otherโ€™s way.โ€

โ€œEasy. Iโ€™ll take two, you take two. I call Howard and the kid with braces.โ€

โ€œWhy donโ€™t you want David?โ€ 

โ€œToo serious and eager for me. Perfect for you,โ€ I replied, leaning close. 

He smelled good, like peppermint and evergreen andโ€” 

Geez, was he wearing cologne? Better questionโ€ฆwhy had I noticed? Maybe I was allergic to peppermint and associated it with terrible things likeโ€ฆuhโ€ฆthe holidays. 

Okay, totally false. I loved the holidays, and peppermint was awesome. It was just weird that Jake would smell good and lookโ€ฆ

Ugh, it pained me to admit it, but Jake was kind of sort of handsomeโ€ฆtoday. His summer tan made his blue eyes pop and wove golden strands into his dark-blond hair. Iโ€™d only noticed because I was in dire need of vitamin D. And this entire mental sidebar probably meant I was in desperate need of a vacation too. 

โ€œFine. Iโ€™ll take David and Milo. Letโ€™s win this.โ€

I furrowed my brow. โ€œWin what?โ€

Jake spared me a glance, his lips quirked in vague amusement. โ€œThe whole weekend. I know itโ€™s lighthearted fun, but itโ€™s also basic swim and running relays too. Can you swim?โ€

โ€œOf course I can fucking swim,โ€ I scoffed. 

โ€œCool. If youโ€™re faster on the ground than you are on ice, we should do all right.โ€ 

โ€œAre you insinuating that Iโ€™m a slow skater? That is fucking priceless.โ€ I snorted. 

Jake just smiled and clapped along to whatever Vinnie was yapping about. โ€œIf you say so. By the way, you might want to curb your F bombs. This is a G-rated family weekend. Show some class, Trinsky.โ€

โ€œFuck yourself, Milligan.โ€ 

โ€œNice one, asshat. Youโ€”โ€ 

Ray or Jay bumped my elbow as he sidled close, camera in hand. โ€œOh, donโ€™t stop on my account. This is perfect.โ€ 

I gritted my teeth and probably would have said something rude, but I was interrupted by a cheer from the crowd. 

โ€œAre you ready to party?โ€ Vinnie hooted, fists pumping the air. โ€œLetโ€™s do this!โ€ 

*****

Author Info:

Lane Hayesย  lives in sunny Southern California with her amazing husband, who thankfully doesnโ€™t mind cooking, and their fabulous fox red Labrador, George, whoโ€™s pure mischief. Both provide oodles of inspiration for the low-angst, humorous books Lane loves to write.

Sheโ€™s been telling stories about sexy, funny, sometimes geeky and quirky men who find love for a dozen years now and loving every minute. In her previous life, she sat at a desk and dealt with numbers, so yesโ€ฆromance is much more satisfying!

Lane loves tea, travel, and chocolateโ€ฆin any order. Add a book and sheโ€™s set!

My Readersโ€™ Group, Laneโ€™s Lovers: https://bit.ly/3aIbMYg
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Website: www.lane-hayes.com
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Goodreads: goodreads.com/LaneHayes

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