Vancouver Knights

Hockey has always been my sole focus, getting to the playoffs, winning the Stanley Cup—that’s my number one goal. I won’t let the fact that I’ve just been traded to a new team derail my future. Nor will the daughter of the so-called King of Canada, aka my new boss. Aliyah, the gorgeous, feisty brunette who’s just been assigned as my official “babysitter.” Although, when you're trapped in a room with a temptation like her, there’s only so much restraint one man can have.

Everything was perfect until it wasn’t. Nobody warns you that it can all be taken away in the blink of an eye. Now my life revolves around working two part-time jobs to make ends meet while taking care of my daughter alone. Ensuring she doesn’t drown in my grief. When Graycee asks to play hockey, I scrape and save enough to sign her up for the local youth league. The smile on her face as she steps out onto the ice makes every sacrifice worth it.

Most men I date are scared away as soon as they meet my family. Travis isn’t most men. He’s stared down the barrel of my father’s gun without flinching. He should have run, though. If he had, he wouldn’t be lying in a hospital bed right now. I never wanted to believe my family would be capable of doing this. But that little voice in the back of my head likes to remind me of who I am. Who I’ll always be. Liliana Valentino, daughter of Theo Valentino, the current Don of the Valentino Crime Family.

Some things are off-limits. My best friend’s little sister has always been one of those things. Years later, I can still hear his voice in my head telling me not to go there. The fact those warnings are coming from beyond the grave doesn’t help matters either. Especially when part of me is hellbent on ignoring him. The thing is, now that I’ve crossed that line, there’s no going back. Because Montana Baker is everything I’ve always wanted and can’t have.