A Superhero Love Story
A hotheaded winger with a superhero complex trying to live up to his father's great legacy rescues a desperate damsel-in-distress with ninety-nine problems and discovers he wants to be so much more than just her "friend" in this friends-with-benefits, he falls first, superhero hockey romance.
"When people say I have a superhero complex I take it as a compliment."
—Mikhail Zelenka, VEGAS CRUSH
I met her on my way home from the gym one day.
It was really more like she accused me of stalking her and other things that made no sense to me at the time.
Reagan Marlowe was under the impression I was working for a Vegas crime boss about to give her the shakedown.
I was under the impression she was straight-up crazy.
Gorgeous AF, but crazy all the same.
So later, when I came upon her with said shakedown in progress, I knew she wasn’t crazy at all, just terrified and in trouble.
I didn’t hesitate to step in and rescue her from the real criminals in this story.
She told me I was her own personal superhero and I probably saved her life.
I told her I was just a hockey player who happened to be in the right place at the right time and we should probably be friends.
So, we did that...we became friends.
Our friendship even grew to include the occasional naked sleepover.
But it was when she gave me the cool superhero name that I knew I wanted to be a lot more than just a friend who makes her see stars on one of our naked sleepovers.
Yes, she’s got ninety-nine problems and a Vegas crime boss on her tail, but I can make it all go away.
If she would just let me help.
Did I mention she’s also stubborn AF as well as gorgeous?
Mr. Hockey (that’s what she named me) has one more challenge before my mission is complete.
Convincing Reagan Marlowe I’ll be her superhero forever.
**Mr. HOCKEY can be read as a complete standalone sports romance. Each book in the Vegas Crush series is about a different couple.
“So, you scored tonight. I saw the replay, and it was both weird and cool that I was seeing my friend on TV’s all throughout the casino.”
Her friend. That’s how I’ve labeled it, right? So why then, do I feel slightly annoyed hearing her say the word? But now is not the time to analyze it so I deflect instead. “I did score tonight. But that’s my job.”
“So humble, for a guy with a huge poster on the side of a building not five blocks from here.”
“Meh,” I grunt. “The team’s kind of a mess right now. It took us way too long to get our footing. We easily could’ve lost that game. It’s a miracle we didn’t.”
We walk along in silence, the warmth of her small, delicate hand clasped in my much bigger one, feels right, like it’s the most natural thing in the world for us to be holding hands while we just wander along the boulevard together toward home.
READ MORE“I have to admit, I know next to nothing about hockey, Mikhail. Or any sports, to be honest. So even though I enjoyed watching you, I was clueless about a lot of it.” She sounds apologetic telling me this, but she doesn’t need to feel that way from my perspective.
“It’s okay. I appreciate being able to not think hockey sometimes.”
“Still, I feel like I should be watching your games or something. I want to learn and understand the rules better.”
The thought of Reagan wanting to watch me play thrills me in a way I haven’t felt before with anyone that I can recall. “Any time. I can get you in if you’re off when we have a home game. I’ll set you up at Will Call with standing home game tickets for Reagan Marlowe. Just give them your name at the window and you’re good to go.”
She smiles up at me and mouths the words, "thank you, friend."
My gorgeous friend, you are so f-ing welcome.
COLLAPSECover image by Justin Forsyth.
Cover model is Graham Nation.
Cover design by Jena Brignola.
