Worth the Penalty

He's the town's fiercest enforcer on the ice. She's the anxious baker who stole his parking spot. And neither knows they've been pouring their hearts out to each other online... NADIA Moving to Frostwood to revive my late aunt's bakery was supposed to be a fresh start. Instead, within twenty minutes of my first delivery, I ignite a blood feud with Colton Hargrove—the Wildcats' notoriously brooding enforcer—over an unsigned parking spot.To save my bakery from an aggressive real estate developer who happens to be Colt's conniving ex, Colt proposes a truce: fake-date through the annual Harvest Festival to rally the town behind my shop. The rules are strict: no kissing, no catching feelings, and a clean exit when the festival ends.There's just one problem. My only emotional lifeline is "e;Hockey Harvey,"e; an anonymous match on a niche dating app who listens to my deepest fears and gives me butterfly-inducing advice on how to handle the infuriating man in front of me.COLTI knew Nadia Chen was "e;Sunshine Bakes"e; the moment she messaged Harvey about stealing my spot.I should have told her immediately. But in person, I'm the grumpy athlete with defensive walls three feet thick, and on the screen, I'm the only man she trusts. When her bakery is threatened, fake-dating her is my excuse to stand between Nadia and everything trying to hurt her.Standing beside her at vendor stalls, holding her hand for the cameras, and bringing her midnight coffee, the line between fake and real vanishes. But as the festival clock winds down, my secret is a ticking time bomb. How do I confess that the phantom she's falling for online is the very man holding her in his arms?Worth the Penalty is a full-length, standalone hockey romance featuring a protective enforcer hero, a stubborn heroine who talks to her sourdough starter, sizzling banter, and a guaranteed happily ever after.