Collision
The chill of the rink was familiar, almost comforting, as Mia Carter stepped onto the concrete concourse.
Beneath the roar of the crowd, the sharp scent of ice and sweat hit her like a memory she’d tried too hard to forget.
Mia adjusted the strap of her worn leather satchel, notebook tucked inside like a weapon.
This is just another assignment, she reminded herself.
But even as she said it, her eyes drifted to the center of the arena, to the man who owned every inch of it.
Liam Hayes.
Captain of the Hawks, face of the league, and — according to her editor — the perfect centerpiece for her exposé on the cracks in professional hockey.
He skated like a storm across the ice, controlled fury in every stride, but it was his eyes that unsettled her.
Focused. Burning. As if the game wasn’t enough to quench the fire inside him.
Mia clicked her pen. Focus, Carter.
She flipped open her notebook, scribbling first impressions.
Hawks captain: controlled aggression, razor-sharp instincts, haunted gaze.
She hesitated. Dangerous charm, she added under her breath, before scratching it out.
Liam Hayes was a story wrapped in a scandal waiting to happen. She just had to peel back the layers before anyone else did.
"First time in the lion's den?" a voice teased from behind her.
Mia turned to find Jack Brody, the team’s media liaison, flashing his practiced grin. "Hardly," she replied coolly. "I grew up in these cages."
His smile faltered. "Ah. Carter. Right. You’re that Carter."
The daughter of a legend. The legacy no one wanted to mention.
Mia’s jaw tightened. "Let’s keep this professional, shall we?"
Before he could respond, a blur of motion on the ice caught her eye. Liam crashed into an opposing forward, knocking him clean against the boards. The crowd erupted. He didn’t celebrate. He never did. Instead, Liam skated away like a man chasing ghosts.
Mia’s heart thudded, not from fear — from the spark of a challenge.
You’re my story, Hayes, she thought, gripping her pen tighter. And I’m going to break you wide open.
