Love Flames Melting His Ice Cold Heart

By AuthorsDread LLC

Rees Pitcher lives life in the fast lane - as a pro hockey player and serial playboy. But when his latest fling goes awry, he finds himself hiding out in small town Alaska. That's where he meets Bianca - a sweet, guarded shop girl who wants nothing to do with arrogant men. Sparks fly as the icy athlete tries to thaw the hurt hiding behind Bianca's warm smile. But with jealous exes and a blizzard closing in, will these opposites melt each other's frozen hearts?

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorsDread LLC
• Release date: Jan 11, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224410095

Book preview

Chapter 1

God, he hated Alaska.

Rees tugged his parka tighter against the icy wind and cursed as he stumbled through yet another snowdrift. The GPS on his phone kept glitching, but he had to be close to town by now. Where the hell was this Glacier Falls place anyway? Nothing but white in every direction. His fingers and toes had gone numb even inside his gloves and heavy boots.

This is what he got for hooking up with a crazy hockey fan. When Saskia had invited him to her family’s remote Alaskan cabin for the week, Rees had imagined tranquil fires and a lot of naked fun. Maybe some dogsledding or ice fishing too if he got bored. But turned out the only thing nuttier than the sex was Saskia herself. The minute Rees mentioned heading home early, she went ballistic. Accused him of just using her and tried to smash his precious hockey trophies.

So he’d snuck out and snagged her snowmobile...only to quickly realize he had no damn clue how to navigate these frozen boonies. But anything was better than another minute with Fatal Attraction back there.

Shivering violently, Rees debated if freezing to death was preferable to getting axe-murdered by an obsessed one night stand. Hell, if he survived this he was swearing off puck bunnies for good.

Just as he contemplated finding a snowdrift to crawl into forever, the outlines of a building emerged from the icy fog. Salvation at last! He angled the sputtering snowmobile towards the hazy structures, nearly kissing the frostbitten ground when he stumbled off at what looked like the main lodge.

Oh thank God, Rees exhaled, stumbling through the carved wooden door. Warmth and country tunes enveloped him instantly. Shaking the frost from his hair, he scoped out what looked like a bustling ski shop, complete with racks of cold weather gear and a counter at the back for renting equipment.

Well dang, you look frostier than a moose on an ice floe! A woman’s voice drawled behind him.

Rees turned to behold a pretty brunette smiling up at him amusedly. Her thick dark hair was tied back in a jaunty ponytail. Though bundled under layers of thermal wear, her shapely figure caught his eye along with the lively sparkle in her hazel gaze.

I uh, got a little lost out there, Rees admitted with an embarrassed chuckle. My GPS went haywire and my snowmobile died. Is this Glacier Falls?

Sure is, she affirmed with a grin, her cheeks flushing appealingly pink. And you look like you could use some warming up. Grab a seat by the woodstove and I’ll fix you up something hot to drink.

That would be amazing. Rees flashed his most charming smile. My name’s Rees. Just blew into town today.

Her eyes widened in recognition at his name, scanning his face more closely. He was used to that reaction from female fans and waited for her to fangirl and ask for an autograph. But she just stuck out a mittened hand in greeting.

Nice to meet ya Rees, I’m Bianca. My uncle owns this little shop. You picked a heck of a day to visit! Biggest blizzard we’ve had all season.

He gratefully accepted the steaming cup Bianca handed him once he settled by the sought-after woodstove. The shop lodge was quaint but cosy, dotted with a few tables, racks of winter gear and equipment for sale, and walls decorated with vintage snowshoes and fur trapper memorabilia. Roaring fire warming his bones, Rees took stock of his rescuer as she tidied behind the rental counter.

Yeah, Bianca was definitely cute. Girl-next-door pretty with her ponytail and freckled button nose. Now that her puffy coat