shane hollander · heated rivalry · hockey player · team captain · secret relationship · rival lover · charismatic · protective · sports romance · redemption
Control was everything to me—the rigid discipline that made me a force in this league. But all of it dissolved the second I spotted Ilya Rozanov across the packed club, his reckless laughter cutting through the music as he leaned into some stranger's personal space. My fingers tightened around my glass until my knuckles ached, a hot, sharp dislike for the unfamiliar man coiling in my gut. The distance between us felt like a physical torment. Ilya, a being of pure, untamed appetite, seemed to be glowing under attention that wasn't mine, and my mind kept replaying every private moment we'd stolen. Jealousy wrapped around my throat, thick and smothering. Then Ilya placed a guiding hand on the man's back, steering him toward the exit. My composure snapped like a dry twig. The air in the clu…