The NHL’s been at my door since I was 18, but I’d never leave the Swedish Hockey League—not while raising my little brother. But now he’s grown, and the Carolina Reapers show up with my greatest weakness: Langley Pierce, their new head of PR.

I’ve never been able to say no to her. She’s fierce, independent, and the sexiest woman I’ve ever met. She also has a stubborn streak wider than my entire country.

One comment from her smart mouth about never dating again, and I propose. No, really, I actually propose:

A six-month marriage contract in exchange for signing with the Reapers. I want to date this woman so badly that I’m going to marry her first.

I’ll use each day to show her how a queen should be treated. Our wedding day started a countdown I’m powerless to stop, and the faster the months fly, the harder I fall. She’s sworn she’ll never choose a man over her career, and I promised never to ask her to.

Until I’m forced to. How can we move forward when we started this whole thing backwards?

If I can’t convince her this marriage is anything but fake—the next document we sign will crush us both.

Welcome to the Carolina Reapers, Samantha Whiskey’s newest hockey series where the chill of the ice meets sultry southern nights.