Slap Shot — Chelsea Curto

Hudson Hayes, star defenseman for the DC Stars, needs help. He's been looking for a private chef for months but keeps coming up short. With the NHL season starting and no prospects in sight, he's close to giving up.

Madeline Galloway needs a job. Recently let go from her executive chef position in Las Vegas, she's desperate as can be when she reaches out to an old acquaintance about a possible job opportunity…. in DC.

After hitting it off with her prospective employer, the blond hockey star who seems to have a heart of gold, she and her daughter, Lucy, make the move east.

The rules were simple: no personal relationships. No falling for the romantic guy who always made her smile, even if they were living together and spending all their free time with each other.

But after a kiss on New Year's Eve, everything changes. The lines blur. Being Hudson's friend -- and only his friend -- is the last thing on her mind.

And when Hudson learns American Sign Language for her daughter? It might be a slap shot to the heart.

Slap Shot is a spicy slow burn friends to lovers, private chef x hockey player romance with forced proximity and a man who if he wanted to, he would.