Bad Boys
Title: Bad BoysSeries: Hot Off the Ice #8
Genre: Hockey Romance
Pages: 438
Behave or be benched.
Noah Braterman's hotheaded attitude may cost him his NHL career before it truly begins. After alienating his current teammates, coaches, fans, and the press, Noah gets a second chance to prove his worth when he’s traded to the Seattle Thunder with one ultimatum—lose the attitude or lose his spot on the team.
Enter Adam Labatt, former NHL player, and Noah’s last, best Vegas fling.
After his own rocky past in the show, Adam turned himself around and is now being asked by his old mentor to help Noah learn to play well with others. Living in isolation on his private island and still guilt-ridden over the way his marriage ended, how can Adam possibly mentor anyone? But the man he shared an unexpectedly intimate passionate night with is worth fighting for, even if he has to fight Noah himself.
Forced into close quarters, the walls they’ve erected to protect themselves crumble as they share their hopes, dreams, and fears.
Fate brought them together. Now it’s up to them to find the courage to face the world unafraid. If they do, they just might create a future better than they could have imagined that night in Vegas under the desert stars.
I get so excited every time a new Hot Off the Ice book comes out because the entire series has been an absolute delight. And with Bad Boys, the author has delivered another gem.
Nik - Amazon Reviewer
Noah and Adam are so sweet and right for each other. Even though they each had issues to work through, they did it with open conversations, maturity and a vulnerability that sucks you in.
Watching them grow through and bloom was just as much fun as watching them find a home in each other.
It’s also wonderful to catch glimpses of the various couples we’ve met and their families.
Can’t wait for the next installment. I do hope it’s Hubs’ turn!
This author’s work is always a one-click for me, but this one was even better than I was expecting. The hurt/comfort vibes are spot on and the ending is nice and satisfying. A+
Meghan - Amazon Reviewer
“Who are these douchebags and why the hell are you with them?”
Adam frowned. “Why do you care?”
Noah shrugged. “I’m bored and you looked miserable.” He helped himself to a chicken wing from Seth’s plate.
“Won’t your friends wonder where you are?”
Noah frowned. “What friends?”
“The people you were with before.” They’d looked like a group of college jocks. Confident in their appeal, convinced they were the envy of all. Adam had been that once. He remembered it well.
Noah's eyes sparkled. “How do you know who I was with? Were you watching me?”
Shit. “No comment.”
“I was watching you, too. Obviously. And I don’t know those guys.” Noah licked his fingers. “So, who are these guys, and why are you wasting your time with them?” He crossed his legs and stretched his arms across the seatback, mirroring Adam’s pose. “I can tell it’s not because you love Topgolf so much.”
“I’m here because I’m a sucker, and I got talked into it.”
Noah raised his eyebrows. “You don’t look like a guy who lets himself be talked into things. You got that whole”—Noah circled a finger in the air and gave an exaggerated glower—“grumpy bastard face going on.” He helped himself to some bourbon from the bottle, pouring it into the glass he’d been holding. “I would think that would scare anyone away.”
“Didn’t seem to work on you.”
Noah took a long swallow and sighed. “Ah, the good stuff. And if you knew my dad, you’d understand why I’m immune to the glower.”
Adam scowled. Noah’s eyes grinned at him over the edge of his glass, a definite challenge in his gaze.
“Fine. I’m doing a favor for my brother-in-law, who actually is a good person. He’s trying to work with these guys, and he thought I could swing the deal.”
Raised eyebrows showed what Noah thought about Dev’s idea. “I know. That’s what I said.”
Noah tapped a finger against his glass and set it on the table before tilting his head to study Adam. “What’s your brother-in-law’s name? And what kind of deal?”
“Why do you care again?”
Noah shrugged and, interlacing his fingers, stretched his arms out in front of him with a grunt. It did amazing things to his biceps and pecs. “You looked like you could use some rescuing, and I’m great with strangers.”
“My hero.” Adam’s voice was drier than Rusty’s twenty-five-dollar martini.
“I can’t make it worse.” Noah’s smile was all teeth.
“I’m not so sure about that.” They stared at each other for a moment and then Adam sighed. “Fine. Maybe they’ll at least go away, and I won’t have to listen to their bullshit anymore. Dev will forgive me. Eventually.”
“Dev is the brother-in-law?”
“Ex.”
“Ex-brother-in-law and you’re still helping him out?”
Adam looked away and then back. “I owe him my life.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I’m fucking this up, and I really hate to let him down.”
Noah stood up and laid his hand on Adam’s shoulder again, giving a squeeze. “We won’t. Trust me.”
We? Adam wanted to be annoyed, but he liked the way Noah’s hand felt on him. How long had it been since he’d been touched by anyone outside his very small family? Did manly back-slapping hugs count? No, he decided, they did not.
“Do you have any of your brother-in-law’s business cards?” Noah held out a hand imperiously. “And what am I pushing on them? Give me some selling points.”
“What do you know about financial advising for billionaires?”
Noah poked him in the chest. “That’s why you need me. You’re not thinking about this the right way. I’m not selling investments or whatever, I’m selling you. You as someone they should trust.”
Huh. That was kind of what Dev had told him. But still, this guy didn’t know Adam from, well, Adam. How could he possibly pull this off? Adam’s head shook even as he reached for his wallet. “No. This is a terrible idea. I don’t care how charming you are.”
“You think I’m charming?” Noah’s eyes sparkled with more than mischief as he bit his lower lip and released it slowly.
“I think you’re something, alright.”
Noah leaned in closer, his voice pitched just for the two of them to hear, his breath ghosting across Adam’s skin.
“Wouldn’t you like to know for sure?”
God help him, but he really, really would.
“Fine.” With a sigh, Adam pulled out a stack of Dev’s cards and handed them over. Noah nodded attentively as Adam told Noah the sales pitch Dev had made him memorize.
Noah glanced at the driving bay. “I think the marks, I mean potential clients, are getting restless. Wish me luck.”
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