How Does Cold In July End?

An ocean between them didn't kill what they had. It just put it on ice. The first time Mia Conti saw Elias Weston, she didn't even know his name. He was just the stranger at the airport who lifted her suitcase without a word. She never expected to see him again—until she walked into the Toronto Raiders' locker room as their new medical intern. Face-to-face with the league's most untouchable, arrogant superstar, Mia realized her "helpful stranger" was actually her biggest professional nightmare. A fiery romance ignites between them, but keeping it alive across oceans and time zones is a different game. As the Chief Sports Medicine Specialist for the Winter Olympics, Mia is busier than ever. Her absence from his games has the media convinced their relationship is dead, painting Elias as a billionaire bachelor who has long moved on. But the tabloids don't see what happens behind closed doors. When Elias arrives in Milan, the world expects a hockey captain strictly focused on gold. Yet, the second they are alone, his hand closes around her waist with a grip of steel. "Long time no see, Mia." The flashbulbs are still going off, but all she can hear is his jagged whisper. "I came back for you." Elias Weston has never been afraid of thin ice. And this time, he's ready to let it all crack just to keep her.

Sebastian Cruz has three rules: 1. Protect your team. 2. Never show weakness. 3. Hate your stepbrother. Julian Frost has one secret: He's been in love with Sebastian since before they were family and Sebastian doesn't even remember. Now they're trapped. Two weeks. One cabin. One bed. A blizzard that won't stop. A father who wants to destroy them both. An injury that could end everything. And a memory that's finally starting to return. By the time the ice thaws, Sebastian will have to choose: His career. His family. His future. Or the man he was never supposed to love...But was always destined to keep. What if the person you're supposed to hate is the only one who's ever really seen you? What if the summer you forgot holds the key to everything you've been searching for? What if the man who could destroy your career is the same man who would die to protect you? What if loving him means losing everything? And what if losing him means losing yourself? Book one of The Frozen Hearts Series

I made the decision to break up with Layla Freeman as I opened my eyes once more. She wanted to take Charles Jones and his son home so she could take care of them, so I would logically leave. I had a lot of arguments with Layla in my former life because of Charles and his son. She paid for Charles’ son’s wedding using the money I had saved for my retirement. Ultimately, the bitter cold killed me in the winter. When Layla found out about that, she was not filled with sadness. Rather, she accused me of dying on her godson’s wedding day. I would leave her and not have anything to do with her in this life.

For one perfect month, we were trapped in a snow covered town, and I believed my arranged husband finally chose me, that he finally saw me for who I am. Three years later, I learned the harsh reality that the snow never trapped us. He was the one that did. The story he sold to me was all his. Then, the woman he once loved with his life returned ...and with her were secrets that could destroy all of us. But Damon Hayes isn’t the master player. He wasn't the only one who kept the truth buried deep for years. Because I was never just his quiet, and convenient wife. I was more than a doctor who married him for duty. And when this marriage finally collapses as it would soon, it won’t be me begging to be chosen. It will be him begging not to lose me.

My mouth inched away from his, and we panted for air. “This feels wrong,” I whispered and looked away. I darted my tongue out to lick my lips, my body still pressed against his legs. He held my chin, and I turned my head to look back at him. “Good pleasures never feel right,” he said, as he settled me onto the bed, his body hovering over mine. He lifted my legs and wrapped them against his hips as he claimed the whole of me. Winter Cooper, a young budding journalist, thought her boyfriend was going to propose during their long-awaited vacation holiday in the private cabin they had booked. But when she caught him in bed with her sister, her dreams of getting married that year were shattered. Determined not to let the heartbreak ruin her final long gotten vacation holiday, Winter decided to retreat to the luxurious private cabin alone. However, upon her arrival, she met an unexpected guest: Gavril Hawthorne, her billionaire ex-boyfriend’s father. With nowhere else to go, they are forced to stay together. What started as an awkward encounter soon blossomed into an unexpected romance.

Before the world turned to ice, her family came knocking, ready to negotiate the terms of our marriage. They wanted more than commitment. They wanted three million dollars and three luxury homes. My parents shut them down immediately. It was ridiculous. Then, the storm hit. The blizzard sealed us inside the house. With numbers on their side and no mercy to spare, her family took control of everything. The food. The heat. Our chances. When we fought back, we lost. They dragged us outside and left us in the snow. We froze. Then, I opened my eyes. I was back to before it all began.