False Play (Chicago Strikers, #1)

Henry Anderson has always been the league’s favorite bad boy—cocky, ridiculously talented, and never one to back down from a fight. But when a brutal on-ice brawl puts his career on the line, his only shot at redemption lies in the hands of Kennedy Jones, the team’s new PR director, who can’t stand him… and who just so happens to be the woman he’s had a thing for since the moment she walked into the arena years ago.

Kennedy’s personal life is a mess. She thought she’d be in a very different place by now, but she’s focused on one thing: fixing Henry’s image and getting him back in the team’s good graces. That is, until a tabloid article drops with out-of-context photos and bold claims that they’re dating as a desperate PR stunt. Now? They need a plan. Fast.

He needs to fix his reputation. She needs to protect her career in a male-dominated industry. Enter the perfect plan: spin the article in their favor, fake a relationship, and convince the world it’s real.

But the more they pretend, the more real it starts to feel. Sparks fly. Lines blur. Kennedy insists she still can’t stand him, mostly to protect her bruised heart. And Henry, despite every reason to keep his distance, is falling hard and fast.

With careers, reputation, and hearts on the line, they’ll have to decide… Can this false play turn into the real thing?

False Play is a spicy sports workplace romance with black cat x golden retriever energy, fake dating, forced proximity, and he falls first.