Breakaway

Cooper is a college hockey player with his sights set on a professional career. Attention from admirers has never been hard to come by, but a recent stretch without any romance has left him restless and distracted, and his game is paying for it. Losing focus could cost him the chance to be named team captain. Then Penny Ryder, the daughter of his coach, makes an unexpected move on the rink. She wants him to help her explore the intimate experiences she has long been curious about. Saying yes might help Cooper loosen up and play better, but if her father ever found out, the captaincy would be out of reach.

Penny has no interest in a serious relationship after a painful breakup with a truly awful ex. Her plan is to take back control of her own choices, one new experience at a time. Cooper, the star defenseman on her father's team, is exactly the sort of man she thinks of as the most easygoing. They agree on a secret arrangement: no-strings companions until he earns the captaincy, while she checks off every item on her list.

As their time together grows, Penny finds it harder to picture saying goodbye. Love can end in heartbreak, she knows, but the story asks whether it might also be the thing that frees them to break away.