Once bitten, twice shy…

The mantra I live by, so no one can hurt me in the same way my parents did.

I'm Tommy Schneider, the most feared player in the NHL with a last name to match my bad boy reputation. Only, I'm the better, stronger, faster version of my estranged dad. Everything in my life I control with expert precision—from the hits I land in fights to the tattoos covering my body. Nothing and no one can get the better of me. I'm impermeable, a wall of steel that's as cold as it is opaque.

So when my trade to the New York Blades is met with controversy, it's fair to say I'm unbothered. The recently appointed General Manager expects a brutal enforcer, and that's exactly what he'll get.

But what I didn't expect when I landed in Brooklyn? Jenna Miller. And the way she unceremoniously turned me down. I shouldn't let her rejection weave its way under my skin, and I definitely shouldn't have punched her brother when he tried to defend Jenna's honor.

Instead, I should heed my mantra and walk away from the girl who hates my guts and grates on me with her bratty smile and backtalking mouth. If I don't, I know someone will eventually get hurt. But each time I back off, I wind up standing outside her apartment door again.

I'm in the fight of my life, with so much more at risk than just broken bones and bruises…

This time, it's my heart on the line.