Offside: A Steamy Hurt/Comfort Forbidden Forced Proximity Found Family MM Hockey Romance (Chicago Storm Book 4)

Professional hockey demands strength, discipline, and the ability to push through pain. But for Colt Bishop, a veteran defenseman with a career-defining contract year ahead, admitting that something is wrong could put his future at risk. In Offside, Piper Cross brings readers into the emotionally complicated world of the Chicago Storm, where physical recovery and personal vulnerability become closely intertwined. Colt has spent years concealing his pain and avoiding anything that might make him appear weak. When his shoulder injury becomes impossible to ignore, his carefully controlled approach to life begins to unravel. Declan Pryce, the team's physical therapist, knows Colt's injury and its implications better than most. His professional responsibility requires honesty, careful assessment, and clear boundaries. Yet the attraction between the two men makes maintaining those boundaries increasingly difficult. Declan's treatment notes could influence Colt's professional future, creating a conflict between what he must do for his patient and what he wants for himself. As their time together intensifies, both men must confront the risks of emotional honesty, the consequences of forbidden feelings, and the challenge of trusting someone with their vulnerabilities. The training room becomes more than a place for rehabilitation: it is where carefully guarded emotions and complicated professional obligations collide. The novel combines MM romance, hurt/comfort, forced proximity, slow-burning attraction, and the supportive relationships of a found-family hockey team. Readers can expect an intimate character-driven story about the difference between appearing strong and allowing someone else to offer support. This book is suited to adult readers who enjoy LGBTQ+ contemporary romance, professional hockey settings, emotionally vulnerable characters, and relationships complicated by workplace boundaries. As the fourth book in the Chicago Storm series, it follows the team's wider romantic world while offering a central couple and relationship of its own.