Ice Prince

He is the NHL's golden boy living in a gilded cage. I'm the hired muscle paid to keep him alive. We were never supposed to cross the blue line.

Julian Vane is the definition of perfection. As the Captain of the Manhattan Monarchs, he is the wealthy, disciplined, and untouchable "Ice Prince." But behind the millions and the magazine covers lies a life of crushing isolation. Controlled by his tyrannical father and haunted by the legacy of the Vane empire, Julian's world is a silent prison of repressed anxiety and lonely perfectionism.

Until the threats start.

When a stalker breaches his penthouse security, Julian's father hires the ultimate insurance policy: Jaxson "The Reaper" Radek.

Jax is everything Julian isn't. A gritty enforcer from the streets of Detroit, Jax plays a violent game and lives a rough life. He hates rich kids, and he hates the Monarchs' polished image. But when he moves into Julian's sterile Tribeca sanctuary, he sees what the cameras miss: a man on the verge of shattering.

What begins as a clash of wills ignites into a dangerous, forbidden inferno. To survive the pressure, they strike a desperate "arrangement"-a secret release that breaks every rule in the book. But as Jax uncovers the man beneath the mask, the job stops being about a paycheck and starts being about possession.

The threat is closer than they think.

When the stalker escalates and a shocking conspiracy reveals that Julian's own family is selling him out to the Russian mob, the Ice Prince must decide what kind of man he wants to be. Stripped of his jersey, his fortune, and his title, Julian goes on the run with the only person he trusts.

Hunted by mercenaries and betrayed by his blood, Julian has to stop playing for the legacy and start fighting for his life. But winning the game might cost him the one thing he can't afford to lose:

The bodyguard who stole his heart.

Tropes:

• Bodyguard / Principal

• Enemies to Lovers

• Grumpy x Sunshine (Internal Anxiety vs. Stoic Protector)

• Forced Proximity

• Hurt / Comfort

• High-Stakes Hockey Romance