. Roaring back from a life-threatening injury, he has the world at his skates as defenseman for his new team, the Chicago Rebels. Everyone adores his big personality, his on-ice talent, and his killer smile. Everyone but his prickly neighbor--or so he thinks. One chilly Christmas Eve, Theo will learn that maybe the girl next door isn't such a hater after all ... How else can the ex-military-now-bartender explain her crush on the hot jock who lives across the hall? True, he has gorgeous green eyes and perfect cheekbones, but the filter between his brain and too-sexy mouth is permanently malfunctioning. Yet she can't stop checking out his Instagram antics or sneaking looks at him when he's in her bar. So. Mortifying. Running from a past filled with damning secrets, Elle's determined that this guilty pleasure remains buried in her deepest fantasies. Because she couldn't possibly indulge with Theo Kershaw. Or make a mistake that draws attention to her under-the-radar life. And she especially couldn't be a mom to a pro-athlete's baby ...