Puck Around and Find Out

A Chicago Stags Novel
by Chase Power

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Pairing: MM
Heat: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Inferno
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Grumpy/Sunshine, Forced Proximity, Secret Relationship, Size Difference, Hurt/Comfort, Public Coming Out

He’s the enforcer they call “The Reaper.” He’s the rookie everyone loves. When a shared hotel room forces them together, their hatred ignites into something far more dangerous.

Viktor “Vik” Sorokin didn’t come to Chicago to make friends. At thirty-one, the Russian enforcer has built his reputation on being the most feared man in the NHL—cold, brutal, and utterly alone. He doesn’t do teammates. He doesn’t do feelings. And he definitely doesn’t do bright-eyed rookies who won’t stop smiling at him.

Casey “Sparky” Thorne is living his dream. The twenty-three-year-old forward has a million social media followers, a highlight reel that won’t quit, and a carefully crafted persona that hides the anxiety eating him alive. The last thing he needs is the team’s terrifying enforcer looking at him like he’s a problem to be solved.

When a road trip forces them to share a hotel room, their constant clashing takes an unexpected turn. One moment of vulnerability becomes an arrangement: physical release only, strict rules, no feelings allowed.

But rules are made to be broken. And when a blackmail threat exposes their secret, Vik will have to choose between protecting Casey the only way he knows how—or trusting him enough to fight together.

Puck Around and Find Out is a 55,000-word MM hockey romance featuring a grumpy Russian enforcer, a sunshine rookie hiding his demons, size difference that matters, and enough steam to melt the ice. First in the Chicago Stags series with a guaranteed HEA.

🏒 Tropes You’ll Love 🏒

Content Notes

This book contains explicit MM sexual content including praise kink, D/s undertones, and intense emotional scenes. Additional content includes: childhood trauma, parental emotional abuse, panic attacks, blackmail, coming out journey, and sports violence. Reader discretion advised. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Read Chapter One Free

Chapter One: First Impressions

VIK

The rookie wouldn’t stop smiling.

Viktor Sorokin had been in the NHL for eleven years. He’d played with optimists before, suffered through their motivational speeches and team bonding exercises. But Casey Thorne was something else entirely—a five-foot-nine bundle of relentless enthusiasm that made Vik’s teeth ache.

“Morning, Reaper!”

Vik didn’t look up from lacing his skates. The nickname had followed him from Moscow to Boston to Chicago—earned through years of brutal hits and a face that looked like it had been carved from Siberian permafrost. Most teammates had the sense to use it sparingly, if at all.

Not Thorne.

“Great day for practice, right?” The rookie dropped onto the bench beside him, close enough that Vik could smell his shampoo—something expensive and aggressively citrus. “Coach says we might scrimmage today. You and me on the same line. Should be fun.”

“Fun,” Vik repeated flatly.

“Yeah, you know—” Thorne made a vague gesture with his hands. “Enjoyment? Entertainment? That thing normal people experience?”

Vik finally looked at him. The rookie was already dressed for practice, his jersey pristine, his dark hair artfully tousled in a way that probably took twenty minutes to achieve. He had the kind of face that belonged on magazine covers—sharp jaw, full lips, eyes so blue they looked photoshopped.

He also had 1.2 million Instagram followers, a verified TikTok account, and a highlight reel that had gone viral three times in the past month.

Vik hated everything about him.

“I am not here for fun,” he said. “I am here to win. You should try it sometime.”

Something flickered across Thorne’s face—there and gone so fast Vik almost missed it. Then the smile was back, bright as a spotlight.

“Ouch. The Reaper has jokes.” He stood, grabbing his stick. “Don’t worry, big guy. I’ll grow on you.”

“Like fungus?”

“Like a fine wine.” Thorne winked—actually winked—and headed for the ice.

Vik watched him go, irritation crawling under his skin like a physical itch. The rookie moved with an easy grace that Vik recognized as genuine talent, the kind that couldn’t be taught. His skating was smooth, his edges clean, his stick handling almost unconscious in its precision.

He was good. Better than good.

He was also the most annoying person Vik had ever met.

* * *

Keep reading to discover what happens when their hatred turns to something hotter…

🔥 Exclusive Bonus Content 🔥

Want the scene that was TOO HOT for Amazon?

Get the exclusive extended scene from their first night in Vancouver—when Vik broke every rule he’d made and stayed until morning. This scene is significantly more explicit than the main book, featuring everything that happened after Casey said “stay.”

More from Chase Power

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is this book part of a series?

Puck Around and Find Out is the first book in the Chicago Stags series but is a complete standalone with an HEA (happily ever after). No cliffhangers! Future books will feature other players from the team, including Marcus Chen’s story.

How spicy is this book?

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ — This is a 5/5 heat level book with explicit MM content. Features include praise kink, D/s undertones, size difference appreciation, possessive dirty talk, and emotionally intense intimacy.

Is there a happily ever after?

Yes! Vik and Casey get their full HEA complete with a public kiss on center ice after winning the Stanley Cup, a press conference coming out, and an epilogue where they move in together.

Do I need to know about hockey to enjoy this book?

Not at all! The hockey elements are woven naturally into the story, and everything you need to know is explained. Hockey fans will appreciate the authentic details, but the romance works for everyone.