Page 1 of For Pucking Keeps

PROLOGUE

PRESENT DAY

An excerpt from the Seattle Tribune

Fans and literary enthusiasts, brace yourselves for an emotional rollercoaster. The much-awaited novel,For Pucking Keeps, written by international best-selling romance author, Jazminne Starr, is finally here.

In her captivating new story, Starr takes the readers on a journey about finding love, healing and passion, weaving an intricate tale between two people from two different worlds, intertwining the power of words and the beauty of giving in to one’s heart. As the central character in the story, Raven, embarks on a path of self-discovery and love, the lines between reality and fiction blur, creating a narrative thatmirrors Starr’s own relationship with Vipers’ captain, Torrance Bailey.

Speculation is rife as the release date ofFor Pucking Keepsis accompanied by an intriguing mystery of its own. In a plot twist worthy of another page-turner, Jazminne Starr has disappeared from the public eye in the midst of the anticipation for her latest work. Rumors are swirling through social media that the disappearance may be linked to real-life conflict, a.k.a., the not-so-secret break up between Starr and Bailey, and how it relates to the love interests of her book, leaving readers and fans clamoring for answers.

Jazminne Starr’s publicist, Julia Marks, commented on the situation, “I know readers are eager to learn the truth behind the author’s sudden vanishing act. Rest assured, Jaz is taking some time away for her mental health and wellbeing. We hope the release ofFor Pucking Keepswill provide insight into the complex web of emotions and events that led us to this point. Wells Publishing would like to welcome all of Jazminne’s readers and hockey fans alike to her first public appearance in months for the book’s launch at the Seattle Vipers Arena in one week. We can’t wait to see you all there.”

Starr hasn’t been seen in public since news of the pending release of the novel, and fans are speculating that it has everything to do with the clues given in thededication at the beginning of the book. If it’s true, one has to wonder how much of the story is fiction and how much is an actual depiction of the author’s life. Either way, fans can’t get enough. I guess we will just have to wait and see how Starr’s own story actually ends. We will leave you with an excerpt from the book and a glimpse of the book’s dedication.

Dedication

To the man I love. You know who you are. It was real, every moment, every word, every touch, every kiss. It was meant. It was true. We found love from the start. We were playing for keeps without realizing that this was more than a game. This is the story of us. Please forgive me.

ONE

JAZ

Ten months ago

Okay, I must admit, I need to see what all the hype is about. The loud raucous crowds, the smell of popcorn, imitation cheese on nachos, and the pungent scent of stale beer wafting from the cups of people around me. I mean, I know the beer isn’t stale, but I am the type of woman who likes her drinks in the form of slushie, fruity deliciousness. Beer is a no go; the smell makes my stomach turn. Fermented piss. Go ahead, fight me on it. I won’t be changing my mind, ever. Scrunching up my nose against the stench, I turn my attention forward, my focus on the eight-foot-tall plexiglass barrier towering over me, just as a massive mancomes smashing into the boards with a mighty bang. I jump in startled excitement.

Clutching my chest, my heart pounds against my palm, I breathe out, “Jesus.” My eyes widen as I take it all in. The man turns as he whips off his helmet, his eyes blazing with fury. The helmet hits the ice along with his stick, huge, padded gloves go flying, and he charges the other player who had cross-checked him hard, causing him to crash and lose the puck. Puck, a black round disk, that reminds me of a Ding Dong, as it slides across the ice. Hmmm. Ding Dong.

It’s an all-out brawl. The fight between two players quickly turns into both teams coming together, a dog-pile of fists and blood as the scene on the ice before me turns hostile. It’s barbaric, and hell, a little dramatic, but this shit is exhilarating to watch.

So, this is hockey.

The crowd goes absolutely ape-shit. I think. . .I think I might be in love.

“Oh, come on ref! Are you fucking blind? I am all of five foot nothing and even I can see the foul from here,” Lia taunts. Cupping her hands in front of her face, she begins to boo the referee down below. It only takes a few seconds of her verbal outrage to cause the onlookers in our section to join her.

“Boo! Boo!” they all chant, as popcorn, candy boxes, and empty plastic cups go flying forward,hitting the plexi-glass, which is all that protects said referee from death by snack bar.

My mouth falls open in shock as I wonder if my new neighbor, slash newly acquired friend, has been body snatched. I’ve known Lia for four months now, and I’ve never seen this side of her. Her petite body vibrates with pent up rage as she bounces up and down like an MMA fighter waiting for a chance to jump into the fray. As if sensing my shock, she glances over and smiles, grabbing a handful of her popcorn as if she wasn’t about to go green and Hulk out on me.

“I live for this shit, Jaz! I’m so glad you finally decided to come with me. I usually come to my brother’s games alone.” She shrugs and smiles with excitement, tossing a handful of popcorn into her mouth and chewing it enthusiastically.

“Well, I have to say this is quite the spectacle,” I reply as I watch the refs begin to break up the fight, pulling big, burly hockey players off one another, dragging padded bodies across the ice.

Lia huffs, pointing her manicured finger at me. “I told you, if you’re going to write about hockey, you have to see it. To really experience it.” She winks.

The boos die down, but cheers erupt as two refs escort one of the bloody players to the penalty box, where he commences riling up the crowd, clapping and fist pumping as he receives five minutes in the sinbin. Or at least, I think that’s what it’s called. Lia’s been shouting terminology at me all night, and I have no clue what any of it means. Going to have to hit up google if I want to wrap my head around it all. It’s all a bit much. I mean, what the hell is a hat trick?

Hockey is a sport that wasn’t accessible to kids in the neighborhoods I grew up in, so my knowledge is slim to none. Well, that’s a lie, I’ve read my fair share of hockey romance novels; it’s the reason why I am here tonight. Okay, back to my point. Basketball, football, track and field, hell, even baseball were sure tickets to get into a top college if you had the skills and the talent to receive a scholarship. Hockey, golf, swimming, gymnastics, even figure skating were sports that most minority kids from lower income families weren’t privy to because of the money it took to succeed and sustain participation. Nothing was off-limits of course, despite what a lot of short-sighted people thought in a world of prejudiced ideals and stereotypes. Black people do swim, we do play unconventional sports, and by the looks of these hot as hell brown-skinned hockey players soaring across the ice, we sure as fuck play hockey.

I whistle softly before replying, “Yeah, I am experiencing it alright.” I raise my eyebrows suggestively as she throws her head back with laughter. Yes, she gets it.

I can’t deny that she is right. Nothing prepared mefor this. The energy from the crowd and players is electric. It’s a fast-paced adrenaline rush of unexpected maneuvers that has my heart in my throat with each pass of the puck. There would be no amount of research that could do the real experience justice. I had Lia to thank for this, well, her brother, but she had finally worn me down. Desperate and needing to feed my starving muse, I relented and came to a match with her. I don’t regret it in the slightest.

I settle back into my seat and look over to Lia. “Thank you,” I say, genuinely grateful to this woman who I tried to ignore for weeks as I attempted to hide away from the world. Sometimes you need someone to push their way into your life without giving you a choice in the matter. “Girl, I didn’t know I needed this, but I am really enjoying myself.” I point to the ice and smile in gratitude and appreciation for the eye candy.

Lia beams and finally sits as the buzzer sounds to end the period. Music immediately blares over the speakers to entertain the crowd as players glide off the ice and begin to head back to their locker rooms for a brief reprieve.

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