He needed a fortress of solitude. He got an equation he couldn't solve.
Luke Carter's hockey career has one directive: don't repeat Dad's mistakes. After transferring to Northern Ridge University to rebuild his reputation, he's finally earned the starting goalie position. A single dorm room was part of the deal?a place to decompress, stick to his routine, and prove to his father (and the NHL scouts watching) that he's worth the investment.
Then a "clerical error" plants Austen Lovell in his sanctuary.
Austen is a math major who finds peace in proofs, predictability in patterns, and safety in solitude. After aging out of the foster system with nothing but a scholarship and a determination to never depend on anyone, the last thing he needs is a roommate who leaves his gear everywhere and disrupts every carefully controlled variable.
But Luke isn't chaos?he's a problem set Austen can't stop working on.
What starts as reluctant cohabitation turns into late-night conversations, stolen glances, and a connection neither man expected. For the first time, Luke has someone who sees past the jersey to the pressure crushing him beneath it. And Austen finally understands what it means to be named?not as a temporary placement, but as someone's constant.
But secrets have a shelf life. When Luke's controlling father shows up with NHL scouts and expectations, Luke faces an impossible choice: claim Austen in front of everyone who matters, or protect the path that was laid out for him since childhood.
Because some variables can be controlled. But love?
Love demands a proof.
Goalie and the Geek is an M/M hockey romance about two men learning that the safest place isn't solitude?it's each other. Features a protective grumpy goalie, a sunshine math genius, forced proximity, only-one-bed-adjacent energy, and an HEA worth waiting for.
Content notes: On-page emotional abuse from a parent, references to the foster care system, mild spice.
Autorentext
Jason Wrench was born in San Jose, CA, grew up in Lubbock, TX, got his doctorate in Morgantown, WV, and now lives in Rosendale, NY. He is a Professor in the Department of Communication at the State University of New York at New Paltz. He's been teaching in higher education for over 20 years. He's worked at Texas Tech University, West Virginia University, West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, Indiana State University, Excelsior College, and SUNY New Paltz. Jason loves Broadway, Coffee, and his Puggles. He's also published many books and research articles under his professional name, Jason S. Wrench (that middle initial makes all the difference in the world).
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