He’s the brick wall on the ice, but off the ice, he’s dangerously close to shattering. Kai is a generational talent, a goaltender who tracks ninety-three-mile-an-hour slap shots with cold, machine-like precision. He’s the anchor of the team. The guy who never breaks. But a career spent putting his body in front of frozen rubber is taking its toll, and the only thing keeping him together is the late-night sessions on the treatment table. Nate is the team’s athletic trainer, a guy known for his "magic hands" and easy-going nature. He’s used to fixing broken athletes, but he’s terrified of only being valued for his utility. He wants to be seen for who he is, not just what he can heal. What starts as professional boundaries and necessary physical therapy quickly blurs into something deeper in the amber glow of the empty training room. Kai doesn’t just need Nate to fix his body; he needs Nate’s warmth to thaw the ice around his heart. But crossing the line between player and trainer is a penalty neither can afford. With the season on the line and secrets getting harder to keep in the locker room, Kai wants to prove to Nate that he’s not just a set of healing hands—he’s the only save that truly matters. The Warm-Up That Stuck is a high-heat, MM sports romance featuring a grumpy/stoic goalie, a sunshine athletic trainer, delicious hurt/comfort, and a forbidden workplace romance. Explicit content. Book 1 of the Between the Pipes series.