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North Star Kings #2
Checked by Love
He's spent fifteen years hiding who he is. One persistent team doctor is about to change everything.
Mateo Vega is the North Star Kings' enforcer—paid to fight, to bleed, to protect. At thirty-one, his body is breaking down and his ten-year lavender marriage just ended. He's closeted, terrified, and convinced he doesn't deserve the happiness he sees his teammates building.
Then Dr. Kieran Walsh walks into his life.
Brilliant, confident, and openly gay, Kieran is everything Mateo can't be. He's also the new team physician who sees right through Mateo's walls—and the injury he's hiding that could end his career.
When Kieran benches Mateo until he complies with treatment, forced proximity becomes their reality. Daily physical therapy sessions. Kieran's hands on Mateo's skin. Conversations that cut too deep. Mateo's carefully constructed defenses crumbling with every stolen glance, every accidental touch, every moment Kieran looks at him like he's worth saving.
But falling for your doctor is complicated. Being closeted in professional hockey is dangerous. And Mateo's running out of time to keep hiding and lose everything that matters, or risk it all for a chance at real love.
Some fears are bigger than others. Some loves are worth the fight.
Can an enforcer who's spent his life protecting everyone else finally learn to protect his own heart? Or will the cost of living authentically be more than he's willing to pay?
Mateo Vega is the North Star Kings' enforcer—paid to fight, to bleed, to protect. At thirty-one, his body is breaking down and his ten-year lavender marriage just ended. He's closeted, terrified, and convinced he doesn't deserve the happiness he sees his teammates building.
Then Dr. Kieran Walsh walks into his life.
Brilliant, confident, and openly gay, Kieran is everything Mateo can't be. He's also the new team physician who sees right through Mateo's walls—and the injury he's hiding that could end his career.
When Kieran benches Mateo until he complies with treatment, forced proximity becomes their reality. Daily physical therapy sessions. Kieran's hands on Mateo's skin. Conversations that cut too deep. Mateo's carefully constructed defenses crumbling with every stolen glance, every accidental touch, every moment Kieran looks at him like he's worth saving.
But falling for your doctor is complicated. Being closeted in professional hockey is dangerous. And Mateo's running out of time to keep hiding and lose everything that matters, or risk it all for a chance at real love.
Some fears are bigger than others. Some loves are worth the fight.
Can an enforcer who's spent his life protecting everyone else finally learn to protect his own heart? Or will the cost of living authentically be more than he's willing to pay?
257 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 18, 2025
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