The Trade Up is a short novella (15K words) that's part of the Boston Rebels hockey series. - hockey player + nerdy girl - one night stand turns to more - he falls first - instalove Nothing rattles me. My entire hockey career, I've been known as the guy who doesn't fight. I've never had trouble keeping myself in check because not only do I have Zen-like control over my mind and emotions, but when it comes to fighting, I'd always have an unfair advantage. I'm trained to be deadly with my hands, and I know better than to use my skills against unsuspecting victims. But when my team, the Boston Rebels, have an away game in Seattle, I come face-to-face with my dream girl, Ashleigh. She's an even bigger StarTrek fan than I am, is about to start a PhD program in Astrophysics, and she's got a body to back up that sassy mouth and smart mind. The nighttime tour of Seattle that she agrees to give me quickly turns into the hottest night of my life. I'm supposed to be leaving the next night, but I don't want to say goodbye. So the next morning, I give her a jersey and tickets to our game, hoping she'll come so I can see her one more time before I have to get on the plane and head back to Boston. Little do I know that her ex plays for Seattle, and when he starts harassing her, I want nothing more than to knock some sense into him. But Ashleigh hates fighting, and the only thing I want more than to put him in his place is a chance at more than just one night with her.