An unexpected spark between a hockey player and the coach’s daughter might cause them to cross the line in the next Dalton University book from international bestselling author Bal Khabra.
Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Embrace by Bal Khabra, which releases on August 4th 2026.
Kian Ishida is all about parties, hockey, and living in the moment. But when he realizes he’s headed to the NHL without his degree, his late dad’s one wish for him, he’s determined to make up those last few credits. Desperate for help, he joins a study group led by none other than Scarlett Kilner. She’s as gorgeous as she is smart. Too bad he doesn’t know yet that she’s his coach’s daughter.
After making a reputation for herself, all Scarlett wants for her senior year is to prove she’s more than her mistakes and graduate without tarnishing her well-respected father’s name. But when Kian Ishida, one of her dad’s star hockey players, joins her study group, things get complicated.
As Scarlett helps Kian, their study sessions turn into something more—stolen glances, lingering touches, and a connection neither of them expected. Kian has to decide what’s more important: the dream he’s worked for his whole life or the girl he never saw coming.
EXCERPT
I go to toss my empty cup of ramen when someone calls my name.
As usual, my stomach tightens, because at Dalton you never know who’s going to approach you. But when I turn, I see Kian Ishida walking toward me.
My gaze catches on the sliver of skin at his exposed midriff, his wrinkled white shirt stiff and short on his long frame. I don’t dare look at his veiny arms, or the rings adorning his thick fingers. He’s got on faded blue jeans, ripped in some places, and white sneakers. “You weren’t at the library,” he says, slightly out of breath when he reaches me. “Huh?”
“The library? We were supposed to meet there to talk about our new arrangement, remember?”
Arrangement? Oh my God. The deal. This can’t be real.
“That was a joke. Y-you were drunk,” I remind him.
“I wasn’t,” he says. “Well, drunk, yeah, but I wasn’t joking. You shouldn’t have to deal with those creeps. I can keep them away, and you can help me graduate. That’s what we decided, right? Your reputation, my graduation?”
My words catch in my throat as I blink rapidly. “Do you realize what hanging around me would do to your reputation?”
I expect him to realize I’m right, that this won’t be worth it for him.
“Well, it’s a good thing their opinions don’t mean shit to me. Which, by the way, is lesson one: Fuck. Everyone.” He pauses. “Well, excluding the people you actually care about.”
I shake my head hard enough to rattle something loose. “Look, it’s a nice thought and all, but you don’t need to do that. You don’t have to associate yourself with me. I can find you someone who actually tutors Dunn’s students—”
But Kian’s already moving. He climbs onto the table I was just eating at, right in the middle of the dining hall, startling a guy who is now seated there, and the sound of Kian’s sneakers hitting the wood makes half the room look up.
“What are you doing?” I mutter, my pulse skyrocketing as people start whispering. Even the professors pause mid-bite, like this is their entertainment for the day.
“Scarlett.” His voice booms across the room. Then he crouches down and whispers, “Wait, what’s your last name?”
“Why?” He just stares, waiting for my response. I hesitate, feeling the name on my tongue before saying, “Rose.”
There’s a deep, almost instant swell of guilt in my stomach when he tilts his head, as if he’s wondering if that’s my real name, before he stands tall again.
“Scarlett Rose, will you be my friend? I cannot”—he clutches his chest dramatically—“I cannot continue this cruel, meaningless life without you by my side!”
I nearly choke on air. “What the hell are you doing? Get down!”
“It’s a grand gesture, Scar. Let it happen,” he whispers, before straightening to his full height. “So . . . is that a yes or a no? Only one will shatter my heart, but hey, that’s not your problem.”
Every set of eyes in the room lands on me, and I can feel my entire face heating up.
“Put me out of my misery, Scarlett!” “Okay! Yes. I’ll be your friend,” I shout.
A grin splits his face as he bows to the crowd, earning a smattering of confused, hesitant applause. Then, with the kind of grace that shouldn’t belong to someone his size, he hops down from the table, landing light as a cat.
“Perfect. So, tutoring tomorrow at four?” he asks casually, as if he didn’t just cause a scene. Or that his sneakers didn’t make contact with that poor freshman’s oatmeal.
“See you later, Scar.”
Scar?
I can only blink at him, caught between awe and disbelief, be-fore I manage a nod. He takes my hand, gives it a firm shake, and then he’s slinging his gear bag over his shoulder and disappearing through the double doors.
What the hell just happened?
