Pre-order: Top Shelf Stud (ebook)

This is a pre-order.

The third standalone in the Chicago Players hockey romance series from USA Today bestselling author Kate Meader!

Pre-order today and get the ebook ONE WEEK EARLIER than in regular stores. TOP SHELF STUD releases on February 16, 2026 in the Kate Meader Store and on February 24 everywhere else.  *** Store exclusive: all orders of this title from my store will also receive an epub file with the alternate "Skyline" cover. Your purchase will include two book files from Bookfunnel. ***

The snail doc wants a baby. I volunteered to do the deed. But it isn’t long before I realize a “donation” will never be enough. I want to be a dad, but most of all, I want her.

Franky

When confronted with the cold, hard facts of her diminishing chances to be a mom, what’s a woman of science to do?

Make a spreadsheet of eligible donors, of course.

Finding a man for life is not in the cards, but one for this singular purpose? I can do that. As the daughter of a Chicago Rebels legend and an expert in the field of gastropods—more commonly known as snails and slugs—I have plenty of choices in the worlds of both hockey and academia. The selection process should be easy, especially as my methodology has already eliminated several options, including Jason Isner, childhood nemesis and recently acquired defenseman for the Rebels. I’ve always considered him arrogant, cruel, and to be honest, not the brightest bulb.

I’m rarely wrong. But I might have been mistaken about Jason . . .

Jason

I surprised even myself when I offered to be Franky St. James’s baby daddy, but fatherhood has been a dream of mine forever. If I can achieve my goal without the hassle of a relationship, even better. I won’t be one of those “pump and dump” donors, though. I want the whole package: nighttime feedings, shopping for cute onesies, teaching my kid to skate. I’m in it for life, and as Franky and I travel this road together, I start to imagine what that life might look like. Not just a baby, but a family of my own.

The thing is, the doc has all sorts of hypotheses about jocks and relationships, and it’s going to take a lot of persuasion—sexy and otherwise—to prove her wrong. She might think the mating rituals of her beloved snails are the only “coupling” worth studying, but I’m determined to show her that when it comes to seeking a mate, this player is as driven as any species in the animal kingdom.

Because making a baby is just the beginning . . .

* She needs a sperm donor * Hockey romance * STEM heroine who studies snails * Childhood nemesis * Enemies to lovers * She watches him make his "donation" * Her brain turns him on * Spicy *