Common Goal
Official Book Synopsis
New York Admirals goalie Eric never thought his friends-with-benefits arrangement with much-younger Kyle would leave them both wanting more…
Veteran goaltender Eric Bennett has faced down some of the toughest shooters on the ice, but nothing prepared him for his latest challenge—life after hockey. It’s time to make some big changes, starting with finally dating men for the first time.
Graduate student Kyle Swift moved to New York nursing a broken heart. He’d sworn to find someone his own age to crush on (for once). Until he meets a gorgeous, distinguished silver fox hockey player. Despite their intense physical attraction, Kyle has no intention of getting emotionally involved. He’ll teach Eric a few tricks, have some mutually consensual fun, then walk away.
Eric is more than happy to learn anything Kyle brings to the table. And Kyle never expected their friends-with-benefits arrangement to leave him wanting more. Happily-ever-after might be staring them in the face, but it won’t happen if they’re too stubborn to come clean about their feelings.
Everything they both want is within reach… They just have to be brave enough to grab it.
Common Goal follows Eric Bennett, veteran goalie for the New York Admirals, who is staring down his 41st birthday, a recent amicable divorce, and the quiet realisation that he has spent his entire adult life not fully knowing himself. He's bisexual, he's finally ready to admit that, and he has absolutely no idea what to do with it.
Enter Kyle Swift: The Kingfisher bartender who flirts with Eric at Scott Hunter's engagement party, brings him a custom ginger turmeric mocktail to his birthday, and offers, with complete sincerity, to help Eric practice navigating the gay scene. It's an arrangement that is obviously going to become something more, for both of them.
Kyle has his own complicated history. At eighteen, he was groomed by his married boss Ian, the resulting scandal outed him, and his parents shipped him off to New York. He's been cautious ever since, especially around older men, which is inconvenient, because that is exactly his type and who Eric is. What starts as flirting practice at a gay bar called Fortune, roleplaying over text and pretending it's educational, quietly becomes gallery visits and empanadas and an "educational" sex session that they are still trying to pretend that is still just practice. Kyle teaches Eric how to make mocktails. Eric comes out to his best friend Scott Hunter, who is immediately and completely supportive. They are falling for each other in plain sight and both choosing not to say it out loud.
Eric's retirement looms over everything. He's known for a while that this is his last season, and when the announcement goes public, the finality of it hits harder than expected. He meets Kyle at the Kingfisher, they escape the city for a hike and pancakes at a New Jersey diner, and on the drive home, Eric ends it with Kyle. The fifteen year age gap, he says, isn't fair to Kyle. Kyle is furious and heartbroken. Two months pass.
The Admirals are eliminated from the playoffs, and Eric's career ends quietly in a locker room. He goes straight to the Kingfisher, finds Kyle, apologises, and tells him he wants to be his boyfriend. They kiss in the backroom. By July, they're at Scott and Kip's private wedding together. Eric Bennett is finally happy, settled, and co-owners of the Kingfisher alongside Scott, and finally together with Kyle Swift.
Veteran goalie Eric Bennett is forty and facing an impending retirement. At Scott and Kip’s engagement party at Kingfisher, he meets 25-year-old grad student and bartender Kyle Swift. Kyle is instantly drawn to how attractive Eric is, but writes him off after noticing Eric’s wedding ring. Unbeknownst to Kyle, Eric is actively harboring his own attraction to men, and decides to finally embrace his bisexuality. During Eric's birthday party at his luxurious townhouse, Kyle stays late to help clean up. The undeniable chemistry boils over as Kyle admits his weakness for older men. After Kyle mistakenly assumes Eric is a closeted cheater, Eric sets the record straight. Realizing Eric wants to explore dating men, Kyle makes a bold proposition: “I’d be happy to. Anytime. No strings attached”, offering to safely guide Eric through his sexual firsts with men.
Eric takes Kyle up on his offer, starting with a practice run at a gay bar called Fortune. When a guy named Alex hits on Kyle, Kyle playfully shoos him away by introducing Eric as his boyfriend, celebrating their "monthiversary". The evening ends in Kyle giving Eric his first kiss on the street. Soon after, Eric invites Kyle to his townhouse for a dinner of shakshuka, while Kyle makes Eric non-alcoholic mojitos. The night turns passionate as Kyle gently takes control and leads in the bedroom. He introduces Eric to the mind-blowing world of edging, which results in an intense orgasm. Later, Eric asks Kyle whether he wants to visit Jeanette's art gallery with him, but says it's not a date. Kyle says yes after confirming that they will get empanadas afterwards.
The line between casual hookups and dating blurs. After an art gallery visit, Kyle opens up about a past affair with a married boss that led to him leaving Vermont. Eric agrees that older men shouldn't date much younger guys. Although coming from a place of being a protective friend, Kyle can't help but feel rejected. Later, at a charity drag show, Eric gets jealous seeing Kyle dance intimately with another man. Eric leaves, but Kyle chases him into the freezing cold, sharing a desperate kiss before they hook up at Eric's house. The next morning, Eric confesses he is retiring soon. After being apart for weeks over the holidays, Eric realizes how much he misses Kyle. They reunite for coffee and end up at Kyle's apartment, where Kyle introduces a blindfold and Velcro cuffs, reassuring Eric, “Your only job tonight is to feel good”. The explosive session only deepens Eric's growing romantic feelings towards Kyle.
During the All-Star weekend in Buffalo, Eric comes out as bisexual to a supportive Ilya Rozanov and finally tells Scott he’s retiring. Back in New York, Eric officially announces his retirement to his teammates. After a tough loss to Toronto, a miserable Eric visits the Kingfisher. To cheer him up, Kyle takes Eric on a scenic hike at Blue Mountain where they spot wild deer and eat pancakes at a diner. However, the perfect day ends in heartbreak when Eric refuses to come up to Kyle's apartment, insisting he isn’t right for him, "I'll never forgive myself if I let you waste your time on me. Your youth". An angry Kyle yells, “Fuck my youth! And fuck you for thinking I can’t make my own decisions” and storms off. Two months later, following his final playoff game, Eric realizes he wants Kyle forever. He rushes to the Kingfisher to ask Kyle to be his boyfriend. Kyle happily accepts. By July, Eric and Scott have bought Kingfisher. Having just returned from a romantic trip to Greece, Eric and Kyle attend Scott and Kip’s wedding as a couple. As they dance together, Kyle smiles at the man and whispers, "You saved your best years for me, gorgeous."
“I can make one without alcohol,” Kyle offered.
Ilya looked delighted. “Yes! A virgin Scott Hunter.”
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Scott grumbled.
“He looks like Hunter a bit. But younger.” He paused, and grinned. “Much younger.”
Eric’s expression got a whole lot less neutral. He didn’t reply, so Ilya kept going. “Is like if Scott Hunter had a younger brother. And that brother had a son.”
"Before you met me it was a dark existence of no pancakes and weak orgasms.”
“I’ll never forgive myself if I let you waste your time on me. Your youth.”
“Fuck my youth!” It tore out of Kyle, louder than he’d meant it to. “And fuck you for thinking I can’t make my own decisions.”
