She is only a friend. Then why does he risk his rugby career to keep her safe? SCOTTIE I stay in the background to make my teammates look like Gods. I keep to myself. But when a ballet dancer sits down next to me in a cinema in Stirling, I make a mistake: I let her in. Ava's my teammate's girlfriend and off limits. She's bruised in places she won't let me see. All I'm supposed to be is her friend. But every Tuesday in that cinema, I fall harder for a woman I can't have. I'd burn my career to keep her safe. What I can't do is tell her that I'm falling in love with her, because it would destroy our friendship - and my team. AVA I'm a professional dancer trapped in a toxic relationship. My boyfriend's temper is escalating. My injury is threatening my ballet career. And the only person I trust is the quietest, largest man in Scottish rugby. Scottie doesn't ask questions. He shows up. When my relationship finally shatters, he gets me out, drives me to the Highlands, and opens the door to a family that treats me as one of their own. The problem? I'm falling for my friend. And if I cross that line, I'll lose the only person who ever made me feel safe. Sacked by Surprise is a friends-to-lovers rugby romance and the third standalone in the Scottish Rugby Rebels series. Tropes: Friends to lovers; He falls first; Only one bed in the Scottish Highlands; Hurt/ comfort; Grumpy x sunshine; DV survivor arc handled with care; Size difference: 6'4 rugby centre × petite ballerina; Found family; Dual POV (first person) & high heat A protective rugby hero who falls first. A ballet dancer rebuilding her life after a toxic relationship. A slow-burn love story set between Stirling and the Scottish Highlands. FOR FANS OF sports romance with gut-punch emotional depth and a friends-to-lovers burn so slow it leaves scorch marks.