Backcourt Violation

"You don't need to fix me."Dez Marlowe has spent twelve years proving she is the steadiest point guard in professional basketball. She never loses her temper. Never gives reporters more than they ask for. Never lets anyone see the panic she buried after the most humiliating night of her college career.Then thirty seconds of fury on national television threaten to destroy everything.With her final contract hanging in the balance, Dez is ordered to work with Junie Castellanos, the team's relentlessly optimistic new PR strategist. Junie arrives armed with color-coded plans, carefully rehearsed talking points, and an infuriating determination to uncover what really happened on the court.Dez wants a statement she can survive. Junie wants a story the public will believe.Neither expects the long drives, late-night strategy sessions, and charged silences that begin to blur the line between professional trust and something far more dangerous. The closer Junie gets to the truth behind Dez's carefully controlled image, the harder it becomes for Dez to remember why being known has always felt like losing.But cameras are everywhere, rumors spread faster than facts, and one hint of a relationship between a star athlete and the woman hired to manage her could cost them both their careers. When the pressure closes in, Junie must decide whether protecting Dez means controlling the story-or finally letting her speak for herself.Dez has built her life around never showing weakness. Can she risk her career, her heart, and the last defenses she has left for the one woman who sees everything she is trying to hide?