In the first episode of "Heated Rivalry," the steamy Crave Canada series based on Rachel Reid's hockey romance novels erupting on HBO Max, rookies Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) from Russia and Canada's Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) find themselves in the gym after becoming the first and second draft picks for Major League Hockey. Positioned as rivals from the very beginning, their competitive nature is always present. They pedal on stationary bikes as if they're in the final stretch of the Tour de France; breath ragged, sweat dripping, machines struggling beneath them.

When Ilya realizes Shane has forgotten his water bottle, he silently offers his own. Ilya dangles the bottle in front of Shane, letting their fingers graze in a way that appears anything but accidental. Shane tips the

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