30 Ways To Win A Heart, 30 More To Break It

“I want to fuck you.”That was the last thing I expected to hear from Kayden Alvarez, the big-time, professional hockey player I handled.Why did a grown man need a handler? Because he was a toddler in a giant’s body. If it weren’t for his absolute drive to be the best of the best on the ice—plus that ridiculously pretty face—he would be nothing more than a random arrogant man on the street. He behaved like a spoiled child, constantly leaving massive messes in his wake while I destroyed my sanity cleaning up after him.I had drafted more NDAs than I could count in my six months of working for him, all because he didn't know how to keep his pants zipped. I was supposed to be an elite PR professional, but the idiot was turning me into a glorified babysitter.And now, he dared to utter those words to me? The nerve.“Excuse me?” I twisted my face, making sure he didn’t miss the look of utter disgust in my eyes.“I said, I would like to fuck you,” he repeated like a fool, incapable of r

A sharp, humorless laugh broke out of my throat before I could stop it. I stared at Kayden, waiting for the punchline, but his expression remained deadpan.“A contract to be your official girlfriend?” I mocked, crossing my arms tightly over my chest. “What does that even mean?”“You know what it means, Gabrielle.”“A fake relationship?” A breathy scoff left me. “You have got to be kidding me. You muttered this same ridiculous nonsense outside my apartment last night, Kayden, and my answer hasn't changed. Are you completely delusional? Fake or not, I’ll never date you.”“Gabrielle, shut up and listen for a second,” Arthur interjected, his voice tight and commanding.“No, Sir, I won't,” I snapped, turning on my boss, the adrenaline overriding my usual professional restraint. “He is a liability! This entire mess started because he can't control his impulses, and now his brilliant solution is to drag me deeper into the mud with him? I refuse to be part of a PR stunt that completely compro

My skin was buzzing. A persistent tingling sensation hummed beneath the surface of my flesh, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake it.It had been hours since Kayden and I had tangled ourselves in his sheets to take those staged photos. We were barely minutes away from the arena now, but the only thing my body seemed capable of remembering was the overwhelming heat of his touch.The warmth of his breath against my jaw.The rhythmic vibration of his chest as his heart pounded raggedly against mine.Why on earth was I reacting like this?I tried to tell myself it was simply a physiological response. It had been a very long time since I had been in such intimate proximity with a man. That had to be it. Because it could not be because of Kayden Alvarez. I didn’t even like the man enough to tolerate his presence for a full hour, let alone crave his touch.There had to be something wrong with my brain today.“What’s wrong with you?” Kayden’s deep voice suddenly filtered into

“Alvarez has got the puck! It’s a three-man rush against one! What will Alvarez do? He dekes! He shoots! Alvarez scores the winning goal for his team! Boston takes the win at home tonight! What a spectacular game!”The arena erupted into chaos the second the final buzzer went off. The roar of thousands of fans shattered the air, shaking the very foundation of the rink. Before I could even raise my stick in celebration, my teammates practically threw themselves at me, tackling me down onto the ice in a pile-up.The intoxicating thrill of the win surged through my veins, but as soon as I could break free from the pile, my eyes scanned the sidelines. I didn't care about the cameras or the fans.I only cared about her.I skated hard toward the bench, stopping right where she stood behind the glass. Reaching over, I hooked my arms around her waist and pulled Gabrielle flush against my chest into a hug.She froze, her body rigid with shock. But within seconds, her defenses crumbled. Her

Last night was thrilling.Kayden was like a little kid who had just discovered his new favorite candy, unable and unwilling to hide his excitement. Even though our midnight adventure hadn't ended exactly the way we had envisioned, it was the most enjoyable night I’d had in years.To make matters better—or perhaps worse—videos of us locking hands and sprinting away from a crowd of chanting fans had already been plastered across every social media platform. The internet was eating it up. It was the proof the public needed to believe that we were truly an item. By all PR standards, everything was going perfectly.But as I stepped out into the l morning air of Kayden’s estate, a knot of dread tightened in my stomach. What I feared the most was the realization that I was becoming far too comfortable.Today was only day two of our thirty-day contract, and yet, Kayden had already allowed me to see fractured pieces of him that I didn’t even know existed. The nervous and emotional man in