LOGINZAYDENMy lip trembled, and heat crept up my body.I swallowed.Ronan scoffed. “Why? Don't want to do it?”He jabbed a finger at me. “Admit it, Mercer. You don't want to be top.”He grabbed me by the lapels and yanked me forward until our faces were inches apart, his hot breath brushing against my skin.“You enjoy it when I fuck you, Zayden. You love watching me grovel before you and pamper you. You love the perks of being the bottom, so why are you acting like I forced you? Why are you using it as leverage in your stupid dignity talk?”He leaned closer, his lips brushing near my ear.“Deep down, you like it when I stay up learning those cheesy love poems just to make you smile. You love it when I kiss every inch of your skin. Who was it asking me to go faster?”He shoved me away and scoffed, rubbing his nose as he stared at the ceiling.“What do you take me for, Zayden? A convenient cock to satisfy your urges? Am I your sex robot?”I looked away. My cheeks wouldn't stop burning. Perh
ZAYDENFor two whole minutes, I said nothing. Then my expression darkened.“Your place? Ronan Devereaux, are you messing with me?” I snapped, turning to face him. “You're sulking and pouting as if I've wronged you. I'm the one at a loss here. The one…”Ronan threw off the blanket and turned to face me.“The one at a loss? If being with me is such a pain, you shouldn't have agreed to it in the first place.”“You…” I snapped, my chest tightening.The rest of my words caught in my throat. I tried to force them out, but they wouldn't come. My anger was too tangled up with something I couldn't bring myself to acknowledge.He turned away again and lay on his side, leaving me staring at his back.My fingers curled into the sheets. I clenched my jaw, biting down hard on my tongue as I struggled to rein in my temper.He was the one in the wrong, yet somehow he was trying to make me feel guilty. I hadn't done anything to him. He was the one being petty.“Zayden.” His sudden call dragged my atte
ZAYDENThe half-grin froze on my face.For two whole minutes, I couldn't bring myself to say anything.Then, slowly, I pulled my hand away from where he'd been holding it against his cheek.Disappointment immediately clouded his expression. The hope that had lingered in his eyes seemed to fade, leaving behind something I couldn't quite explain."Ronan, you've been acting strange lately. What's wrong with you?"He sighed and shook his head.Without another word, he stood up.My mouth fell open as I watched him walk towards the shower cubicle instead of joining me in the tub.This…was he really that upset?Ronan would never pass up an opportunity to bathe with me. It was practically an open invitation for him to whisper filthy things into my ears, tease me relentlessly and generally behave like the shameless rake he was.And now?I was already undressed, all willing and waiting in the water, yet he was heading for the shower cubicle?My fingers tightened around the edge of the tub.I pa
ZAYDENI kept glancing over my shoulders.My palms were unnaturally sweaty, and my heart wouldn't settle. Every little sound made me tense, as though someone might suddenly appear behind me.It felt less like I was sneaking off to a hotel room and more like I was disposing of a dead body.Damn!I hated how violently my heart was pounding.On reaching the fourth floor, I ducked into a restroom, pulled off my jacket and T-shirt, and was left in my vest.My jacket was reversible, with two different designs on either side. I pulled out the hidden hoodie and turned it inside out. In seconds, my leather jacket had transformed into a sweatshirt.I zipped it up, pulled the hood over my head, carefully folded my T-shirt and stuffed it into the new hoodie pocket.After waiting another three minutes, I headed for the VIP elevator at the back.I punched in the code Ronan had sent me.The elevator chimed, and a few seconds later, I found myself standing in front of the penthouse suites.28B, right
ZAYDENI stole another glance at him.He was still staring.Good heavens. Did he have no shame?My fingers flew across the keyboard, typing furiously.[Stop staring. People will notice.]The corner of his lips curled upwards, his expression a mixture of amusement and satisfaction.My phone vibrated almost immediately.[What can I do? My husband is so handsome. You're making my heart race.]My ears turned crimson, the heat spreading all the way to my cheeks. I bit down on my lower lip and hurriedly lowered my head.Nah, Ronan. My heart is the one threatening to beat right out of my ribcage.My phone pinged again.Without thinking, I tapped the notification.Another message from Ronan.[Adorable. You look so cute when you blush like that, my love.]I nearly choked.Reaching for my cocktail, I downed the entire glass, hoping the ice would somehow extinguish the fire coursing through my veins.What was he doing now? Testing my limits? Or deliberately trying to punish me?I cautiously rais
ZAYDENThe smell of alcohol was unusually strong, mingling with the noise and chatter filling the room.It was the team's victory dinner. Three matches remained in the competition. The opponents were getting tougher, but that didn't mean we were without our own advantages.As long as we didn't let up, we had a good chance of securing one of the top two positions.Apart from Michigan and Minnesota, whose performances were hardly inferior to ours, the remaining teams weren't strong enough to make me lose sleep.But right now, none of that mattered.A bone-deep exhaustion weighed on me. All I wanted was to crawl into bed and sleep. My head felt unusually heavy, and the suppressant patch on my neck had become unbearably itchy. I resisted the urge to scratch it.The coaches had long since left, leaving only the players from both teams behind.The room buzzed with conversation. Everyone was drinking, laughing and enjoying themselves."Hey, since there's no match until one p.m. tomorrow, how
ZAYDENMy jaw locked. The room turned stifling, air too thick to breathe, my heart hammering against my ribs like it wanted out. My thoughts frayed at the edges, vision swimming at the corners. Ronan’s eyes gleamed, vicious satisfaction naked in them. His hand slid up my spine, slow and deliberate
ZAYDENOne hour at the gym, and another ten minutes at the school sports facility did nothing to loosen the knots in both my shoulder muscles and chest. It felt like something heavy was crushing me from the inside.It didn’t matter. I had to shove it down and enter the rink. Today was the internal
ZAYDENMy hands gripped the report sheet so hard my knuckles turned white, eyes fixed on the leaderboard. Blood in my mouth from biting my tongue too hard. Ronan Devereaux. Number one in Managerial Accounting, two points higher than mine. Statistics, one point higher. One fucking point. General
Zayden MercerThe scent hits my nose the moment I step into the villa. The luxury holiday cottage which the school had prepared for our hockey teams as we competed with Worcester’s Polar Titans. I marched into the house. There in the central living room, Ronan Devereux was sprawled on a sofa, trou







