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Epilogue 2

Author: E L Simon
last update publish date: 2025-08-08 03:48:57

Hope was still sniffling a little in the backseat when Sterling pulled away from the school. But her grip on her plushie relaxed as he drove, and by the time they reached the first fast food drive-thru, she’d started humming quietly to herself.

Sterling hit their favorite allergy-friendly drive-thru first, the one with a surprisingly good gluten-free menu and a manager who remembered Hope’s name. He ordered her all her favorites: chicken nuggets, sweet potato fries, and the little apple crisps
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    The bastard didn’t stop.He straightened over Jax like he was lining up a shot, boot drawing back, eyes hard and mean. No hesitation. No second thought. Just the intent to do damage.Something in Ryder went white-hot.He didn’t slow. Didn’t shout. He launched himself forward, shoulder-first, slamming into the guy’s side and knocking him clean off balance before the kick could land.Ryder’s voice tore out of him, rough and feral. “Get the fuck away from him.”The football player staggered, caught himself, then turned with a snarl. “Who the hell—”Ryder didn’t hesitate. He threw a punch, hard and clean, straight into the guy’s jaw.He’d been playing hockey since he was six years old. Been chirping since day one. He knew how to throw his weight, how to keep his feet, how to use momentum instead of brute force. This wasn’t a blind swing—it was clean, controlled, exactly where it needed to land.The guy reeled back, shock flashing across his face as Ryder crowded his space, hands already f

  • Owned on the Ice M/M Romance   Instinct

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  • Owned on the Ice M/M Romance   The Foundry

    The Foundry came up fast, all brick, glowing windows, loud even from the street. Connor’s Jeep was pulling in at the same time, fishtailing slightly as it swung into the lot.Jax slid the Mustang neatly into the space beside it.The second the engine cut, Ryder was out of the car.He bolted like he was late for a game, tension and embarrassment propelling him forward as he slammed the door and grabbed his bag from the back.“Jesus, Hayes,” Drew called as they piled out of the Jeep. “You always stomp like you got a stick handle up your ass or is this a special occasion?”Ryder shoved him hard enough to make a point. “Fuck you.”That, unfortunately, only drew attention.The guys' attention slid past Ryder, locking onto the Mustang.“Damn,” Connor breathed. “That really yours Calloway? I thought Larsson was having a mid-life.”Zach circled it like a shark. “So hot...”Ryder scowled, rolling his eyes so hard he was pretty sure they might get stuck. “It’s just a damn car.”They stared at h

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    The voice hit him like a slap.“Milo?”He hadn’t heard that voice in more than a decade. Flat, clipped, with no warmth to soften it.The man standing by the rink boards was tall and broad through the shoulders, his hair going silver at the temples. But there was no mistaking the former Vultures goa

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    Milo hurried down the hallway, phone in hand, bag slung over one shoulder. The hotel’s conference-level restaurant was easy enough to find, he just followed the scent of coffee, bacon, and testosterone.A few of his new teammates were already gathered in a large side room off the main dining area,

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    Ethan was braced above him like some living wall. Half-shadow, half-sculpture, all heat.His dark hair was tousled and sticking up in chaotic tufts, his jaw rough with stubble that shadowed the sharp lines of his face. Sleep had softened him around the eyes, but it hadn’t dulled the power radiating

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