All Chapters of The Hockey Star's Spicy Stripper: Chapter 151 - Chapter 159

Damien’s POVI woke up on the floor with a crick in my neck that felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to my spine.My eyes cracked open slowly, adjusting to the early morning light filtering through the study windows. Everything hurt: my back, my shoulders, my pride. Why the hell was I on the floor?Then I felt it. Warmth. Softness. The distinct scent of vanilla and something floral that had haunted my dreams for years.I turned my head slightly and froze.Aria was pressed against me, her back to my chest, my arm somehow draped over her waist, our legs tangled together like we'd done this a thousand times before. We were practically spooning. On the floor of my dead father's study. Like some kind of tragic rom-com where the characters were too stupid to realise they'd fallen asleep together.Oh shit. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.My brain immediately went into crisis mode. How did this happen? When did this happen? More importantly, how did I extract myself without waking her up an

Aria’s POVHe barged through the front door like a hurricane, all fury and devastation wrapped in human form. I'd been waiting in the foyer after picking him up from Fred's apartment, the silence during the drive so thick I could have choked on it."Hey." I tried for gentle and non-threatening. "I made breakfast. Eggs, bacon, toast, nothing fancy, but…"He walked past me like I was invisible. Like I hadn't just driven across the city to rescue him from whatever hell he'd discovered. His face was a mask of anguish, with red-rimmed eyes, a jaw tight enough to shatter, and hands clenched into fists at his sides."Damien?" I followed him toward the stairs. "What happened? What did you find?"He didn't answer. Just kept climbing, his footsteps heavy and deliberate, like each step required monumental effort."Damien, talk to me. Whatever it is, we can…"The bedroom door slammed in my face with enough force to rattle the frame.Then I heard it. A sound I'd never heard from him before: raw, b

Aria’s POVI was already accustomed to his shenanigans, the way Julian would wake me with gentle touches and the way he'd study my face while I slept like I was a puzzle he was trying to solve. So when the evening sun hit my face, and I felt fingers brushing hair away from my eyes, I wasn't startled."Hey, baby." His lips pressed against my forehead, warm and soft. "You're awake."I stretched, my body deliciously sore in all the right places, and let out a yawn that probably wasn't attractive, but I was too comfortable to care. "How long was I asleep?""Not too long. Maybe an hour?" He handed me my phone, and something in his expression made my stomach tighten. "Your phone's been ringing nonstop. You should probably check it."I pressed the power button, the screen lighting up with a barrage of notifications. My heart sank when I saw who'd been calling.The security post. Five missed calls."Who is it?" Julian asked, his brow furrowing. "You look terrified.""It's the mansion's securi

Damien’s POV. I bolted out of the mansion like a man possessed, my keys clutched in trembling hands, my vision blurred by tears I couldn't seem to stop. The pain in my chest was physical, a crushing weight that made it hard to breathe, hard to think, and hard to do anything but move forward on autopilot.I'd forgotten. In the chaos, in the destruction, in the revelation that my entire life was a lie, I'd completely forgotten.Lily was still in the hospital.My daughter: No, not my daughter, Fred's daughter, was lying in a hospital bed waiting for a blood transfusion, and her biological parents were too busy destroying my life to even ask about her condition.The thought made my stomach churn violently. I gripped the steering wheel tighter, trying to push down the nausea.Fred and Vanessa were useless. Worse than useless. They were parasites who'd fed off my life, my love, and my trust and left nothing but destruction in their wake.And Lily... God, Lily.The image of her tiny face, h

Damien’s POV I was in the bar this time, nursing my fourth, fifth, maybe sixth drink. I'd lost count somewhere around the third hour of sitting on this uncomfortable stool, staring at bottles lined up behind the counter like soldiers ready for battle.Apparently, Julian or Jully or whatever the hell Aria called him didn't want me at the hospital. Made it pretty clear with his territorial bullshit and his possessive hand on her shoulder. So I left. Walked out like the coward I was becoming, and ended up here, drowning in whiskey that tasted like regret.My heart was boiling. Not just because of everything I'd been through in the last forty eight hours, though God knows that was enough to break any man. Not just because I'd discovered my fiancée was a fraud and my daughter wasn't mine and my best friend had betrayed me in the worst possible way.No, what really had my blood pumping hot and angry was the fact that this stupid, stupid guy was moving into the mansion. For a week. Maybe lo