All Chapters of THE HOCKEY ALPHA WANTS ME: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Chapter 61MaxI looked up but then dropped my gaze, unable to hold his eyes. Shame burned through me, hot and bitter. "You didn't." It wasn't a question."I'm sorry." The words burst out of me, desperate and broken. "I just couldn't do it. I couldn't tell her. I'm sorry."The silence stretched between us, heavy with everything I hadn't said. Everything I couldn't say. I braced myself for anger. For disappointment. For him to realize what a coward I really was."It's okay," I heard Ace say.My head snapped up. He wasn't angry. Wasn't disappointed. He just looked... understanding. Like he got it. Like he knew how impossible it had been."It's not because I'm ashamed of you..." I started to say, needing him to understand. Needing him to know that this, us, wasn't something I was trying to hide because I was embarrassed."I know." He cut me off gently. "What would you have told her? That you were in love with her brother?"Our gazes locked. The truth hung between us, raw and real and te

Chapter 63MaxThe noise disappeared. The people around us blurred into nothing. It was just him and me, connected across the distance, like an invisible thread pulled taut between us.He smiled. Small. Private. Just for me, and my heart stuttered in response.Then his focus snapped back to the game, sharp and immediate. The whistle blew.The game exploded into motion, and I couldn't look away.Ace was everywhere at once. Stealing the puck, setting up plays, his speed incredible as he cut across the ice faster than seemed physically possible. I've watched him play before, seen him dominate the rink, but today was different—today felt electric, charged with something I couldn't quite name.It seemed like he was playing for something important, for something more than just the win, and my stomach flipped at the thought, warmth spreading through my chest.He moved like the game was choreographed just for him, like he knew where everyone would be before they even got there, reading the i

Chapter 65MaxThe room was transformed into something from a dream, something I never could have imagined. Flowers everywhere, on his desk, his dresser, the windowsill, even scattered across the floor in careful clusters. Roses in deep red that looked almost black in the dim light. Peonies in soft pink, their petals full and delicate. White lilies that seemed to glow. The sweet, heady scent filled the air so completely it made me dizzy, wrapped around me like a physical thing.Fairy lights hung in swooping garlands from wall to wall, casting everything in warm gold that felt magical and intimate. Candles flickered on every surface, their light dancing across the walls and ceiling, making shadows shift and sway.In the center of his bed sat a single card, white against his dark comforter, and my heart stuttered at the sight of it.My legs moved before my brain caught up, carrying me forward without conscious thought. I picked up the card with shaking hands, fingers trembling so badl

Chapter 67MaxBut tomorrow never came.Thursday night, I had him against the wall, kissing him hard while my hand worked between his legs. He was hard and wanting, making sounds that drove me crazy. I could feel how much he wanted this, wanted me. His hips rocked into my hand, his breath coming in harsh pants against my ear.I pulled back, breathing hard. "Let me finger you."His whole body went rigid. "No."The word was sharp, final, leaving no room for argument. It cut through the heat between us like a knife.I stepped back, frustration boiling over. "Why not?""I just... I'm not ready for that.""But you'll finger me? You'll let me go down on you?" The words came out harsher than I intended, but I couldn't help it. The double standard was killing me."That's different.""How? How is it different?"He didn't answer, just looked away, jaw tight.I wanted to scream. Wanted to shake him until he gave me a real answer, a real explanation for why he could touch me any way he wanted bu

Chapter 69MaxI didn't sleep. Not really. I drifted in and out of consciousness, my phone clutched in my hand, waiting for something I couldn't name. When dawn finally broke through the window, I felt exhausted and wired at the same time.Jordan was already up, getting ready for his morning run. He glanced at me, took in my rumpled appearance and red eyes, but didn't say anything. Just squeezed my shoulder on his way out.I was staring at my phone, reading Ace's last message for the hundredth time, when someone knocked on my door.My heart jumped. I knew it was him before I even opened it.Ace stood in the hallway, looking like he'd slept about as well as I had. His hair was messy, his eyes bloodshot, his clothes wrinkled like he'd slept in them. He looked miserable and beautiful and I wanted to both kiss him and slam the door in his face."Can I come in?" he asked quietly.I stepped aside, let him enter. Closed the door behind him and leaned against it, arms crossed, waiting.He pac